My mother used to call the obituaries The Irish sports page. I'm a devotee. Here are the some of the musicians who died in 2012. As NPR reported, they made the world a better sounding place: Alexis Weissenberg, piano,  July 26, 1929-January 8, 2012. Gustav Leonhardt, harpsichord, conductor, early music maven, May 30, 1928-January 16, 16, 2012. Paavo Berglund, conductor, April 14, 1929-January 25, 2012. Camilla Williams, soprano, October 18, 1919-January 29, 2012 The first African-American artist to receive a long-term contract with a major opera company. Roman Totenberg, violin, January 1, 1911-May 8, 2012 Long-time and beloved faulty member at my alma mater, Boston University. I was privileged to attend his 100th birthday concert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaEF-XDN_Bs Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, May 28, 1925-May 18, 2012 The most recorded classical singer. He made lieder popular world-wide. Brigitte Engerer, piano, October 27, 1952-June 23, 2012 Evelyn Lear, soprano, January 8, 1928-July 1, 2012 A cantor's granddaughter who became our most beautiful Mozart-Strauss soprano Ruggiero Ricci, violin, July 24, 1918-August 6, 2012 Began as a child prodigy and went on to a 70 year career and more than 500 recordings Hans Werner Henze, composer, July 1, 1926-October 27, 2012 The leading German composer of the post-World War II era. Elliot Carter, composer, December 11, 1908-November 5, 2012 The cake had been ordered for his 104th birthday. Carter was the most original composer since Charles Ives. Philip Ledger, conductor and composer, May 3, 1939-December 4, 2012 Best known in the States as the conductor of the Festival of Lessons and Carols every Christmas Eve, from King's College, Cambridge. Charles Rosen, pianist, writer, musicologist May 6, 1927-December 9, 2012 Music lovers should know his books The Classical Style and The Romantic Generation Lisa Della Casa, soprano February 2, 1919-December 10, 2012 The most beautiful Arabella ever-she made the first recording of Richard Strauss's Four Last songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Hpvsuo9Ko Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano October 25, 1926-December 11, 2012 The most prominent Russian soprano to appear in the West. Britten's War Requiem and Poet's Echo were written for her. She starred in the film Alexandra at age 80. Msistislav Rostropovich's widow. Ravi Shankar, sitar and composer April 7, 1920-December 11, 2012 Brought music of India to the world Richard Rodney Bennett composer, pianist, singer, March 26, 1936-December 24, 2012 Wrote over 50 film scores including Murder on the Orient Express, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.