Haydn’s ‘Surprise Symphony’ is well known – although the joke still works for the unwary in the concert hall. My latest talks in the series ‘Mornings with a Masterpiece’ will focus on Haydn’s String Quartets, and they turn out to be just as full of unexpected developments: not so much loud noises, but experiments with […]
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Exploring Handel in May
My series of Zoom music talks, Mornings with a Masterpiece, will continue in May with Handel the Dramatist – two oratorios On two Thursdays – May 16th and 23rd we shall turn our attention to Handel, and to the wonderfully dramatic music he wrote in his oratorios. In this form, practically invented by Handel, he […]
Meet Monteverdi in February
Join me in February for a visit to Italy and one of its greatest composers. On February 22nd and 29th I am offering more Mornings with a Masterpiece – my online talks for MANCENT (the Manchester Continuing Education Network). The composer is best known now for performances of the ‘Monteverdi Vespers’ but there is considerable […]
Looking forward to Autumn 2023
October may seem a long way in the future, but we have a long summer ahead for listening to music, and you may like to dip in to the works I shall be exploring in the next series of Mornings with a Masterpiece. There is a treat in store for all who love choral music! […]
Music talks for Summer 2023
The latest in the series of Mornings with a Masterpiece explores chamber works by the Czech composer Antonin Dvořák. These will provide a delightful way to spend two Thursday mornings in May (4th and 11th). His love of his native Bohemia was the inspiration for much of his music, culminating in two of his […]
Music talks for February 2023
The latest topic for my online music talks Mornings with a Masterpiece may seem slightly obscure – Mozart’s Wind Serenades – but they provide a wonderful window into the life of Mozart at a critical time in his development. The three serenades which we will consider (K361, 375 and 388) are certainly masterpieces, including the […]
A Summer of Song
Rosemary will be offering two new online music courses in the Autumn Term 2022, and both focus on song. In preparation during the summer she has been enjoying the performances and insights of some great singers and accompanists, among them Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Ian Bostridge, Geoffrey Parsons, Gerald Moore and Alfred Brendel. For MANCENT (https://mancent.org.uk/) she […]
New Masterpieces
Mornings with a Masterpiece, Rosemary’s series of online talks, continues on May 12th and 19th with two pinnacles of Romantic chamber music: the piano quintets by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. But the talks will focus on three great musicians, bringing out of the shadows Clara Schumann, one of the greatest pianists of the 19th […]
Mornings with a Masterpiece
Mornings with a Masterpiece – Bach’s ‘Brandenburg’ Concertos In February, the focus of Rosemary’s Zoom talks for the Manchester Continuing Education Network (MANCENT) will move to Johann Sebastian Bach, and the six concertos he presented to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, just over three hundred years ago. Some are well known, some more obscure, […]
Public music talks are back!
In October, Rosemary will once more offer talks on music for MANCENT (The Manchester Continuing Education Network). Under the title Mozart – Masses and Mysteries she will offer two morning sessions exploring the Great Mass in C minor and the Requiem. Both are masterpieces; one coincides with his marriage, and one with his final days; […]