Greetings!

[Roni22]

Thank you everyone for a warm welcome to this great forum.  So let me introduce myself!

My name is Roni Liebenson. Born in 1980 in USSR, I now live in Israel with my wife and three children. 

My past education included Composition in the Academy of Gnesin (Moscow) and Maths/Physics in Imperial College (London). I also studied piano (with Ludmila Artemyeva), violin (with Gertrude Talal), and vocal studies with the great Russian tenor Konstantin Lissovsky. I have been teaching music privately for just over a year now.

Recently started is the Classical Music Blog, where I try out a new type of interactive layout, combining text and images with music excerpts. I also have a personal journal, and my old homepage includes a semi-updated list of works and a few past compositions to listen to. 

The goal I am working towards is opening a music school, and utilising new teaching methodology, which I have been developing for the past few years. Here is a short outline of the basic ideas.

My real teachers are Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi, Franck, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Haydn, Verdi, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Buxtehude, Bach, Monteverdi, Palestrina, Couperin, Corelli, Scarlatti, Torelli, Chausson, d'Indy, Dukas, Paganini, von Bingen, des Prez, Gesualdo, Albinoni, Berlioz, Bizet, Liszt, Ravel, Debussy, Mahler, Puccini, Rossini, Donizetti, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grieg, Dvorak, Saint-Saens, Offenbach, Glinka, Purcell, Pachelbel, Frescobaldi, Lasso, Perotin. (This is not a list of favourite composers!) 

I actively encourage adults to take up listening to classical music, and learn to play and sing, because arts enhance your life experience. The arts (including literature and sport) are what humanity is for! I don't think that there is such a thing as "too late". I, personally, started my music education 6 years ago. 

Always trying to learn, still, I have strong views on many subjects, and I look for assertions coming from both sides of the brain, i.e. not just cold facts, and not just pure feelings. I only think as highly of myself as my achievements permit, but there is still too much to do, and really no time for nonsense. I don't think that you can call me a nice person - but always open and always sincere! 

Music that made me cry:
Franck - Piano & Violin sonata in A
des Prez - Motet 'Tu solus'
Chausson - Piano Trio, op. 3
Bizet - Symphony in C major (II Adagio)
Albinoni - Sonata in G minor (II Adagio)
Prokofiev - 'War and Peace' (valse from scene IV)
Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 22 (II Andante), Piano & Violin sonata in E minor (K. 304), Quartet in D minor (K. 421)

Thank you again!  Looking forward to joining discussions, with your permission.

[Harry]

You are most welcome Roni, I hope that this forum will give you what you need.

[bhodges]

Hello, Roni, and welcome to GMG.  Very nice blog!  And good luck with your music school, since it is hard to underestimate the value of music education.

--Bruce

[Hollywood]

Greetings from Mozart's Vienna, Roni. Welcome to the forum.

[Bonehelm]

Very interesting background, hope you will find GMG useful, or fun at least.

[DavidW]

Welcome, I hope that you enjoy gmg.

[Florestan]

Hi, welcome and enjoy!

[carlos]

Hallo Roni.
There you have a welcome present:

[George]

Hallo Roni.
There you have a welcome present:

Yes, welcome Roni!

NICE avatar, Carlos! 

[carlos]

And what about her?. She's certainly prettier than that ugly
russian to the left, and that fat russian to the right.

[Siedler]

Welcome Roni! I just finished reading your blog, mighty interesting!