Iannis Xenakis: Jonchaies Context Jonchaies was composed in 1977, alongside another one of Xenakis’ compositions, La Légende D’eer. The latter is a composition which is comprised of 7 tracks of electroacoustic tapes, and Jonchaies is scored for a large orchestra (specifically 109 musicians). The work is loosely based around a Read more…
Dmitri Kabalevsky: The Comedians Context Born in 1904 in Saint Petersburg, Kabalevsky was encouraged at a young age to focus on “important” subjects, such as maths and science (i.e not the arts). However, against his family’s wishes, Kabalevsky accepted an offer to study at Moscow Conservatory, where he studied composition. Read more…
Alan Silvestri: Back to the Future Main Titles Context Alan Silvestri composed the soundtrack for the 1985 sci-fi movie, Back to the Future, with the direction that the music had to be big and heroic. Silvestri had worked with Director Robert Zemeckis before, and so their good working relationship helped Read more…
Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite Context Ferdinand Grofé was born in New York City in 1892, and was born into a musical family. His father was a classical baritone singer, his mother a professional cellist. As well as this, his mother Elsa also taught him the piano and violin, as Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.13 Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Haydn’s legacy as a symphonist stays strong today. Haydn composed 104 symphonies over the course of his long and fruitful life, and we at Classicalexburns want to help you discover the stories and music behind all 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 Read more…
Grażyna Bacewicz: Overture for Symphonic Orchestra Context She is perhaps still one of the most successful female composers that Poland has ever produced, Grażyna Bacewicz’s legacy lives on strong today. Remembered for her progressive compositonal style, her work is often recorded and performed in modern concert halls. Her 1943 orchestral work Overture Read more…
Ramin Djawadi: Game of Thrones Main Title Context Iranian-German film composer Ramin Djawadi (1974-) is currently best-known for his music for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the 2008 Marvel film Iron Man and television series Prison Break. He has been nominated for numerous awards including a Grammy for Game Read more…
Wojciech Kilar: Dracula – The Beginning Context Polish composer Wojciech Kilar composed the music for the 1992 Gothic horror film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which starred the likes of Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. Apart from the closing song, which was written and performed by Annie Lennox, Kilar’s soundtrack Read more…
Carl Ruggles: Men and Mountains Context American composer Carl Ruggles only composed a small selection of works in his lifetime. However, he was one to constantly revise his works, so many of his compositions have various changes as time went on. His orchestral work Men and Mountains was composed in Read more…