Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.14 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…
John Adams: The Chairman Dances Context The Chairman Dances by American composer John Adams is a mesmerising display of programmatic mastery in the post-minimalist movement. Written in 1985, the piece is essentially a by-product of his very famous opera Nixon in China which depicts American President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Read more…
Dorothy Ker: A Gentle Infinity Context Dorothy Ker was born in Caterton, New Zealand in 1965. She completed her BMus and MMus degrees at the University of Auckland, where she studied composition with the likes of John Rimmer and Douglas Mews. In terms of her performance, she is known as a Read more…
George Frideric Handel: For We Like Sheep 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 by Charles Jennens, with the source Read more…
John Harbison: Symphony No.4 Context American composer John Harbison composed his Fourth Symphony in 2003 after a commission from the Seattle Symphony came through. The work was premiered in Seattle in June 2004 by the Seattle Symphony, with Gerard Schwarz at the helm. Harbison was very detailed in his programme Read more…
Gilbert Vinter: Hunter’s Moon Context Gilbert Vinter (1909-1969) was most known for his work as a conductor and as a composer of brass band music. Vinter was a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral when he was a young boy. He later took up the bassoon. He conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra, Read more…
Romuald Twardowski: Serenade for Strings Context Romuald Twardowski (1931-) is a composer of Polish descent. He studied at the Conservatory of Vilinus and the prestigious Warsaw Academy of Music. Twardowski visited Paris and was tutored by Nadia Boulanger for some time between 1957-60. As well as being a full-time composer, Read more…
John Williams: The Imperial March Context John Williams was born in 1932 and his career has since spanned over six decades. He was raised in New York by musical parents, who were active jazz musicians. By 1948 the Williams family had moved to LA where Williams later attended the University of Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.8 Le Soir Context Often known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’, Joseph Hadyn’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 Read more…
Patrick Doyle: Hogwarts’ Hymn Context With the first three Harry Potter films accompanied by music from American composer John Williams, the fourth instalment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, saw music by Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle. Doyle only composed for this one film in the Harry Potter franchise, Read more…