Author Archives: Neil Kurtzman
Death and Rebirth
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 30th January 2026In writing about Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, I mentioned how that inevitable event (death) had occasioned so much beautiful music. Hence, facing the depth of winter, I decided to assemble some of the most profound examples of macabre music. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) remains Britain’s greatest composer. His Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary is…
› Read the full entry
What the Bad Weather Stopped the LSO From Playing
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 26th January 2026The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s scheduled concert on Saturday, January 24, was cancelled by the frigid storm that originated not too far from town. It then proceeded to spread east, paralyzing a good part of the country. I can’t recall an LSO concert being cancelled for any reason. The program notes for the annulled performance are…
› Read the full entry
Program Notes for Schumann and Brahms
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th January 2026The program notes I wrote for the February 28, 2026 performance of Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo, and Finale and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem are below. Tickets can be purchased here. Schumann: Overture, Scherzo and Finale Robert Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo, and Finale was composed in 1841 and heavily revised in 1845 after a lukewarm reception at its…
› Read the full entry
Cancer Statistics 2026
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 14th January 2026Every January the American Cancer Society releases the latest data about cancer in the United States. The full report can be downloaded below. As is typical for the society their press release highlights the increase in cancer survival. Below is a quotation from an article in the lay press: The five-year cancer survival rate in…
› Read the full entry
I Puritani in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 10th January 2026Vincenzo Bellini’s final opera, first produced in 1835, the year of his death at age 33, was telecast today by the Metropolitan Opera. This new production was staged by Charles Edwards who also designed the sets. If you ask any singer or conductor what their artistic goal is, they will say that it’s to realize…
› Read the full entry
New Insight Into the Cause of Lupus
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 9th January 2026Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs, causing widespread inflammation affecting skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain, with symptoms like fatigue, fever, rashes (especially a butterfly-shaped facial rash), joint pain, and mouth sores that vary in severity and occur in flares and remissions,…
› Read the full entry
A New Yeast Infection
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 7th January 2026As if the strike zone were not big enough, nature keeps throwing spitballs at us. One such pitch is a relatively new fungal infection, Candida auris. The pathogen was first identified in a Japanese patient in 2009. Unlike most Candida species, C. auris is often resistant to many antifungal drugs. It can persist on surfaces…
› Read the full entry
Sleeping Under the Bridge
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 3rd January 2026The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal loaves of bread.Anatole France Anatole France’s observation was made to underscore the government’s indifference to the plight of the poor. It appeared in his novel Le Lys Rouge (The…
› Read the full entry
Jonas Kaufmann Will No Longer Sing in London or New York
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 28th December 2025Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann recently announced that he would no longer appear at Covent Garden in London and at the Met in New York. It’s been more than seven years since he last appeared at the Met, and that was after a four year absence. Kaufmann expressed dissatisfaction with how the Met treated its chorus…
› Read the full entry
Ombra Mai Fu
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 26th December 2025“Ombra mai fu”, also known as “Largo from Xerxes” or “Handel’s Largo”, is the opening aria from the opera Serse (1738) by George Frideric Handel. Serse is an opera seria in three acts. It was first performed at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket on 15 April 1738. It was a complete failure lasting for only five…
› Read the full entry
