Ralph Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite Context As well as appreciating British landscapes and heritage, Ralph Vaughan Williams was also sentimental about Britain’s musical history. Military bands were on the rise again, and thus in 1923, Vaughan Williams composed his English Folk Song Suite for them. Although popular in Read more…
Alexander von Zemlinsky: Symphony No. 1 Context Born in Vienna in 1871, Alexander von Zemlinsky was tutored by some of the ‘great’ composers of the Romantic period – Gustav Mahler and Johannes Brahms. After the premiere of Zemlinsky’s First Symphony, Brahms supported the young composer until his own death in 1897. Read more…
Ingolf Dahl: Concerto for Alto Saxophone Context Ingolf Dah’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra was composed in 1948, after the German composer received a letter of request from virtuoso saxophonist, Sigurd Rascher. Dahl quickly settled on using a wind orchestra instead of a traditional orchestra for the accompaniment Read more…
César Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor Context César Franck’s highly emotional Piano Quintet sits strongly beside the French composer’s most popular works. Premiered in 1880 by the Marsick Quartet and Camille Saint-Saëns at the piano, the quintet was dedicated to Saint-Saëns. Although now regarded as one of Franck’s best Read more…
Judith Weir: Piano Concerto Context Judith Weir was born in 1954 in Cambridge, and at a young age she began learning the oboe. Weir in her youth performed regularly with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She studied composition whilst at school with none other than John Tavener. From Read more…
Eric Ball: Torch of Freedom Context Eric Walter John Ball was born in Gloucestershire in October 1903 and was the eldest of 16 siblings. He learned to play the piano and organ and by 1919 Ball started to work in the Salvation Army musical instrument department in London. Ball is Read more…
Léo Delibes: Lakmé Prelude Context Léo Delibes’ three-act opera Lakmé is perhaps this French composer’s most well-known work. Composed between 1881-1882, Lakmé is based on Le Mariage de Loti by Pierre Loti, and Les babouches du Brahmane by Théodore Pavie. The Prelude to Lakmé is the first purely musical number Read more…
Jean Sibelius: Andante Festivo Context Originally scored for string quartet in 1922, Sibelius’ poignant work Andante Festivo is also known for its re-orchestration for string orchestra and timpani. For the purposes of references in this blog, I will be referring to the original string quartet version. Although now fondly remembered Read more…
Tor Aulin: Violin Concerto No.3 Context Although his output as a composer is small, Tor Aulin (1866-1914) wrote three fantastic violin concertos. After working as a conductor and professional violinist, Aulin composed his Third Violin Concerto in 1896. By this point in his life, Aulin had become physically ill and Read more…
Eric Fogg: Merok Context Although much of his music has been lost since his untimely death in 1939, Eric Fogg’s tone poem Merok has been the recipient of recent orchestral recordings. Composed in 1929, Merok is based on a Norwegian folk song that refers to a village in Norway at Read more…