Timothy Judd, Suzuki Violin Lessons – Suzuki Violin Lessons in Richmond, VA and more…

Latest Listeners’ Club Posts

Remembering Leon Bates November 24, 2025

American pianist Leon Bates has passed away at the age of 76. Born in Philadelphia, Bates became drawn to the piano at the age of 6 after his kindergarten teacher played for the class. Initially excelling at both violin and piano, he studied at the Settlement Music School, and later at Temple University. Bates went on to appear on the world […]

Remembering André Geraissati November 21, 2025

The Brazilian guitarist, André Geraissati, passed away on November 19. He was 74. Often wistful and atmospheric in tone, Geraissati’s music blends elements of jazz and Brazilian folk music. He collaborated with such artists as Grupo D’Alma, Egberto Gismonti, Bobby McFerrin, and Wynton Marsalis. From 1979 to 1985, he performed as part of the […]

Barber’s “To Be Sung on the Water”: Conspirare November 19, 2025

Themes of loneliness, isolation, and loss emerge in the late works of Samuel Barber. One of the most poignant examples can be heard in To Be Sung on the Water, Op. 42, an a cappella setting of a poem by Louise Bogan (1897-1970). Composed in December of 1968, the music unfolds over an ostinato which suggests the gentle, hypnotic motion of a […]

Bach’s Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist BWV 671: Monumental Treatment of an Ancient Melody November 17, 2025

In 1525, Martin Luther wrote his Kyrie, adapting an ancient Gregorian chant melody set in the Phrygian mode. It consists of three parts, moving from God the Father, to God the Son, and concluding with the Holy Spirit. J.S. Bach composed three organ preludes (Clavier-Übung III) based on the sections of Luther’s Kyrie. Beginning in the treble […]

Couperin’s Concert Royale No. 4, Forlane: Gottesauer Ensemble November 14, 2025

The Concerts royaux are a set of four chamber music suites, composed in 1714 by François Couperin (1668-1733) for the court of Louis XIV. An exuberant Forlane closes the final suite. Introduced to France in 1697, the Forlane originated as a rapid Italian folk dance in 6/8 time. Maurice Ravel may have had this music in mind when he composed […]

Bruckner’s “Locus iste”: A Motet for a Sacred Space November 12, 2025

The symphonies of Anton Bruckner have been compared with the architecture of a great cathedral. Unfolding in an ABA da capo form, the brief motet, Locus iste (“This Place”), exhibits a similar sense of structure and divine mystery. Commentator Peter Strasser has observed that the work’s motifs function as architectural building blocks. The […]

Brahms’ Fourth Symphony: A Tragic, Expectation-Shattering Farewell November 10, 2025

For first-time listeners, Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor can be shocking and expectation-shattering. Composed in 1884, Brahms’ final symphony does not take the journey from darkness to light (a minor key to a major key) charted by so many Romantic symphonies, beginning with Beethoven’s Fifth. Negating the heroic transformation o […]