Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Vagabond Context Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Vagabond was originally set for voice and piano and is part of a larger song cycle entitled Songs of Travel. Composed between 1901-1904, this was Vaughan Williams’ first major offering in the world of vocal music. Songs of Travel is Read more…
Jóhann Jóhannsson: Flight from the City Context After studying Languages and Literature at university, Jóhannsson began playing guitar in Icelandic Indie-Rock bands. This lasted for a short time before he began being seriously interested in creating minimalist music, and ambient structures for classical instruments. Jóhannsson worked for many years on creating a sound world Read more…
Dobrinka Tabakova: Spinning a Yarn 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 Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No.39 ‘Gypsy Rondo’ Context Composed in 1795, Joseph Haydn’s ‘Gypsy’ piano trio has remained one of his most popular chamber works. The nickname ‘Gypsy’ derives from the finale movement, which is a Rondo in a fiery Hungarian style. The trio was first published by Haydn’s English Read more…
Paul Dukas: Fanfare from La Péri Context Paul Dukas composed the music for the 1912 ballet La Péri just the year before and was initially titled Poème dansé en un tableau. The last published work from Dukas, the music is said to be some of his most mature and skilled Read more…
Germaine Tailleferre: String Quartet Context French composer Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) composed her String Quartet over a creative two-year period between 1917-1919. Tailleferre dedicated the work to the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein. When the work was premiered in 1919, Tailleferre was invited to join Nouveaux Jeunes (later known as Les Six), Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Brass Quintet No.1 Context Composed in 1961 specifically for the New York Brass Quintet, Malcolm Arnold’s Brass Quintet No.1 was an instant hit. Since its inception the work has remained one of Arnold’s most-performed chamber works amongst high-level brass ensembles. It was one of the trailblazing works that Read more…
Henry Purcell: Come All Ye Songsters Context Henry Purcell’s semi-opera The Fairy Queen is based on an anonymous adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The show premiered in 1682 – just three years before the composer’s death. After his passing, the scores for The Fairy Queen were Read more…
Arvo Pärt: Summa Context Summa was first composed in 1978 by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as a choral work. Some twelve years later, Pärt arranged Summa for string orchestra, which is perhaps the more-performed version today (and the version this blog will focus on). The work reflects the original text Read more…
Patrick Nunn: Escape Velocity Context Patrick Nunn was born in Kent, UK in 1969. He studied composition at Dartington College of Arts, Welsh College of Music and Drama and at the Royal Academy of Music, where he received his PhD in composition. Nunn has a large catalogue of music which has Read more…