Music Website News

with KEITH BRAMICH

 << Continued from page 1 

Piano Passion

French pianist, composer and music teacher Bernard Labadie's new commercial website for classical piano lovers has appeared, with two new transcriptions for piano solo aimed at students in middle and upper grade music schools and conservatoires.  Extracts of these scores can be printed or purchased on-line (at special rates for music schools and students). www.pianopassion.com.

Another new piano resource is pianist and teacher Brent Hugh's Piano Practice Tips Email Newsletter.  This weekly service will provide practical suggestions for piano practice.  To find out what it's like (and how to subscribe), check the archives.  You might also like to visit Brent's Internet Piano Concert and his Classical Piano MP3s.

We've visited Rain Music's Pianist Resource Center previously, but not mentioned that they have free sheet music site recommendations and reviews, or a monthly newsletter.

Elysian Singers

Web communication specialist Richard Semmens sings with and has produced a site for the Elysian Singers - one of London UK's liveliest and most adventurous chamber choirs, which gives regular concerts, radio and TV broadcasts. The Singers have commissioned and performed a wide range of contemporary music, and they recently opened the York LATE Music Festival.

Straussian origins

Bob Fink's quirky and colourful webpage tells the story of the origins of music using Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, and contains a short MIDI file to play whilst scrolling the score and reading short annotations about musical beginnings. This page takes quite a while to load. Don't miss the links at the bottom of the page to other musical webpages.

Congratulate Thomas Quasthoff

German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff celebrates his 40th birthday next week (9th November 1999), and Margo Briessinck was asked to open a birthday page for visitors to enter their congratulations. The page is open and awaiting your messages ...

Waiting for Finlandia ...

Finally, some good news for us all ... the NBSO has proof now that orchestral music will survive into the 21st century. I don't pretend to understand their logic completely - the reasons are involved and a little complex, somehow involving Beaujolais, an awe-inspiring open-air concert hall and connected too with the Finnish people. If I'm being a little vague, there's more info at the NBSO site.