Author: ethanlitwin

Life-long New Yorker. Graduate of Duke University and Georgetown Law. Solicitor of England and Wales. Recognized by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, Global Competition Review, Super Lawyers and others as one of the leading antitrust litigators in the United States. Former Chairman and current Board member of Gingold Theatrical Group. Former Young Patron Board member at the Met Opera.

Music History, by Guitar

Classical guitarists get comparitively little consideration and wrongfully so. We will have much to say about the classical guitar, particularly when we get to Benjamin Britten much further down the line. Compared with rock gods and jazz freaks, classical guitarists operate in a world where they are largely shunned by classical audiences and ignored by … Continue reading Music History, by Guitar →

Samantha Hankey: Aural Ambrosia

We've had the distinct pleasure of following mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey's career ever since her senior year at the Juilliard School. A very deserved winner of the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions (coming out of the NY region!) in 2017, Samantha's career has taken off spectacularly, debuting at many of the world's greatest opera houses including … Continue reading Samantha Hankey: Aural Ambrosia →

J.S. Bach, Hitmaker

Bach could do more than write intellectual studies and heart rendering music. Here was a composer who gave the people what they wanted too--a hit maker supreme. Want proof? Here are two examples. Everyone here knows Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Air). It is, hands down, the #1 butchered piece of music ever written—I’ve heard … Continue reading J.S. Bach, Hitmaker →

Bach’s Motets

I have recounted many stories in this blog, some of which have been proven to be apocryphal. This one has the benefit of being absolutely true. One Sunday morning in 1789, the boys' choir at St. Thomas in Leipzig, Germany shuffled to their feet to sing a dusty old motet that had been in the … Continue reading Bach’s Motets →

Bach’s “Double Concerto”

Bach’s “Double Concerto” holds a special place in the hearts of every violinist.  We've all played it: I learned it when I was 8.  It’s also a great excuse for two great violinists to get together to perform together.  I saw Itzach Perlman and Pincus Zuckerman play it in Carnegie Hall in the early 1980s … Continue reading Bach’s “Double Concerto” →