William Walton: Two Pieces from Henry V No.1 Passacaglia – The Death of Falstaff Context William Walton was asked to compose the music for the 1944 film of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Walton himself did not create a suite from the music he composed for this film, however Sir Malcolm Sargent Read more…
Dmitri Shostakovich: Festive Overture Context Commissioned by the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow at the very last minute for the 37th anniversary of the 1917 Revolution event in 1954, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture was composed in a matter of days. The premiere took place in November 1954, performed by the Bolshoi Theatre Read more…
Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin & Piano Context Clara Josephine Wieck was born on 13th September 1819 in Leipzig. Her mother was a famous singer in the city at the time. When Clara was five, her parents divorced and she stayed with her father. Friedrich Wieck saw the potential Read more…
Max Bruch: Scottish Fantasy Context Max Bruch was born on January 6th 1838 in Cologne. He received early musical training by pianist and composer, Ferdinand Hiller. Unlike quite a large proportion of classical musicians, Bruch’s family were very supportive of his music studies, and were often pushing him to take it Read more…
Giacomo Puccini: I Crisantemi Context Although mainly celebrated for his operas and vocal pieces, Giacomo Puccini also wrote a handful of works for chamber ensembles. Puccini had an affinity with the string quartet, which was something he experimented a lot with whilst studying at conservatory. 1890 was the year he Read more…
Alexander Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia Context Composed in 1880, Alexander Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia was intended to be presented as one of the tableaux vivants to celebrate the silver anniversary of the reign of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. The event didn’t happen as Read more…
Paweł Łukaszewski: Daylight Declines Context Regarded as one of Poland’s greatest musical talents of his generation, Paweł Łukaszewski is perhaps best-known for his choral works. As well as an active composer, Łukaszewski is also a conductor and is currently the Artistic Director of the Musica Sacra choir in Warsaw. Łukaszewski Read more…
Rebecca Clarke: Sonata for Viola and Piano Context Remembered today as one of the finest chamber music composers of the twentieth century, Rebecca Clarke’s (1886-1979) Sonata for Viola and Piano is a staple in viola repertoire. Although her compositional output wasn’t large like some of her contemporaries, the works that were composed were Read more…
Nils Frahm: You Context Composed for solo piano, You features on Nils Frahm’s 2012 album Screws. During 2012, Frahm had broken his thumb and had to subsequently cancel many of his live shows. This gave him an unexpected break from touring, and so he sat at his piano and played Read more…
Eric Coates: The Merrymakers Context Subtitled ‘A Miniature Overture’, Eric Coates’ orchestral works The Merrymakers was completed in 1923. Originally called A New Year’s Overture, Coates changed the name to suit the personality and character of the piece. At the time of composition it is said that Coates was in Read more…