Beaumarchais’ play “The Marriage of Figaro” or “The Follies of a Day” was banned in Vienna as being impertinent and subversive. It was felt to be an exposé of the libertine excesses of a ruling aristocracy by the “serving classes”. The Italian poet and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte had recently arrived in Vienna to take … Read more
IN 1880, Tchaikovsky’s friend, Nikolai Rubinstein, suggested that he should compose a grand work to use at a number of upcoming events. These included the completion of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This was built to commemorate the failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. Other notable events were the 25th anniversary of … Read more
Glinka was born into a wealthy family and initially became a government bureaucrat before studying music in Italy and Berlin. In 1834 he returned to Russia and rediscovered his Russian heritage, reading the works of Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. This led him to undertake composing a national opera, for which he chose the subject … Read more
