Ludwig van Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus Overture Context The Creatures of Prometheus is a ballet composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The ballet premiered in March 1801 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, and received its US premiere in 1808. The ballet is the only one that Beethoven wrote. Read more…
Frédéric Chopin: Raindrop Prelude Context Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude Op.28, No.15, also known as the Raindrop Prelude is part of the composer’s 24 preludes. This particular prelude is the longest in the set, lasting between 5-7 minutes. A large proportion of the Op.28 collection was composed during Chopin and George Sand’s Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Context Composed in 1880 to commemorate the successful Russian defence against Napoleon in 1812, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture has become one of his most popular works. Premiered in August 1882, the 1812 Overture received a rapturous reception due to the work’s epic finale section Read more…
John Barry: The John Dunbar Theme Context Born in 1933 as John Barry Prendergast, the budding young musician worked closely with film from a young age. His father owned a cinema in York, and it was here that his love for film music was born. Barry undertook his national service Read more…
Interview with Violinist Fenella Humphreys Ahead of her exciting Beethoven 250 concert in Sheffield with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra next month, I caught up with violinist Fenella Humphreys to talk all things Beethoven 250 and playing the violin: 1) When did you start playing the violin? What drew you to Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: String Quartet No.3 ‘In Memorium Holocaust’ Context Composed in 1997, Ruth Schönthal’s String Quartet No.3 is subtitled ‘In Memroiam Holocaust’. For many years Schönthal had avoided this topic in her music as she didn’t want to trivialise the Holocaust. In a 1999 interview she claimed that other composers Read more…
James MacMillan: Kiss on Wood Context Composed in August 1994, James MacMillan’s Kiss on Wood is a short work originally written for violin and piano, however in recent years the cello and piano version has become more widely known. Kiss on Wood was premiered at the Harrogate Festival in 1994 Read more…
Eric Coates: The Dambusters March Context Composed as the theme to the 1955 British war film, The Dam Busters, Eric Coates’ work of the same name is one his most beloved works. The music has become synonymous with both the film and the real Operation Chastise. Often used as an Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: Sonata Concertante Context Originally written to be played on either a cello, viola or clarinet, Ruth Schönthal’s Sonata Concertante was composed in 1973. Now fondly remembered as a work for clarinet and piano, that is the version this blog will discuss. There aren’t many records regarding this work, Read more…
Gustav Mahler: Blumine Context Composed in 1884 as the original second movement of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, Blumine received its premiere on November 20th 1889 in Budapest. The soon-to-be-doomed second movement was taken out of the First Symphony after the third performance, which Mahler conducted in 1894 in Weimar. The Read more…