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* Get reviews that won't confuse * Discover more classical music * Explore over 500 links
About this site
About me
Show me a sheet of music and all I'll give you is a blank look. It means nothing to me. But classical music means everything to me.
How I got started
Back in 1991, all I knew was that I liked the sound of full orchestral strings. Beyond that, I knew nothing
Email me
Classical music reviews can be daunting to anyone who doesn't know at least the basics of music theory. But not those on this site. Because what I write here aren't really reviews. They're personal (often emotional) responses to the music that's changed my life.
How I do things
Almost everything I know about classical music comes from listening. A little reading, too - but mainly, listening. So I'm not qualified to get too technical. I write creatively and imaginatively to give you my impressions of any given work - and I don't pretend to understanding I don't have. I'm merely an everyman speaking for himself. Bear that in mind as you read my 'reviews'.
I don't dumb down, but I also don't go heavy on jargon. I don't shun popular works and composers - but nor do I restrict myself to them. I focus on works, not whole CDs. And I point out the bits that I think are worth hearing.
Why I changed address
This site started its life as a blog. Blogs need memorable titles (and domain names to match). The old title may be gone, but the .com and .co.uk addresses still point here - just in case anyone hasn't yet updated their bookmarks.
I changed this site's name to Classical Review for two reasons. One was to make it easier for Google to find. The other was to make it easier to explain at parties. I hope my former blog readers will approve. I also hope it makes things less (not more) confusing.
FK
worth knowing about classical music. So I bought myself a set of popular excerpts by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. Three months later, I was hooked.
Can I still remember which three works I first bought in full? Of course. Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet Swan Lake, Ravel's String Quartet in F, and Faure's Requiem. I've been making wonderful discoveries ever since.
Why I changed my name
Don't get me wrong - I'm not ashamed of my real name. It's just that I share it with a reasonably well-known pop star. Given that I write about classical music, I chose an alias associated with it.
So, when I'm online, I'm Friedrich Kuhlau. Or Kuhlau. Or just plain FK. He was Beethoven's contemporary. His name will be familiar to piano students who've practised his works. And interestingly, Kuhlau once took an alias. That somehow makes it all the more fiitting.
