Author Archives: Christine Stevenson

Happy Birthday, Ludwig #BTHVN2020

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Christine Stevenson

So today is the day – Beethoven was born 250 years ago. At least, we think that date is correct; he was baptised on 17 December 1770, and it was customary to baptise babies within 24 hours of their birth. … Continue reading →

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Musical Statues

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Christine Stevenson

All seems calm in this 1845 painting of the Beethoven monument in Bonn. A few onlookers, a random dog, a little girl, ladies with parasols … But the scenes at its unveiling in August of that year could not have … Continue reading →

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Kiss and Tell – When Beethoven Met Liszt

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Christine Stevenson

Above is a portrait of Beethoven, painted in 1823 by Waldmüller, the year when Beethoven and Liszt met. Fifty-two years later, when in his sixties in 1875, Liszt gave the following spoken account of the meeting to his pupil Ilka … Continue reading →

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It started with a kiss – or did it? Liszt and Beethoven meet in Vienna

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Christine Stevenson

  There are various accounts of Liszt’s encounter with Beethoven in Vienna in 1823, and it’s hard to get at the truth. Least likely is Ludwig Nohl’s version of the encounter, which describes Beethoven going up to Liszt after the … Continue reading →

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#BTHVN2020 – Open to View

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Christine Stevenson

It’s on the horizon; the countdown has begun. Next year marks Beethoven’s 250th Anniversary celebrations; in fact, the celebrations start in December 2019, promising  a year of exciting concerts and events worldwide. But I’m starting early, partly inspired by a … Continue reading →

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Chopin, Paderewski and a Search for a Tree

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Christine Stevenson

The Chopin Museum in Poland is a pianist’s delight. It has two locations; one at his birthplace at Zelazowa Wola, which I didn’t visit, and the other at the Ostrogski Palace in Warsaw, where I spent several hours. There, one can gaze at letters … Continue reading →

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The Heart of the Matter – Chopin’s heart at the Church of the Holy Cross, Warsaw. And his final Mazurka…

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Christine Stevenson

‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’. These words, from St Matthew’s gospel, are the words on the pillar of  the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw where Chopin’s heart is interred. A single red rose … Continue reading →

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Chopin the Organist

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Christine Stevenson

You can’t get away from Chopin in Warsaw. There’s no escape – from the moment you set foot in the Arrivals Hall of Warsaw Chopin Airport to walking the streets of the Old Town where there are Chopin benches (push … Continue reading →

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Down and out in Warsaw and Vienna? Chopin, Scherzo No 1 in B Minor

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Christine Stevenson

Chopin’s four Scherzi are currently in my repertoire, each written at an interesting stage in the composer’s life. The genial fourth scherzo, Op 54,  was composed during a summer spent at Nohant with Aurore Dudevant, better known as the writer … Continue reading →

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On Wagner’s Birthday – Liebestod – from Tristan und Isolde – Wagner/Liszt

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Christine Stevenson

Following  April 23rd’s post, written on the joint birthdays of Prokofiev and Shakespeare, today’s post is written on Richard Wagner’s birthday, and the piece is the Liebestod from his opera Tristan und Isolde, transcribed for the piano by Liszt. A … Continue reading →

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