Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.1 Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Hadyn’s legacy as a symphonist stays strong today. Haydn composed 104 symphonies over the course of his long and fruitful life, and we at Classicalexburns want to help you discover the stories and music behind all Read more…
Jerry Goldsmith: Suite from Mulan Context Jerry Goldsmith composed the score for the 1998 Disney film, Mulan, with Matthew Wilder and David Zippel writing the songs. The original soundtrack was released in 1998 and was conducted by Goldsmith. The score was nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Musical Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.5 Context Johannes Brahms completed his 21 Hungarian Dances by 1879, and they still remain one his most popular collections of music. All of the dances are based on traditional Hungarian folk tunes and range from c.1 minute to 6 minutes in duration. Some of the Read more…
Francis Poulenc: Mélancolie Context Composed in war-torn France in 1940, Francis Poulenc’s Mélancolie for solo piano certainly added a glimmer of light into the composer’s archives. One of Poulenc’s longest works for the piano, Mélancolie features a range of different moods and techniques that Poulenc had used in previous works. Read more…
Lili Boulanger: Nocturne Context Born on 21st August 1893 in Paris, Lili Boulanger was considered at a young age as a musical child prodigy. This was perhaps not too surprising for the Boulanger family, with her mother and grandmother being singers, her elder sister Nadia being a composer and educator, Read more…
George Frideric Handel: The People that Walked in Darkness Messiah Part I Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled by Charles Jennens, with Read more…
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No.2 Context Edvard Grieg met Henrik Ibsen in Italy in 1866, after which Grieg was commissioned to write the music for Peer Gynt. The play premiered in 1876 in Oslo. Ibsen put tight deadlines and complex challenges to Grieg, which he struggled with until the Read more…
John Williams: Summon the Heroes Context John Williams composed Summon the Heroes for the 1996 Summer Olympics. It premiered in the opening ceremony held in Atlanta, Georgia and the piece was dedicated to the trumpet soloist of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Tim Morrison. At the time it was the third Read more…
Helvi Leiviskä: Symphony No.3 Context Helvi Leiviskä studied at the Sibelius Academy during her younger years, and then continued her musical studies in Vienna, before returning back to her homeland. As well as being a composer, Leiviskä was also a librarian and music teacher – both at the Sibelius Academy. Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons January: At the Fireside Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Although Read more…