The composer died on March 26, 1827.

The pianist had a special affinity with the marche funèbre from Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26:

Lots of people have been asking what conductors are doing these days and how one keeps them sane.

Louisa Tuck, principal cello of the Oslo Philharmonic, has found a use for hers.

She plays seven parts of the opening of Rossini’s William Tell overture, while Klaus Mäkelä waves his arms, remotely.

So considerate of her.

Edward H Tarr, founder of the  Edward Tarr Brass Ensemble and an international authority on period practice, has died at his home in Rheinfelden at the age of 83.

Connecticut born, he studied with Roger Voisin of the Boston Symphony and with Adolph Herseth in Chicago before joining Karl Richter’s Munich Bach Orchestra with whom he made the first of about 100 recordings.

He taught in Basle for 30 years and owned what might be the world’s largest trumpet collection.

Gerard Schurmann, a composer who was commissioned by leading US orchestras, has died in Los Angeles, aged 96.

Born in the former Dutch East Indies, he was raised in England, where he formed a close friendship with the composer Alan Rawsthorne.

Moving to the US in 1981, he was much esteemed by Lorin Maazel and Edo de Waart.

He also composed extensively for film.

Atlanta Opera has turned over its costume department to making medical masks for use in area hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opera company has received requests for 72,000 masks. They are working round the clock.

Atlanta artistic director Tomer Zvulun, who once served as an Israeli army medic, says: ‘This is a time of great need for the medical community and the community at large. The question that we ask ourselves is no longer ‘How can we save our productions?’ but ‘How can we help save lives?’

Oklahoma’s Tulsa Ballet is also creating masks. A supervisor said: ‘These are not for patients with COVID-19, these are not for doctors and nurses with COVID-19, but they are to kind of alleviate some of the pressure that the hospitals are facing right now due to mass shortage.’

UPDATE: In Germany, Bonn Oper is doing the same.