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Today is the Summer Solstice — the longest day of the year. I love the warmth and sunshine of summer — the season, and the Concerto. So today I’m sharing beautiful music by Antonio Vivaldi — his SUMMER Concerto, with harp as the solo instrument. Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis performs with The Orchestra of Flanders.  

The terrific guitarist Jason Vieaux is today’s featured performer, with his beautiful performance of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. He also shares his expertise on ornamentation in Bach’s music.    

For today’s offering of Beautiful Music in Difficult Times, music by Englishman Henry Purcell — Three Parts upon a Ground. I have provided two versions of this lovely, catchy piece — one featuring string instruments, and one featuring recorders.     https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=three+part+upon+a+ground&docid=608044219282558283&mid=93BA166B69398AE1899093BA166B69398AE18990&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

George Frideric Handel had a knack for great melody and drama in his music. Today’s Beautiful Music offering is from Handel’s oratorio MESSIAH — a dramatic duo between voice (bass Dashon Burton) and trumpet (John Thiessen) — you may want to sing along. Go ahead!      

Several years ago I had the chance to attend a performance featuring recorder virtuoso Matthias Maute. Thanks to his many terrific recordings, I already appreciated his amazing talents. But … WOW! … to SEE him in action took it to a new level. He plays extraordinarily technical passages with such ease and grace.  So today’s

Italian musician Arcangelo Corelli was a phenomenal, groundbreaking violin player and teacher. So today’s offering of Beautiful Music is Corelli’s 12 Trio Sonatas featuring his instrument.  

Organist Alcee Chriss is a leading young performer with a growing list of prestigious awards to his credit. He is the University Organist and Artist-in-Residence at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and is a sought after performer. My offering today is one of his beautiful performances of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed from a concerto

The classic advice to aspiring writers is  to “Write what you know.” French baroque composer Marin Marais knew his hometown of Paris and its important landmarks, such as Saint Genevieve church. He composed a Sonata after the Bells of St. Genevieve, and you can hear not only the tolling church bells, but the hustle and

As familiar as we are with baroque era music and composers from regions such as Germany, Italy, England, and France, music from other areas is much less well known. So today, my offering of Beautiful Music is a recording of Russian Baroque vocal music — anonymous secular songs from 1690-1740 performed by Ensemble Syntagma.