Malcolm Arnold: Fantasy for Trumpet Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practicing intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Read more…
Alban Berg: Vier Stücke Context Vier Stücke was composed in 1913 and are perhaps Berg’s only true miniatures. His wife Helene writes that he composed them in June, which means it was in the same month as his fateful visit to his tutor, Schoenberg. It is recorded that this meeting Read more…
Francesca Caccini: Lasciatemi Qui Solo Context Francesca Caccini was born in Florence in September 1587. Her parents were both musical, so she grew up in the artistic community of the Medici court – one of the most cultured in all of Europe. At a very young age Caccini, taught by Read more…
Arnold Bax: Hardanger The Music Composed in 1927 during his ‘middle period’ of composition, Arnold Bax’s Hardanger for two pianos shows off the composers talents as a performer. Although often remembered and celebrated for his orchestral works, Bax also composed many works for piano. A gifted pianist himself, his piano Read more…
Anna Clyne: Night Ferry Context Grammy Award nominated composer Anna Clyne was born in 1980 in London. She formally studied music at the University of Edinburgh for her BMus, and then at the Manhattan School of Music for her MA degree in music. She has received tutelage from the likes Read more…
William Walton: Crown Imperial Context Composed between 1936-37 for the coronation of King Edward VIII on 12th May 1937, the Royal event did not turn out quite as expected. Whilst the performance of Walton’s Crown Imperial did happen on this date, the person crowned was not Edward VIII. Edward had Read more…
Patrick Doyle: Harry in Winter Context With the first three Harry Potter films accompanied by music from American composer John Williams, the fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, saw music by Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle. Doyle only composed for this one film in the Harry Potter Read more…
Cécile Chaminade: Concertino for Flute Context Cécile Chaminade was born in Paris, 1857. At a young age she started playing the piano, with her mother being her first teacher. She then learnt with Félix Le Couppey. As well as learning the piano, Chaminade also took an interest in learning the Read more…
Giuseppe Verdi: Libiamo ne’ lieti calici Context Composed between Il trovatore (1853) and Les vêpres siciliennes (1855), La Traviata was part of Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘middle period’ of composition. Previous to La Traviata came 16 other operas including the ever-popular Nabucodonosor (1842) and Rigoletto (1851). Based at the start of the Read more…
Eric Whitacre: When David Heard Context Eric Whitacre was born in Nevada in 1970, and from a young age he studied the piano. He later got into a band, where he played the synthesizer, and it was at this point that Whitacre aspired to be a rock musician. Just before Read more…