Aaron's Classical Music Blog

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the world's most famous and influential composers of classical music. His music has been played all over the world for over 180 years. Even if you've never been in a concert hall, if you've seen a movie, any movie, in your life, chances are you've heard music by Beethoven. Though it would be next to impossible to list every movie that makes use of Beethoven's music, I've compiled a pretty extensive list for you. If I've missed a movie, let me know by leaving a comment!

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the world's most famous and influential composers of classical music. His music has been played all over the world for over 180 years. Even if you've never been in a concert hall, if you've seen a movie, any movie, in your life, chances are you've heard music by Beethoven. Though it would be next to impossible to list every movie that makes use of Beethoven's music, I've compiled a pretty extensive list for you. If I've missed a movie, let me know by leaving a comment! Read the list of Beethoven music used in the movies.

Take a trip over to the New York Philharmonic's website, and you'll find a handful of fantastic videos of behind the scenes looks at the Brandenburg Concertos as well as three new pieces of music commissioned by the New York Philharmonic; all of which will be performed by the NY Phil this season. In the four videos, you'll learn about the history of the Brandenburg Concertos and the inspiration and creation of the commissioned works.

When The Nutcracker Ballet tickets go on sale, performances of the extremely popular ballet can quickly sell out. Be on top of the game this year and get your Nutcracker tickets before it is too late. I've put together a small list of Nutcracker Ballet ticket resources that will help you get your Nutcracker tickets ahead of the game.

In the weeks (sometimes months) leading to Halloween, I'm asked about scary classical music that can be used for the spooky, one-night celebration . It seems more and more people are wanting to incorporate classical music into the usual soundtracks of howling wolves, witches laughter, blood curdling screams, squeaky doors, and rustling chains. I don't blame them! So if you're looking for scary classical music, look no further, because here's my list of recommended scary classical music for Halloween.

World famous soprano, Renee Fleming will perform in "fully staged excerpts from Verdi’s La Traviata, Massenet’s Manon, and Strauss’s Capriccio," at the Met Opera's 125th Anniversary season's Opening Night Gala. For those of you lucky enough to have scored tickets (ahem, Jimmy), I hope you have a fantastic and exciting time. For those of you who were unable to get tickets or don't live anywhere close to Manhattan, there is still hope for you to see Monday night's performance.

The Met at the Movies
The Opening Night Gala will mark the beginning of the Met's third season of Live HD broadcasts to movie theaters throughout North and South America. Buy movie tickets to the Met's Live-HD broadcast. Having been to many performances at the Met, seeing the opera on the silver screen with popcorn and soda in hand is a completely different experience. It's much more relaxed, and (depending on your theater) roomy and comfortable.

For Folks in Manhattan
The Met's Opening Night Gala will be shown in Times Square as well as at Fordham University's North Meadow, which is one block south of Lincoln Center. Seating is limited, though, at each free venue. 2,000 seats in Times Square will be available to those first 2,000 people in line; seating begins at 5:00 PM. At Fordham University, tickets can be obtained at Noon at the Metropolitan Opera's Box Office. Only two tickets will be given per person. Ticket holders must have their tickets for admission onto the North Meadow.

Over 250 years later, Mozart is still making music! This exciting discovery even caught the attention of famous celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton. The new piece of handwritten music was discovered in a French library in the western town of Nantes as staff members were going through its archives. The library contacted the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, to verify the unfinished work's authenticity. Because Mozart's penmanship is so distinguishable, the foundation had no problem confirming that the music was, in fact, written by Mozart. The piece has a melody, but the harmony and the instrumentation were not completed. If the piece of music goes up for auction, expect to shell out $100,000 for this rare find.

If you live in Manhattan or will be in the area between September 23 through October 8, you're in for a special musical treat. Bryant Park is presenting a series of absolutely free concerts featuring accomplished artists of the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Metropolitan Opera (young artists program) and The New York Pops. For more information, visit www.bryantpark.org/calendar/nynow.php, or look up "New York Now in Bryant Park" on Facebook.

Living in the age of information, buying, sharing, and listening to classical music is as easy as turning on the computer. With all the resources made available to us, why not take advantage of them? This guide will help you find the classical music resources for free sheet music, classical music MP3s, satellite radio stations, and classical music downloads. Read more...

I love YouTube. Without it, we may have never had the opportunity to watch performances of some of the world's most beloved classical performers. Today, we'll take a look a handful of YouTube videos of the talented Renee Fleming. Enjoy!