Interview with Jack Bazalgette Jack Bazalgette is a conductor, singer, and animateur based in Hackney. He has worked as chorusmaster with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducts the Malcolm Street Orchestra, and was Senior Conductor of the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra. Jack has been artistic director for concert tours of the Read more…
Aram Khachaturian: Sabre Dance Context Aram Khachaturian’s ever-popular Sabre Dance is originally part of the final act of the composer’s 1942 ballet Gayane. The music accompanies the dancers as they show their skills with sabres. Sabre Dance has become a signature piece in 20th century repertoire, with it often being Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons June: Barcarolle 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 originally composed Read more…
Harold Shapero: String Trio Context Harold Shapero (1920-2013) was an American composer hailing from Lynn, Massachusetts. A fine pianist, Shapero studied at Harvard where he studied under Walter Piston, Paul Hindemith and Leonard Bernstein. Whilst studying at Harvard and Tanglewood Music Centre, Shapero met some of the leading composers such Read more…
Dora Bright: Piano Concerto No.1 Context Sheffield-born composer, Dora Bright (1862-1951) wrote a number of large scale works, though not many have survived since her death. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music between 1881-89 under the tutelage of Walter Macfarren and Ebenezer Prout. Bright conducted big German tours Read more…
Interview with Flip the Stem Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Flip the Stem are an exciting new classical music organisation who are dedicated to popularising history’s marginalised composers. Flip the Stem do lots of important work within the sector, so we were thrilled to sit down Read more…
Bohuslav Martinů: Sen o minulosti Context One of the leading Czech composers during the 20th Century, Bohuslav Martinů wrote over 400 works, including 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a huge body of chamber and orchestral works. After finding his feet in the style of Neoclassicism, Martinů used Read more…
George Frideric Handel: He Was Despised 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 the source being Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.7 Le Midi 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 Read more…
Paul Reade: Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite Context Paul Reade (1943-1997) was born in Liverpool, UK. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied piano performance with Alan Richardson. Whilst at the Academy, Reade had his first orchestral work, Overture to a City, premiered by the resident orchestra, Read more…