John Barry: Out of Africa Context By 1985, John Barry was already a very well-established film score composer. His work in the James Bond franchise was legendary, and his huge output of film music speaks for itself. One of his most beloved scores came from the 1985 film Out of Read more…
Ruth Crawford-Seeger: Suite for Wind Quintet Context Born on July 3rd, 1901, Ruth Crawford spent her early life in East Liverpool, Ohio. Throughout her childhood, the Crawford’s moved around a lot, from Ohio to Missouri to Indiana. In 1912, the Crawford’s moved to Florida, where Ruth’s father passed away two years Read more…
Eric Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby Context Shortly after attending the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in 2004, Eric Whitacre was soon contacted by a big film studio asking for a meeting. The studio were looking into creating a new classic animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s The White Seal. After reading Read more…
Sergei Prokofiev: String Quartet No.1 Context Sergei Prokofiev composed his first string quartet in 1931 as a commission from the Library of Congress. The quartet premiered in Washington D.C. in April of the same year by the Brosa Quartet. The Russian premiere came later in the year in October, this Read more…
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks Context Composed between 1894-5, Richard Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks is one of his most popular tone poems. The story behind the music is based on the pranks and tomfoolery of the German peasant folk hero Till Eulenspiegel. Known as being a rogue mocker Read more…
Thomas Newman: Nemo Egg Context Thomas Newman is known for his broad portfolio of film scores for films such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Finding Nemo and Skyfall. His accessible style creates sparkling scores of music that are very much loved. Newman has been nominated for fifteen Academy Read more…
Aram Khachaturian: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia Context Born in Tblisi, Georgia in 1903, Aram Khachaturian’s music is still performed regularly in concert halls today. Perhaps one of his most famous works is the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from his 1954 ballet: Spartacus. The ballet follows the trials and tribulations faced by Spartacus as Read more…
Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata for Two Violins Context Sergei Prokofiev composed his Sonata for Two Violins in 1932 for a commission from Triton, a new Paris-based society dedicated to showcasing new chamber music. The inaugural concert took place in December of the same year. With the permission from the commissioner, Prokofiev Read more…
Edward Elgar: The Music Makers Context Edward Elgar is fondly remembered as one of the forefront English composers of the late 19th/early 20th century. His music is often incorporated into international concerts, with some of his most famous compositions including Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Enigma Variations and his Cello Concerto. Whilst all of these works Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 87 Context Haydn composed his set of six ‘Paris’ symphonies between 1785 and 1786. A product of a prestigious foreign commission from the Comte d’Ogny (a French Nobleman), this set of symphonies are influential due to their rich musical language and obvious shift in Haydn’s compositional style. Read more…