Sergei Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead Context Inspired by Arnold Böcklin’s painting called Isle of the Dead, Sergei Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem of the same name was completed in 1908 during the composer’s stay in dresden. Rachmaninov saw Böcklin’s painting in 1907 whilst in Paris, but instead of the original painting, 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…
Krzysztof Penderecki: Intermezzo Context Composed in 1973, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Intermezzo is composed for 24 strings. The work bears resemblance to his First Symphony in terms of style. Penderecki builds various stages of narrative throughout Intermezzo which sees each individual part shine through. The Music The timbres and textures that Read more…
Domenico Zipoli: Elevazione for Cello and Oboe Context Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726)was an Italian Baroque composer. Not much is known about Zipoli and his life, however we do know that he became a Jesuit so he could teach music in Paraguay and Peru. He is often remembered for being one of Read more…
Tony Banks: Reveille Context Known for being the keyboardist and founding member of the rock group Genesis, it might come as a surprise that Tony Banks has now released three classical albums. Five (5) follows Seven: A Suite for Orchestra (2004) and Six Pieces for Orchestra (2012). It was released Read more…
Ennio Morricone: Gabriel’s Oboe Context Ennio Morricone’s work Gabriel’s Oboe is chiefly known for being the main theme of the 1986 film The Mission. The film is a period drama about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in South America. The film starred big names such as Robert De Niro, Read more…
Ronald Binge: The Watermill Context Composed in 1958 by British composer Ronald Binge, The Watermill is one of his most treasured pieces of light orchestral music. As well as in the concert hall, The Watermill was also used in the British comedy film Our Girl Friday. The piece was also Read more…
Jean Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela Context Jean Sibelius composed The Swan of Tuonela in 1895 as part of the Lemminkäinen Suite. The suite is based on the Finnish mythological epic, Kalevala. The Swan of Tuonela is the second in the quartet of tone poems, and is by far the Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 5 Ein Schnappschuss Der historische Kontext Die 5. Symphonie von Ludwig van Beethoven, die zwischen 1804 und 1808 komponiert wurde, ist nicht nur ein von seinen berühmtesten Musikwerken, sondern auch ein von den bekanntesten Musikwerken der westlichen klassischen Musik. Die 5. Symphonie wurde am 22. Read more…
Anatoly Liadov: The Enchanted Lake Context First performed in 1909 in St Petersburg, Anatoly Liadov’s serene orchestral work The Enchanted Lake is one of the composer’s most fondly-remembered works. Liadov himself really liked this work, commenting that: “How picturesque it is, how clear the multitude of stars hovering over Read more…