Sergei Prokofiev: Toccata Context Sergei Prokofiev’s Toccata in D minor (Op.11) was composed in 1912. Prokofiev himself premiered the work some years later in December 1916. Similar to some of his contemporaries like Ravel and Khachaturian, Prokofiev’s Toccata is a development to the toccata form made famous by the likes 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…
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…
Gustav Holst: Beni Mora Context Composed between 1909-12, Gustav Holst’s three-movement suite Beni Mora is one of his lesser-known works. Inspired by a trip to Algeria, Holst’s suite reflects some Eastern music traditions. In 1908, Holst was advised to take a holiday due to his mounting stress, depression and neuritis. Read more…
Gustav Holst: A Somerset Rhapsody Context Composed in 1906, Gustav Holst’s A Somerset Rhapsody is inspired by a collection of key English folk tunes. Dedicated to Cecil Sharp, to whose tunes the work is based on, A Somerset Rhapsody tells a story, which Holst once divulged to a colleague: “Into Read more…
John Adams: Saxophone Concerto Context Jointly commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo Foundation. The world premiere took place in Sydney in August 2013, with saxophonist Timothy McAllister, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and John Read more…
John Adams: China Gates Context John Adams composed China Gates in 1977 for the then 17-year old pianist Sarah Cahill. A year later Adams wrote a companion work called Phyrgian Gates which uses some similar techniques to China Gates. When describing the work Adams has said that: “China Gates Read more…
John Adams: Harmonielehre Context John Adams’ epic symphonic work Harmonielehre was composed in 1985. The title derives from the German for ‘Study of Harmony’, which is also a reference to Arnold Schoenberg’s 1911 theory book of the same name. Adam has commented that Harmonielehre was inspired by a dream that Read more…
John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine Context John Adams composed his orchestral work Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986. Subtitled a “fanfare for orchestra”, the piece came from a commission from the Great Woods festival. Due to the name of the festival, the original title of Read more…
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…