George Cai

Enter Schumann's wildly creative year with this tragic song-story about a poet's unrequited love.

This full-time Russian chemist managed to become a world-famous composer.

Schumann generated fame and uproar around his work by critiquing it from two oppositely opinionated pennames.

A piece of classical music becomes the anthemic song for millions of sports fans.

The lack of a primary source has led to many interpretations of this piece.

Great cellist Pablo Casals treasured, performed, and recorded the forgotten suites.

Part 1 of this series on Bach’s “Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello" discusses the 19th-century 'Bach Revival."

The German composer's work, famously performed on the Thames River, symbolized royal grandeur and magnificence.

Born as a private love token for Edward Elgar’s fiancée, “Salut d’amour” became an international hit, yet earned ...

The highlight of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' is sung by villain, the Duke of Mantua.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) was one of the great composers of the early Romantic period. From his “Midsummer Night’s Dream” ...

“Once upon a time, there was a roguish jester, whose name was Till.” So begins Richard Strauss’s masterpiece ...

The Russian master's Fourth Symphony was written at a turbulent point in the composer's life.

Mozart’s final masterpiece: the story behind the unfinished “Lacrimosa” and the mystery that surrounds it.

The Russian composer produces an effervescent work that contrasts with his profession's circumstances.

Even after losing his hearing, Beethoven wrote one of his most powerful and deeply moving works.

French prodigy Ginette Neveu helped elevate Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto—a misunderstood masterpiece—to lasting greatness.

From a volcano's devastation to a song's enduring fame, how a lost railway inspired Italy's most infectious melody.

When Mily Balakirev’s “Islamey: Oriental Fantasy” first premiered in 1869, it quickly gained a reputation as one of ...

The 'Enigma Variations' consists of an 'Enigma' theme followed by 14 variations, each portraying one of Elgar’s close ...

Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 did not follow symphony conventions of four movements nor did it try to sound ...

The Austrian composer's sense of humor is prominently displayed in its unexpected ending.

This flight-of-fancy film about a bureaucratic mistake was enlivened and enriched by the composer Prokofiev's imaginative, colorful musical ...

Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 13 reflects his return to Bohemia, uniting European tradition with the spirit shaped by ...

The enduring children's classic is brought to life by renowned composer Leonard Bernstein's narration.

Violinist virtuoso Fritz Kreisler's miniature pieces delve into love's sorrow and joy.

With Hungarian composer Eduard Remenyi playing an early role in his musical rise, the German Brahms's 'Hungarian Dances' ...