Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.1 Context Ludwig van Beethoven grew up hearing and learning about the symphonies of his predecessors such as Mozart and Haydn. When he was a boy, Mozart was penning his famous Salzburg symphonies, and when he was a teenager, Mozart was writing his perennial late symphonies. Read more…
Krzysztof Penderecki: Intermezzo Context Composed in 1973, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Intermezzo is composed for 24 strings. The work bears resemblance to his First Symphony in terms of style. Penderecki builds various stages of narrative throughout Intermezzo which sees each individual part shine through. The Music The timbres and textures that Read more…
Jean Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela Context Jean Sibelius composed The Swan of Tuonela in 1895 as part of the Lemminkäinen Suite. The suite is based on the Finnish mythological epic, Kalevala. The Swan of Tuonela is the second in the quartet of tone poems, and is by far the Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 Context Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.17 was composed between 1801-02. Often referred to as ‘The Tempest’, the nickname is said to have originated from a personal conversation between Beethoven and Anton Schindler. The Music Movement I – Largo-Allegro The opening bar and Read more…
Interview with Philip Harper Award-winning conductor and composer Philip Harper has led the world’s No.1 brass band, The Cory Band, since 2012. He has won all the major trophies including the Grand Slam of all major titles in 2016 & 2019 – something now known as the ‘Harper Slam’. In Read more…
Anatoly Liadov: The Enchanted Lake Context First performed in 1909 in St Petersburg, Anatoly Liadov’s serene orchestral work The Enchanted Lake is one of the composer’s most fondly-remembered works. Liadov himself really liked this work, commenting that: “How picturesque it is, how clear the multitude of stars hovering over Read more…
Johann Strauss I: Radetzky March Context Premiered in August 1848 in Vienna, Johann Strauss I’s Radetzky March is one of the most recognisable marches ever composed. Dedicated to Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, the march soon became popular among regimented marching soldiers. Strauss was commissioned to composed a work Read more…
Edward Elgar: Serenade for Strings Context Composed in March 1892 and premiered later on in the same year, Edward Elgar’s Serenade for Strings is a short work for string orchestra. The premiere saw Elgar conducting the Worcester Ladies’ Orchestral Class in a private concert. The first public premiere took place Read more…
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee Context Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is known for a range of his orchestral works, however perhaps one of the most iconic is his orchestral interlude Flight of the Bumblebee. As the title suggests, the work intends to evoke the chaotic and ever-changing flying pattern of a Read more…
Hermann Pallhuber: Titan’s Progress Context Commissioned by Brass Band Oberosterreich for the 2007 European Brass Band Championships at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, Hermann Pallhuber’s Titan’s Progress is ‘On A Theme Of Mahler’. The piece has since been used as the test piece for the 2009 British Open and the 2019 Read more…