Gaziza Zhubanova: String Quartet No.1 Context Remembered as the first successful Kazakh female composer, Gaziza Zhubanova (1928-1993) knew from a young age that she wanted to study music. In 1945, Zhubanova was offered a place to study at the Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, and then later she studied Read more…
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen Context Composed as the Second World War was also coming to a close, Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen is an intriguing study for 23 solo strings. Commissioned by the founder and then-director of the Basler Kammerorchester, Paul Sacher, Metamorphosen was premiered by the Collegium Musicum Zürich in January 1946. Read more…
Harold Shapero: String Trio Context Harold Shapero (1920-2013) was an American composer hailing from Lynn, Massachusetts. A fine pianist, Shapero studied at Harvard where he studied under Walter Piston, Paul Hindemith and Leonard Bernstein. Whilst studying at Harvard and Tanglewood Music Centre, Shapero met some of the leading composers such Read more…
Michael Tippett: String Quartet No.1 Context Three out of the five string quartets that Michael Tippett (1905-1998) composed during his lifetime were written in a ten-year period between 1935-45. A 30 year gap between the third and fourth scuppered the composer’s initial plan of writing four quartets during one period. Read more…
Boris Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in B Minor Context The first in his collection of chamber works, Boris Tchaikovsky’s (no relation to Pyotr Ilyich) Piano trio in B minor was composed in 1953. Whilst studying at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory, Tchaikovsky was a student of Myaskovsky and Shostakovich. Lots of Tchaikovsky’s Read more…
Mikhail Glinka: Grand Sextet Context Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) although seldom heard in concert halls today, was in fact an incredibly influential composer of his time. He is often regarded as one of the leading figures of Russian classical music, with his compositional style having an important influence on composers such Read more…
Dag Wirén: String Quartet No.3 Context Swedish composer Dag Wirén’s musical oeuvre can be summed up by looking at just his five string quartets. Composed between 1935 and 1970, the span and development of Wirén’s style can be assessed throughout all quartets. The composer removed the first quartet that composed Read more…
Joly Braga Santos: String Quartet No.1 Context Remembered for being one of the leading Portugese composers during the 20th century, Joly Braga Santos (1924-1988) composed six symphonies and a collection of chamber works. After recently having a small surge of recordings made, Braga Santos’ music is rightfully receiving more attention. Read more…
Imogen Holst: String Quintet Context As the only child of British composer, Gustav Holst, Imogen Holst (1907-1984) is fondly remembered for being a popular composer, arranger, administrator, teacher and conductor. Her oeuvre is comprised of works for a number of different ensembles and genres, making her a rather diverse composer. Read more…
Francis Poulenc: Sextet for Wind Quintet & Piano Context Francis Poulenc’s Sextet for Wind Quintet & Piano was composed during his time as part of Les Six in c.1931-32. After a not-so satisfactory premiere in Paris, Poulenc heavily revised the work in 1939 stating that: “There were some good ideas Read more…