Miriam Hyde: Piano Concerto No.1 Context Composed in 1933 when she was just 20 years old, Miriam Hyde’s Piano Concerto No.1 was structured from a similar work that was for two pianos. Hailing from Adelaide, Australia, Hyde moved to London in 1932 to study at the Royal College of Music. Read more…
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol Context During the latter half of the nineteenth century there was a trend of creating works of music inspired by traditional Spanish music. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol fits this trend perfectly. Composed in 1887, Capriccio Espagnol is a five-movement orchestral suite that explores Spanish rhythms, harmony Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.2 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…
George Frideric Handel: And He Shall Purify Messiah Part I 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 the source Read more…
Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture Context Tannhäuser is an 1845 opera with music and text by German composer Richard Wagner. The story centres around three German legends, Tannhäuser, Minnesänger and the tale of the Wartburg Song Contest. Full of fantastical characters like nymphs, sirens and goddesses, Tannhäuser’s story reflects themes that Read more…
Ethel Smyth: Cello Sonata Context Dame Ethel Smyth is one of the most important British composers that bridged the gap between the 19th and 20th centuries. She composed a number of orchestral works, chamber music, songs and six operas. Also a talented writer, Smyth also penned 9 books (in 10 Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.1 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…
Rachel Portman: Belle Main Titles Context Based on the 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, Belle is a 2013 British period drama film that was directed by Amma Asante. Not much was known about Dido Belle’s life, but we do know that she was born in the West Indies and Read more…
George Frideric Handel: But Who May Abide Messiah Part I 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 the source Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No.8 Context Commissioned by the Rustam K. Kermani Foundation in 1978, Malcolm Arnold’s Eighth Symphony was his penultimate symphony. The premiere of the symphony happened in New York a year later by the Albany Symphony Orchestra conducted by Julius Hegyi. Of all nine Arnold symphonies, the Eighth Read more…