Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Context Completed in 1812 and premiered in December 1813, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony has certainly remained one of his most popular works. The symphony is dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries – a nobleman and patron of the arts. The premiere of the symphony was at Read more…
Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome Context Ottorino Respighi was born on July 9th, 1879 in Bologna, Italy. From a young age he was taught piano by his father, as he was working as a local music teacher in the area. Respighi later enrolled at the Liceo, where he studied violin, viola and composition Read more…
Roger Quilter: A Children’s Overture Context Roger Quilter was born in Hove, Sussex in 1877. In contrast to his older brothers, Roger was the quiet, shy sibling of the group. In the mid-1880s Quilter was sent to a new prep school in Farnborough, where he was able to nurture his love Read more…
Julia Gomelskaya: Memento Vitae Context Julia Gomelskaya was born on March 11, 1964 in Ukraine. She studied composition at the Simpheropol Tchaikovsky Musical College in 1983. Also a talented pianist, Gomelskaya studied under Oleksandr Krasotov. After graduating from the college, Gomelskaya went on to study composition at the Ukraine Odessa National A.V. Nezhdanova Music Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture Context The Egmont Overture is the opening of a set of incidental music that Beethoven was commissioned to write for a 1787 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe. The music was composed between 1809-1810. The story centers around Dutch nobleman, Count Egmont – whose Read more…
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings Context Francis Poulenc was born in Paris in 1899 into a wealthy, musical family. His father owned a pharmaceuticals business, and he had very close ties with Roman Catholicism. His mother came from a very artistic family. As his mother was musical, Poulenc Read more…
Lera Auerbach: Icarus Context Lera Auerbach was born in 1973 in Chelyabinsk – a city that borders Siberia. Her mother was a piano teacher, so she received lessons from her at a young age. The Auerbach family have a history of being musical, so Lera was naturally a fast learner. She Read more…
Danny Elfman: Grand Finale (from Edward Scissorhands) Context Danny Elfman was born in LA in 1953, and has had an incredibly successful career in the music industry. Elfman is best-known for his collaboratory work with director, Tim Burton. He has produced film scores with Burton for films such as: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Read more…
Edward Elgar: Romance for Bassoon Genesis of Romance for Bassoon Composed in 1910 for the principal bassoonist of the London Symphony Orchestra – Edwin F James – this work is from the Edward Elgar’s most creative periods. Romance for Bassoon was composed between two of Elgar’s largest works, the Violin Concerto (1910) and the Second Symphony (1911). Read more…
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question Conext Charles Ives was born in Connecticut, USA in 1874, and his father was a USA Army bandleader. Due to this day-to-day influence of music, Ives grew up surrounded by music. Ives undertook music lessons from a young age, and his tutors were encouraging for Ives Read more…