Grażyna Bacewicz: Overture for Symphonic Orchestra Context She is perhaps still one of the most successful female composers that Poland has ever produced, Grażyna Bacewicz’s legacy lives on strong today. Remembered for her progressive compositonal style, her work is often recorded and performed in modern concert halls. Her 1943 orchestral work Overture Read more…
Ramin Djawadi: Game of Thrones Main Title Context Iranian-German film composer Ramin Djawadi (1974-) is currently best-known for his music for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the 2008 Marvel film Iron Man and television series Prison Break. He has been nominated for numerous awards including a Grammy for Game Read more…
George Frideric Handel: He was cut off out of the land of the living 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 Read more…
Reynaldo Hahn: L’Heure Exquise Context Venezuelan-born French composer, Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) is fondly remembered for his huge contribution to mélodies – a popular form of French Art Song. With over 100 songs composed, plus a huge number of instrumental works,, Hahn remains a staple for many recitalists. Hahn’s breadth of Read more…
Wojciech Kilar: Dracula – The Beginning Context Polish composer Wojciech Kilar composed the music for the 1992 Gothic horror film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which starred the likes of Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. Apart from the closing song, which was written and performed by Annie Lennox, Kilar’s soundtrack Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons November: Troika 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…
Grażyna Bacewicz: Polish Caprice Context Grażyna Bacewicz was Born in Łódź, Poland in 1909, Bacewicz was introduced to music at a young age by her father. She furthered her musical studies by enrolling at the Warsaw Conservatory, where she majored in piano, violin and composition. Afterwards she travelled to Paris, Read more…
Philip Sparke: Cambridge Variations Context Commissioned by Philip Biggs and Richard Franklin for the All England Brass Band Championships in 1992, Philip Sparke’s Cambridge Variations was most recently used at the 2016 Brass Band Regionals for the Championship Section. As the title suggests, the work is set in a form Read more…
Carl Ruggles: Men and Mountains Context American composer Carl Ruggles only composed a small selection of works in his lifetime. However, he was one to constantly revise his works, so many of his compositions have various changes as time went on. His orchestral work Men and Mountains was composed in Read more…
Dana Suesse: Concerto in 3 Rhythms Context Dana Suesse was born in 1909 in Kansas City. There is not much information on Suesse’s earlier life, but we know that whilst she was still young she travelled around the Midwest Vaudeville circuit, performing both on the piano and as a dancer. Read more…