Category: Stamps

Stamp of the Month: February 2017




Gioachino Rossini
San Marino 12.2.1999

Gioachino Rossini was born on 29 February 1792 in Pesaro. He died on 13 November 1868 in Passy near Paris. 2017 his birthday comes up for the 225th time.

The Italian composer Gioachino Rossini is one of the world’s most important opera composers. In addition to around 50 operas he composed instrumental music, a number of cantatas, hymns and choruses and spiritual works. His operas “The Barber of Seville” and “Cinderella” are part of the standard repertoire of almost all opera houses.
 

 
 
The video shows the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria under the direction of Andrés Orozco-Estrada with the overture to Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” at the Summer Night Gala 2012 in Grafenegg.


British Music Icon: David Bowie

The series “British music icons” of Royal Mail will continue on March 14 with a set of stamps commemorating David Bowie.
 

The six stamps show the covers from following albums: Hunky Dory (1971), Aladdin Sane (1973), Heroes (1977), Let’s Dance (1983), Earthling (1997) and Blackstar (2016).
 

The sheet of four is showing pictures of live concerts from various tours: “Ziggy Stardust Tour” (1973), “The Stage Tour” (1978), “Serious Moonlight Tour” (1983), “A Reality Tour” (2004) and “Glass Spider Tour” (1987 / sheet margin).
 
The stamps can be pre-ordered from the Royal Mail Online Shop.

Opening of the Elbphilharmonie

After five years of planning (2001-2006) and a ten-year construction period (2007-2016) the
new Hamburg concert hall was opened on 11 January 2017 with an impressive concert.
 

The stamp depicts the building, which is considered one of the most
modern, largest and acoustically best concert halls in the world.
 

The video shows a part of the live broadcast of the opening concert performed
by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock.
 
Discover the new Concert Hall
 
By the way: The organ of the Elbphilharmonie was built by the organ builder company of our member Hans-Gerd Klais of Bonn.

Stamp of the Month: January 2017




Arturo Toscanini
Italy 25.3.1967

Arturo Toscanini was born on March 25, 1867 in Parma. He died on January 16, 1957 in New York. 2017 is the 150th anniversary of his birth and the 60th anniversary of his death.

1895 Toscanini got a job in Turin and was allowed to conduct the first performance of Puccini’s opera “La Bohème” in 1896. In 1898 he went to La Scala in Milan and in 1908 to the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has conducted many concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic and was conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra from 1926. Until 1937, he influenced the Salzburg Festival by conducting essential concerts and opera productions. After his emigrating to the USA he led the NBC Symphony Orchestra, with whom he recorded – among others – all nine Beethoven symphonies. In 1946 he conducted the opening concert of the rebuilt La Scala. Toscanini is generally considered one of the greatest orchestra conductors of his time and was praised especially for his interpretations of works by Beethoven and Verdi.
 

 
 
The video shows the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Toscanini with a performance of the overture to Verdi’s opera “La forza del Destino”. The orchestra was established specifically for Toscanini.


Stamp of the Month: December 2016

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Kyrgyzstan 8.9.2016

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg. He died on December 5, 1791 in Vienna. In December 2016 we commemorate his 225th death anniversary.
 
From his father Mozart early received intensive musical training, traveled as a “child prodigy” throughout Europe and in 1769 became court music director of the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. Today, Mozart is known primarily for his operas and his orchestral music. Less well known is Mozart’s sacred music that – with few exceptions – long led a shadowy existence. It was considered not liturgy, too worldly and operatic. Among the approximately 80 works are 15 full masses, several oratorios, vespers and litanies. Nearly all church works were created during his Salzburg period 1756 -1781. Mozart composed these mainly for services in Salzburg Cathedral on behalf of his Archiepiscopal masters.
 



 
 
The video shows Mozart’s “Mater Amabilis” for soprano and mixed choir, performed by the Polymnia Choral Society Melrose, Massachusetts (Soloist: Teresa Wakim)