Antonio Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in E minor Context Antonio Vivaldi composed a vast amount of concertos for a range of different instruments. No less than 230 of those are for violin, with the second most popular concerto soloist being the bassoon for Vivaldi. Out of the 39 bassoon concertos that 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…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sérénade mélancolique Context Sérénade mélancolique was composed in early 1875 by Tchaikovsky at the request of violinist Leopold Auer. Scored for solo violin and orchestra, it was the first work of its kind that Tchaikovsky composed. It was composed at the same time as his iconic Piano 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…
Henryk Górecki: Harpsichord Concerto Context Henryk Górecki’s Harpsichord Concerto was composed at the request of Andrzej Chłopecki, head of Polish Radio Music Station. The commission came in 1980 at a time when Górecki was exploring pure instrumental music after more than a decade of dedicating himself to vocal and choral Read more…
Pierre Rode: Violin Concerto No.11 Context Jacques Pierre Joseph Rode (1774-1830), also known as Pierre Rode, was a French violinist and composer. Rode was a pupil of Giovanni Battista viotti, who considered Rode to be the most talented student he ever taught. As a virtuoso violinist, Rode served as violin Read more…
Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major Context Composed potentially between c.1717-1723, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Concerto in E major was written to satisfy the requirements of Prince Leopold. The Prince wanted Bach to compose large numbers of secular music, as well as his ever-popular sacred works. It is Read more…
Gerald Finzi: Eclogue Context Although largely remembered now as a choral composer, Gerald Finzi also wrote some breathtaking orchestral music. Eclogue is composed for a solo piano and string orchestra and was originally intended to be part of a grand piano concerto that Finzi wanted to write in the late Read more…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Horn Concerto No.4 Context Composed for virtuoso horn player Joseph Leutgeb, Mozart’s Fourth Horn Concerto is one his most colourful. So colourful that Mozart actually penned the score in red, green, blue and black ink! There are two potential reasons for the extra colour. The first is Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto Context Composed in 1796, Joseph Haydn’s ever-popular Trumpet Concerto in Eb Major was his last major orchestral work. At this point in his life, Haydn had just moved back to Vienna, and so the first performance of the concerto was on 28th March 1800 at the Read more…