Dobrinka Tabakova: Whispered Lullaby Context Dobrinka Tabakova was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to a music-loving family in 1980. At age 11, Tabakova moved to London and has since stayed there. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, specialising in composition, piano and conducting. From there, Tabakova earned Read more…
Modest Mussorgsky: Dawn on the Moscow River Context Intended to be the prelude for Mussorgsky’s last opera, Khovanschina, the work was to left unfinished after the composer’s death in 1881. As the opera begins, the curtain is raised and we see the city of Moscow at the end of the 17th Century. As Read more…
Philip Sparke: Year of the Dragon Context Born and raised in London, Philip Sparke studied composition, trumpet, and piano at the Royal College of Music. Known as being one of the leading brass band and wind band composers, Sparke has won a notable amount of awards. Some of these include the Read more…
Léo Delibes: Flower Duet Context Léo Delibes’ three act opera Lakmé is perhaps this French composer’s most well-known work. Composed between 1881-1882, Lakmé is based on Le Mariage de Loti by Pierre Loti, and Les babouches du Brahamane by Théodore Pavie. Flower Duet features in Act 1 of the opera, Read more…
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens on Spain Context Manuel de Falla was born in 1876, in the southern Spanish city of Cádiz. He studied harmony and counterpoint from a young age, as well as learning the piano. By 1900, he and his family had moved to Madrid, where Falla Read more…
Paul Dukas: L’apprenti sorcier Context Paul Dukas was born in Paris, 1865. In 1881, Dukas entered the Conservatoire de Paris, studying piano and composition. Whilst studying at the conservatoire Dukas became very close friends with Claude Debussy. Dukas thrived studying composition, however, much of his work within this period was Read more…
Ennio Morricone: The Ecstasy of Gold Context Ennio Morricone composed his highly popular soundtrack for the 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and by 1968 the album was a big hit in the charts. Regarded as Morricone’s most successful film soundtrack, The Ecstasy of Gold is Read more…
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question Conext Charles Ives was born in Connecticut, USA in 1874, and his father was a USA Army bandleader. Due to this day-to-day influence of music, Ives grew up surrounded by music. Ives undertook music lessons from a young age, and his tutors were encouraging for Ives Read more…
Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals Context Camille Saint-Saëns wrote Carnival of the Animals whilst in a small Austrian village, and he always referred to it as ‘mais c’est si amusant!’ (‘Such fun!’). Interestingly, this piece was never published in Saint-Saëns’ lifetime as he didn’t want it to taint his ‘serious composer’ image, and Read more…
Howard Hanson: Symphony No. 6 Context Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was a popular American composer and conductor. Over his long career he won numerous prizes including a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his Fourth Symphony and the George Foster Peabody Award for ‘Outstanding Entertainment in Music in 1946. Hanson’s music is Read more…