Henry Purcell: Come All Ye Songsters Context Henry Purcell’s semi-opera The Fairy Queen is based on an anonymous adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The show premiered in 1682 – just three years before the composer’s death. After his passing, the scores for The Fairy Queen were Read more…
Antonín Dvořák: Serenade for Strings in E Context Antonín Dvořák composed his famous Serenade for Strings in E in just two weeks during a creative spell in May 1875. This was a particularly creative year for Dvořák, as he had also composed his Fifth Symphony, Second String Quintet amongst many Read more…
Yasushi Akutagawa: Trinita Sinfonica Context Composed during a period of Yasushi Akutagawa’s career where his music became influenced by some of the foremost Russian composers. Known as his ‘Sino-Soviet’ period (1947-57), Akutagawa went on cultural exchanges with the USSR and was made aware of the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and Read more…
Charles Griffes: The White Peacock Context Like many of his American contemporaries, Charles Griffes travelled to Germany to receive his advanced musical training. He focused on composition whilst studying, with piano being his first study for performance. Whilst in Germany, Griffes absorbed the Romantic traditions of Richard Strauss, Johannes Brahms Read more…
Ronald Binge: Elizabethan Serenade Context Famed for his light orchestral music, the works of Ronald Binge capture the essence of quality British classical music. From Sailing By, to The Watermill, Binge’s works are full of character and are still treasured today. Elizabethan Serenade was composed in 1951 and originally entitled Read more…
George Walker: Concerto for Trombone Context Composed in 1957, George Walker’s Trombone Concerto was one of the earliest of its kind for the modern trombone. The premiere took place in 1957 at a concert conducted by American composer, Howard Hanson. The concerto shows off Walker’s wide-range of inspirations, from Beethoven Read more…
Wouter Lenaerts: Elegia Context Published in 2003, Wouter Lenaets’s Elegia is a beautiful work for wind orchestra. Now a go-to piece for concerts around the world, Elegia showcases both the introverted and extroverted sounds of a wind orchestra. The Music Two similar main themes are heard throughout this work, Read more…
Ann Southam: Noisy River Context After years of writing electronic music, Canadian composer Ann Southam abandoned the tapes and tracks and focused on more classically-inclined pieces. Noisy River is a piece for solo piano that features on the album Pond Life. Much like her style throughout the years, Southam’s approach Read more…
Edward Elgar: Symphony No.1 Context Composed some way into his long musical career, the long awaited First Symphony from Edward Elgar did not disappoint. Premiered by the Hallé Orchestra under Hans Richter in December 1908, the First Symphony received great success in its first year. The symphony came at a Read more…
George Frideric Handel: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth Messiah Part III 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 Read more…