With so much arts and culture programming disrupted by COVID-19, one milestone I find especially disappointing to not be marking in person is the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. That’s why this week’s recommendation highlights work from this amazing composer.

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This week, I want to recommend Ignaz Friedman: Complete Recordings (1923–1941) from the Danarcord label. What fascinates me about Ignaz Friedman is how his life stands in relation to larger historical patterns of musical transmission and knowledge — how certain ways of playing are passed down through the years.

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Given that I discussed Herbert von Karajan’s marvelous interpretation of Wagner’s Parsifal last week, it’s only natural that I turn my attention this week to the other fall opera in our 20/21 season: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.[READ MORE]