Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Sonata No.4 ‘Die Befreit Sonate’ Context Born in 1899, Russian-Canadian composer Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté began learning the piano when she was just five years old. She went on to study at the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied under the tutelage of Vincent d’Indy and Alfred Brun. Throughout her Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.15 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…
Eric Ewazen: Ballade, Pastorale and Dance Context American composer and teacher Eric Ewazen composed his Ballade, Pastorale and Dance in the winter of 1992-93. Commissioned by David Wakefield and Barli Nugent, to whom the piece is also dedicated, this chamber work premiered in Aspen in the summer of 1993. Ewazen Read more…
Lars-Erik Larsson: Adagio Context Composed in 1960, Lars-Erik Larsson’s Adagio (Op.48) is a work for string orchestra. At this point in Larsson’s career, he was exploring the twelve-tone system, dissonance and unique voice leading. All of these things can be heard in the slow and mysterious Adagio. The Music Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Peterloo Overture Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practising intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Arnold Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons August: Harvest 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…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.10 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…
Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte Context Originally written for solo piano, Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte was orchestrated by the composer in 1910, eleven years after the original version was published. Ravel described this piece as “an evocation of a pavane that a little princess might, in Read more…
Carl Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto Context Composed in 1928 for Danish clarinettist, Aage Oxenvad, Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto is a smorgasbord of different moods. Written at a difficult point in Nielsen’s life, because of his career and his health, the Clarinet Concerto features some darker undertones. Critics and musicologists alike have tried Read more…
George Frideric Handel: All They That See Him, Laugh Him to Scorn 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 Read more…