Baton Music

Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816) is one of the greatest of all comic operas.Based on an excellent play by Beaumarchais, The Barber of Seville delights audiences with its keenly sketched characters, melo...

As a contribution to the opera 'Armer Columbus' by German composer Erwin Dressel, Shostakovich composed two of his quirkiest and oddest early orchestral pieces. An energetic 'Entr'acte' in c minor (Al...

At the end of his life Offenbach composed his opera 'Les contes d'Hoffman', but unfortunately he was not able to finish it. The plot tells the story of the poet Hoffmann telling three of his amorous a...

At the end of his life Offenbach composed his opera "Les contes d'Hoffman", but unfortunately he was not able to finish it. The plot tells the story of the poet Hoffmann telling three of his amorous a...

When Russian composer Joseph Schillinger met Leon Theremin (the inventor of the theremin) they collaborated resulting in a few of the first original pieces for the theremin. Among those pieces Schilli...

Johann Strauss wrote the "Russische Marsch-Fantasie" (Russian March Fantasy) for a tour to Russia in 1872. Because the tour was cancelled, the successful first performance of the march was held in Vie...

The Carnival of Venice is a popular Italian folk tune associated with the words "My hat, it has three corners." It was heard in Venice by the virtuoso violinist Nicolo Paganini and made famous in his...

Künstlerleben (Artist's Life) op. 316 is a waltz written by Johann Strauss jr. in 1867, following closely on the success of the popular "The Blue Danube" waltz. The waltz was presented at the "Hesperu...

Carmen' is probably the most famous opera in the whole opera-repertoire, although its premiere in 1875 was a great disappointment. The chorus 'Vivat! Vivat le Torero!' is sung in the second act of the...

Carmen is probably the most famous opera in the whole opera-repertoire, although its premiere in 1875 was a great disappointment. The chorus "Vivat! Vivat le Toréro!" is sung in the second act of the...

The oratorio "Mors et Vita" (Death and Life) is the continuation of "The Redemption" and was the second of a proposed trilogy of oratorios written on commission by Charles Gounod for the Birmingham Fe...

Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his "Fantasia on Serbian Themes" (also known as the "Serbian Fantasy") in 1867. Mily Balakirev conducted the first performance of this piece in May of that year. The "Fantasy" wa...

'Die Afrikanerin', is a Viennese quadrille which Johann Strauss based on the themes from Meyerbeer's opera 'L'Africaine'. It was first heard in the Vienna Volksgarten on 7 July 1865 during a musical n...

'Die Afrikanerin', is a Viennese quadrille which Johann Strauss based on the themes from Meyerbeer's opera 'L'Africaine'. It was first heard in the Vienna Volksgarten on 7 July 1865 during a musical n...

Pablo de Sarasate's 'Zigeunerweisen' (Gypsy Airs) for Violin and Orchestra was written in 1878 and premiered during the same year in Leipzig. It is based on themes of the Roma people, specifically the...

Pablo de Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" (Gypsy Airs) for Violin and Orchestra was written in 1878 and premiered during the same year in Leipzig. It is based on themes of the Roma people, specifically the...

With Les Pêcheurs des Perles Bizet first made his mark in 1863. Set in ancient Ceylon, this tale of friendship, love and betrayal has been performed more and more often in opera houses around the worl...

With Les Pêcheurs des Perles Bizet first made his mark in 1863. Set in ancient Ceylon, this tale of friendship, love and betrayal has been performed more and more often in opera houses around the worl...

Verdi komponierte "Un Ballo in Maschera" für das Theater San Carlo in Neapel, wo es während der Karnevalssaison 1858 aufgeführt werden sollte. Das Libretto erzählte die wahre Geschichte des liberalen...