John Barry: Somewhere in Time Context John Barry’s score for the 1980 film Somewhere in Time remains one of his most popular scores for film. Evoking emotion for many listeners, the main titles for Somewhere in Time feature pianist Roger Williams. Although not a big box office hit, it was Read more…
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Trombone Concerto Context Composed for Solo Trombone and Military Band, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s work was composed in 1877 for fellow marine officer Leonov. The concerto was premiered in March 1878 at Kronstadt, with the international premiere not taking place until the summer of 1952 in New York City. There Read more…
Giuseppe Verdi: The Force of Destiny Overture Context Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino (‘The Force of Destiny’) was first performed at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in Saint Petersburg in 1862. It remains one of Verdi’s most popular productions to date, with there being a number of recordings and performances Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Four Scottish Dances Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practising intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Read more…
Dmitri Kabalevsky: Symphony No.2 Conext Premiered on Christmas Day in 1934, Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Second Symphony is by far the most popular of the four he composed during his lifetime. Although first performed by the Moscow Philharmonic in 1934, the Second Symphony did not receive its international premiere until 1942, with Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.15 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…
Lars-Erik Larsson: Adagio Context Composed in 1960, Lars-Erik Larsson’s Adagio (Op.48) is a work for string orchestra. At this point in Larsson’s career, he was exploring the twelve-tone system, dissonance and unique voice leading. All of these things can be heard in the slow and mysterious Adagio. The Music Read more…
Malcolm Arnold: Peterloo Overture Context Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England in October 1921. He took up playing the trumpet at age 12, and after studying and practising intensely for five years, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. Whilst at RCM, Arnold Read more…
Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte Context Originally written for solo piano, Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte was orchestrated by the composer in 1910, eleven years after the original version was published. Ravel described this piece as “an evocation of a pavane that a little princess might, in Read more…
Carl Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto Context Composed in 1928 for Danish clarinettist, Aage Oxenvad, Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto is a smorgasbord of different moods. Written at a difficult point in Nielsen’s life, because of his career and his health, the Clarinet Concerto features some darker undertones. Critics and musicologists alike have tried Read more…