In 1816 Joseph Mohr created the text Silent Night! in the form of a poem in Mariapfarr in the Lungau region where he was living at the time. 1818 In the schoolhouse of Arnsdorf, on Christmas Eve, Franz Xaver Gruber composes a melody to fit the text. 1818 Silent Night! Holy […]
International crooner Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) immortalized the hit ballad ‘She.’ Unusual for a balladeer, he once accepted an invitation to become Armenia’s ambassador to Switzerland. It was an unusual appointment for an entertainer by any account but more so when we remember he was 84 years old when […]
Two great football teams, two awesome cathedrals and don’t forget two world-class orchestras. Born 183 years ago the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is the daddy of all orchestras save one. In fact, the orchestra is one of only two that carries the prefix ‘royal’. In fact, 1840 was […]
There are times when the pianist in the corner can hardly be heard over the bar’s chatter though there are a few bar’s customers nearby who clearly appreciate his playing. Outside it is wintry and the prows of the ships are ghost-like in the evening mist. You feel […]
MICHAEL WALSH MUSIC CORRESPONDENT. I often wonder if the staff of advertising agencies are on illegal substances. ‘If it isn’t classical, it isn’t music’ is my approach to music. My favourite station is Venice Classical Radio (VCR) simply because the station provides 100 per cent classical music. There […]
MICHAEL WALSH Music Correspondent. Franz Lehár (1870 passed on October 24, 1948) was the son of the marching band chief of the 50th infantry regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army Franz Lehár (1838-1898) and Christine Neubrand (1849-1906). His mother tongue is Hungarian. German being the language of the army, […]
MICHAEL WALSH MUSIC CORRESPONDENT. When it comes to across-the-board musical talent Spain is giving the rest of Europe a run for its money. There is however one ball it cannot afford to take its eye off; that of the opera ball and its greatest-ever opera star, José Plácido […]
JK Rowling noted that in prison she would like to work in the library or kitchen. British writer and creator of the Harry Potter book series JK Rowling said she would happily serve two years in prison due to intolerance,’ reveals the Daily Mail. This was the author’s reaction to the […]
MICHAEL WALSH MUSIC REPORT Renewed enthusiasm for national identity expressed through music lies behind the current craze for Amalia Rodrigues Portugal’s Queen of Fado. The international fame and appeal of the chanteuse fame once eclipsed French soul-singing waif Edith Piaf and Nana Mouskouri of Greece. Amalia. The Film, […]
MICHAEL WALSH MUSIC CORRESPONDENT. When a member of the pretentious Talk Classical forum dared to ask what others thought of the light classical impresario Andre Rieu there was an outraged response. It took a brave soul to say a kind word about the man who, in 2009, was […]
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