Tarik O’Regan: Latent Manifest Context Tarik O’Regan was born in Croydon in 1978, and his mother was Algerian so in his very early life he spent a lot of time abroad. O’Regan claims he was a “late starter” with music, only picking up music when he was 14. However, he Read more…
Franz Schubert: Octet in F Major D.803 Context Commissioned by Ferdinand Troyer in 1824, Franz Schubert’s Octet in F Major is the largest set up of any chamber works written by the composer. Scored for clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello and double bass, the instrumentation shadows that of Read more…
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations Context Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme (‘Enigma’) – more popularly known as Enigma Variations – won him international recognition after many years of not being that well known to most. It was composed between October 1898 and February 1899 and is comprised of fourteen Read more…
Elizabeth Maconchy: Nocturne for Orchestra Context Elizabeth Maconchy was born to Irish parents in Hertfordshire, 1907. After her birth, the family moved back to rural Ireland, where Maconchy began taking piano lessons. She started to compose her own music by age six and when she was in her late teens Read more…
John Cage: In A Landscape Context Composed in 1948, John Cage’s minimalist solo piano work In A Landscape was composed with the idea that the purpose of the music was “to sober and quiet the mind, thus rendering it susceptible to divine influences.” The work was composed to accompany a Read more…
Johann Joachim Quantz: Flute Concerto No. 129 Context Born in Oberscheden, Germany in 1697, Johann Joachim Quantz was a prolific flautist, Baroque music composer and educator. It wasn’t until his early teens when Quantz began to study music formally, first with his uncle, and then with organist Johann Friedrich Kiesewetter. Read more…
Ludovico Einaudi: Nightbook Context As part of the album with the same name, Ludovico Einaudi’s Nightbook was composed in 2009. This work, and the album as a whole, highlighted a new direction that Einaudi was taking his music. As well as heavily featuring the piano, lots of these works also Read more…
Victor Ewald: Brass Quintet No.3 Context Victor Ewald is fondly remembered for his brass quintets, which were composed between 1888-1912. The third, although number 3 of 4, was the last to be composed in 1912. They were, for a number of years, considered to be the first pieces of their Read more…
Carl Davis: Pride and Prejudice Context Carl Davis CBE (1936-) is an American-born conductor and composer. He has lived in the UK since the early 1960s. Perhaps best-known for his silent movie music, Davis is also celebrated for his television and film music. Notable television series that Davis worked on Read more…
Roger Quilter: A Children’s Overture Context Roger Quilter was born in Hove, Sussex in 1877. In contrast to his older brothers, Roger was the quiet, shy sibling of the group. In the mid-1880s Quilter was sent to a new prep school in Farnborough, where he was able to nurture his love Read more…