Storace Siblings and 18th-century English Theatre

Mozart Contemporaries / The Storace Siblings

 

THE ROLE OF THE STORACE SIBLINGS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH THEATRE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

© By Agnes Selby, Guest Writer-Friend

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, English theatre audiences did not possess the sophistication of their European counterparts . On any given night it was not unusual for warring factions to invade the stage and do battle there, damaging the scenery as well as their opponents in the process, while a favourite Italian castrato continued to belt out his aria.The late eighteenth century forefathers of today's English soccer hooligans found English theatres a perfect venue, not only for their battles but also for warmth during the winter months.

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: April 1

Rachmaninoff was a superb pianist, a brilliant composer and conductor. His music is 19th century rooted yet adheres to Classical form. His concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, are among the most popular in piano and orchestra literature.  He was a protégé of Piotr Tchaikovsky.

Sergei (Sergey) Rachmaninoff (also Rachmaninov or Rakhmaninov) was a Russian composer, conductor and pianist. He was born in Semyonovo, 1 April 1873.

Pianist and Composer

Initially, he studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1882 and later at the Moscow Conservatory in 1885-1892. It was during this time that he showed himself to be an outstanding pianist. In 1891, he wrote his first piano concerto and his well-known Prelude C#. Two years later, he scored success with Aleko, his first opera composition as his graduation work.

Symphony No. 1 written in 1895 was not successful causing him emotional stress.  With the help of a hypnotist Dr. Dahl, he returned to composition. His confidence returned with the huge success of his Piano Concerto No.2 in 1901.  He dedicated this concerto to Dr. Dahl. The following year he married his cousin Natalie Satin. 

Below,  listen and enjoy Rachmaninoff's famous Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30, in the powerful interpretation and superb performance of 18-year old gold medalist Yunchan Lim: his emotion, his technique. Likewise brilliantly conducted by Marin Alsop, with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.  2022 Cliburn Competition. Accessed April 1, 2023.