RIP Nikolaus Harnoncourt:
cellist, conductor, musicologist, musician, artist. This man helped influence
my love of Bach (through his chamber music recordings, the B-minor Mass, St.
Matt Passion, the Gamba sonatas, and, especially his participation in the intrepid
Bach cantata series on Telefunken). Later he taught me to listen to Mozart (and
Beethoven and Schumann, and even Brahms and Verdi) in different ways.
Fortunately, his expansive recorded legacy ensures that he will always be with
us.
Speaking of Mozart, here is
the finale from his quintessential 2003 La Clemenza di Tito.
