Soweto String Quartet: Sophiatown Context Sophiatown is a composition that appears on the second studio by Soweto String Quartet – Renaissance. Released in 1996, the album has received international success, as well as winning the ‘Best Instrumental Performance’ award at the South African Music Awards in 1997. The album blends Read more…
Frederick Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Context Composed in 1912 as the first part of Frederick Delius’ Two Pieces for Small Orchestra, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring remains one of the composer’s most popular orchestral works. Although composed as a pair, the two pieces are Read more…
Gilbert Vinter: Spectrum Context Gilbert Vinter (1909-1969) was most known for his work as a conductor and as a composer of brass band music. Vinter was a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral when he was a young boy. He later took up the bassoon. He conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Read more…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 Rondo Alla Turk Context Composed in 1783 and published in 1784, Mozart’s famous Eleventh Piano Sonata is also known as Rondo Alla Turk, due to its fiery Turkish finale. Consisting of three movements that are either in A major or A minor, the Read more…
Randall D. Standridge: Imaginarium Context American composer Randall D. Standrige has made a fruitful career as a composer thus far. He is perhaps most-known for his works for wind orchestras and concert bands, with his works often residing in many wind orchestra’s libraries. Imaginarium was commissioned by the Association of Read more…
John Williams: Theme from Superman Context Following on from the successes from some of his other 1970s film scores for films such as Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977), John Williams produced another iconic film score for Superman in 1978. At the first recording session of the film, Director Richard Read more…
Grant Kirkhope: Mid Boss Mayhem Context Scottish video game composer Grant Kirkhope was exposed to music from a young age. Kirkhope taught himself the guitar and was classically trained as a trumpeter at the Royal Northern College of Music. Kirkhope was involved in many different jazz ensembles, including big bands Read more…
Franz Schubert: Symphony No.5 Context Completed between September-October 1816, Franz Schubert’s Fifth Symphony was quickly published after the seldom-heard Fourth Symphony. There have been a number of accounts claiming the influence of Mozart for the Fifth Symphony, with Schubert also writing in his diary, dated June 13th 1816: “O Mozart! Read more…
Nico Muhly: Viola Concerto Context Nico Muhly (1981-) composed his vivacious Viola Concerto in 2014 due to a joint commission from the Orquesta Nacionales de España, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Festival de Saint Denis and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. It was premiered in February 2015 by the Orquesta Nacionales Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.20 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…