Charles Strouse: Annie Overture Context Originally based on Harold Gray’s comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, the broadway musical Annie is one of the most popular of the 20th century. With music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, some of the most popular songs include Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Read more…
Dorothy Howell: Lamia Context Fresh out of the Royal Academy of Music aged 21, Dorothy Howell achieved her biggest fame with the symphonic poem, Lamia. Based on the Keats poem of the same name, the work was premiered by Sir Henry Wood at The Proms on 10th September 1919, and Read more…
Ursula Mamlok: From My Garden Context Born on February 1st, 1923, Ursula Mamlok was born in Berlin, Germany into a primarily Jewish family. Her biological father, Hans Meyer, died when she was a baby, but her mother remarried fairly soon after. Mamlok composed and performed as a child in Berlin, Read more…
George Frideric Handel: He That Dwelleth in Heaven Messiah Part II 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…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite Context Composed between 1875-76, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet Swan Lake was not an immediate hit with audiences and critics. After revisions were made and new productions came and went, now Swan Lake is one of the most popular ballets of all time. In Read more…
Igor Stravinsky: Octet Context Scored for the unusual set up of flute, clarinet, bassoons, trumpets, tenor trombone and bass trombone, Igor Stravinsky’s Octet was composed around the beginning of his neoclassical phase. After quickly writing the score in 1922, Octet premiered at the Paris Opera House in October 1923, with Read more…
Rachel Portman: Theme from Emma Context Rachel Portman wrote the score for the 1996 film Emma and was released in July of the same year by Hollywood Records. Portman commented on the style of the score saying that it was: “A purely classical score. It is an orchestral piece, Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.18 Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Haydn’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…
Sergei Prokofiev: Dance of the Knights Context Taken from his 1935 ballet Romeo and Juliet, Dance of the Knights, also known as Montagues and Capulets, is one of Sergei Prokofiev’s most iconic works. The piece is also included in Prokofiev’s second suite of ballet music from Romeo and Juliet. In Read more…
Ursula Mamlok: Concerto for Oboe Context Born on February 1st, 1923, Ursula Mamlok was born in Berlin, Germany into a primarily Jewish family. Her biological father, Hans Meyer, died when she was a baby, but her mother remarried fairly soon after. Mamlok composed and performed as a child in Berlin, however, Read more…