Author Archives: Paul Kilbey

Journalist

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http://paulkilbey.co.uk

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Inside the score

The Premiere of Dvořák’s New World Symphony

Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony, “From the New World,” premiered to unprecedented excitement in New York, blending his Bohemian roots with a vision of American music that continues to resonate more than…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 4min read
Inside the score

The Premiere of Strauss’s Salome

On December 9, 1905, Richard Strauss’s Salome exploded onto the Dresden stage, instantly redefining what opera—and the 20th century in music—could be. Scandalous, sensual, and harmonically audacious, this feverish drama…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 3min read
Inside the score

Notes from History: Don Giovanni Premieres

When Don Giovanni premiered in Prague on October 29, 1787, audiences were both thrilled and unsettled. Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte blurred the line between comedy and tragedy,…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 3min read
Inside the score

What stories make the best operas?

As we broadcast three operas from the Salzburg Festival on medici.tv, it’s the perfect occasion to explore the kinds of tales that have inspired composers for centuries—from ancient myths and…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 13min read
Inside the score

Notes from History: The premiere of Berg’s incomplete Lulu

Berg’s Lulu is perhaps one of the most important works of the 20th century. The “exterminating angel” of Schoenberg’s protégé inhabits a morally decaying world, and one that was utterly repellent to…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 5min read
Inside the score

How can you turn as gruesome a tale as Hansel and Gretel into an opera?

How did Hansel and Gretel go from chilling folk tale to holiday classic and beloved opera? This enduring story owes as much to 19th-century German folklore as it does to…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 9min read
Inside the score

Notes from History: The opening of Carnegie Hall

On May 5, 1891, Carnegie Hall opened its doors for the first time, Tchaikovsky ushering in a thriving new age of live music and public events in New York City.

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 4min read
Inside the score

Notes from History: Verdi’s Falstaff Premiere

On February 9, 1893, Verdi’s Falstaff premiered at La Scala, Milan, turning into one of the year’s biggest cultural events. For the 79-year-old composer, it was both a bold return…

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 3min read
Inside the score

Notes from History: Brahms’s First Piano Concerto

Brahms’s First Piano Concerto was born from doubt, revision, and a rough premiere—but it became one of his greatest works. Here’s the story behind its long road to greatness.

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By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 4min read