Ingolf Dahl: Concerto for Alto Saxophone Context Ingolf Dah’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra was composed in 1948, after the German composer received a letter of request from virtuoso saxophonist, Sigurd Rascher. Dahl quickly settled on using a wind orchestra instead of a traditional orchestra for the accompaniment Read more…
Judith Weir: Piano Concerto Context Judith Weir was born in 1954 in Cambridge, and at a young age she began learning the oboe. Weir in her youth performed regularly with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She studied composition whilst at school with none other than John Tavener. From Read more…
Tor Aulin: Violin Concerto No.3 Context Although his output as a composer is small, Tor Aulin (1866-1914) wrote three fantastic violin concertos. After working as a conductor and professional violinist, Aulin composed his Third Violin Concerto in 1896. By this point in his life, Aulin had become physically ill and Read more…
Takashi Yoshimatsu: Saxophone Concerto ‘Cyber Bird’ Context Composed in 1994 for virtuoso saxophonist, Nobuya Sugawa, Takashi Yoshimatu’s Saxophone Concerto remains one of his most devilishly difficult works. Described as a ‘triple concerto’, Yoshimatsu’s concerto is subtitled Cyber Bird, which refers to, in the composer’s words, “an imaginary bird in the Read more…
Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor Context Over the course of his lifetime Robert Schumann only composed one piano concerto. It was completed in 1845 and premiered in Dresden in December of the same year. Schumann’s wife, Clara Schumann, premiered the concerto. The work is dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller, Read more…
Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour: Persian Echoes Context Commissioned by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2006, Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour’s Persian Echoes for harp and orchestra was the first ever Iranian harp concerto. Persian Echoes brings together sounds from the East and West, incorporating traditional Persian music and folk melodies, with rich Western Read more…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 Context Composed in Vienna in December 1785, Mozart’s 22nd piano concerto is part of his more sophisticated collection of works. Mozart had received great success from a series of piano concertos in Vienna since his arrival there in 1781. In early 1785, Mozart’s Read more…
Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 Context Around the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Sergei Prokofiev left the Soviet Union and lived abroad for the next 18 years or so. He returned in 1927 an outsider, and was regarded as a foreigner by the regime whilst on tour Read more…
Pablo de Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen Context As one of the most famous violin virtuosos of the 19th century, Pablo de Sarasate was also a keen composer for the instrument too. His perennially popular Zigeunerweisen was composed and published in 1878. Inspired by folk tunes from Rome, Zigeunerweisen has pleased audiences and Read more…
Walter Leigh: Concertino for Harpsichord & Strings Context After receiving tutelage from Harold Darke and Paul Hindemith during his time in education, Walter Leigh (1905-1942) wrote a number of works for a range of different ensembles and soloists. Still the most popular of his works today, Leigh’s Concertino for Harpsichord Read more…