Howard Shore: Concerning Hobbits Context Concerning Hobbits is a short concert suite of music taken from The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. Shore uses a range of leitmotifs and themes heard in earlier scenes to put together this light and peaceful suite. This piece has become at one with the Read more…
John Williams: Somewhere in My Memory Context John Williams wrote the score for the 1990 film Home Alone, which came after a number of successful film soundtracks from the previous decade. The score was nominated for the Academy Award for the Best Original Score, with the theme song, Somewhere in Read more…
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: Epiphany Context Featured in the 2020 Disney Pixar film, Soul, Reznor and Ross’ Epiphany plays at a pivotal point within the film. As the lead character reminisces at all the things he may have taken for granted, he soon realises that you can follow your Read more…
George Frideric Handel: Unto which of the angels said he at any time Messiah Part II Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled Read more…
Kaija Saariaho: Laterna Magica Context Kaija Saariaho was born on October 14th, 1952 in Helsinki. Her serious studies within music began with her enrolling into the Sibelius Academy. Her contemporaries include the likes of Paavo Heininen and Magnus Lindberg. She continued studying under Ferneyhough and Huber, whilst also attending summer Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: March of the Toy Soldiers Context Tchaikovsky’s iconic March of the Toy Soldiers is a piece of orchestral music that features in the first act of his ever-loved festive ballet The Nutcracker. The ballet premiered at Christmastime in 1892, and has since been one of the most Read more…
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No.9 (‘From the New World’) Context Dvořák composed his last, and indeed most internationally popular, symphony in his first year of living in the United States of America. Dvořák’s career, financial situation and international recognition had all ideally lined up when he was commissioned to compose the Read more…
Howard Shore: Mythic Gardens Context Commissioned by the American Symphony Orchestra for cellist Sophie Shao, Howard Shore’s Mythic Gardens is a highly expressive work for cello and orchestra. The work was completed in 2012 and was given its premiere by Sophie Shao and the ASO under Leon Botstein in the Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.19 Context Johannes Brahms completed his 21 Hungarian Dances by 1879, and they still remain one his most popular collections of music. All of the dances are based on traditional Hungarian folk tunes and range from c.1 minute to 6 minutes in duration. Some of the Read more…
Howard Shore: The Thief Context Nominated for an Oscar Award in 2011, Howard Shore’s score for the 2011 3D animated film, Hugo, is full of musical delights. The film is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabaret, and is based in Paris, France. The Music Read more…