Rita Charbonnier's Blog
February 27, 2009
I am deeply grateful to Paul Barton for this wonderful performance. On YouTube, the dedication reads:
I made this recording to say a little thank you to Rita Charbonnier, author of Mozart's Sister. I thoroughly enjoyed Rita's book and recommend it highly as a 'must read' to all lovers of good literature and music.
Check out Paul Barton's YouTube Channel!
>> Are you looking for the score?
Posted in Mozart's music, Mozart's Sister Tagged: Paul Barton, Videos, YouTube
January 1, 2009
Amadeus.
I also have a blog in Italian, and when I put the post about the film Amadeus on there, it sparked some fairly lively comment.
Some Mozart lovers felt that authors of historical fiction ought to curb their imagination. The question is whether it is legitimate to create your own story around what actually happened, or whether this is disrespectful behaviour typical of writers who use heroes of the past to their own ends or to sully people's memory of them?
To be honest I don't believe that
December 1, 2008
A beautiful gift from Paul Barton, an artist, sculptor, photographer, and pianist: the Fantasia in D minor for piano KV 397 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Check out Paul Barton's YouTube Channel!
>> Are you looking for the score?
>> Would you like to read something about the Fantasia?
Posted in Mozart's music Tagged: Paul Barton, Videos, YouTube
November 9, 2008
Amadeus, the movie.
Why does Mozart's sister not appear in the film Amadeus? Why isn't there even a mention of her anywhere?
The film is about the last few years of Mozart's life in Vienna. At that time Wolfgang and his sister, Nannerl, were no longer in touch with each other. They lived in different cities and they knew nothing about each other's lives. Neither of them ever saw the other's house, or met each other's children. Nannerl no longer had any place in Wolfgang's life. She was no longer a
October 9, 2008
This little video has been quite successful on YouTube… it displays a few paintings portraying Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna, nicknamed "Nannerl."
The background music is Mozart's Divertimento KV 251 "Nannerl Septett" performed by the Ensemble Wien-Berlin. Enjoy!
Posted in Mozart family, Mozart portraits, Mozart's music Tagged: Videos, YouTube
September 10, 2008
Portrait painted in 1819 by Barbara Krafft.
One day, some years ago now, I bought one of those cheap Mozart collections off a market stall. When I got home I put the CD on to listen to. One of the tracks was the Fantasia in D minor for piano, KV 397. As soon as I heard the opening notes I was stunned. I stopped what I was doing to listen properly, then I listened to the piece again, and then again, and then rushed out to a music store to buy myself the score. I kept thinking, who wrote this stuff
August 20, 2008
Portrait of Mozart's sister. It was painted twenty years ago, by an anonymous artist.
I played the piano from a very young age and I loved Mozart's music. One day I found out that the Maestro had a sister, she was called Nannerl and, from an early age, had been a child prodigy. I was struck by the idea that such an important fact should be so little known.
So I went to find out more. I left for Salzburg with the aim of visiting the Mozarteum library and the places where the Mozarts were born and l
