John Williams: Summon the Heroes Context John Williams composed Summon the Heroes for the 1996 Summer Olympics. It premiered in the opening ceremony held in Atlanta, Georgia and the piece was dedicated to the trumpet soloist of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Tim Morrison. At the time it was the third Read more…
Helvi Leiviskä: Symphony No.3 Context Helvi Leiviskä studied at the Sibelius Academy during her younger years, and then continued her musical studies in Vienna, before returning back to her homeland. As well as being a composer, Leiviskä was also a librarian and music teacher – both at the Sibelius Academy. Read more…
Johann Strauss II: Pizzicato Polka Context Composed for his brother, Josef Strauss, in 1869, Johann Strauss II’s Pizzicato Polka was published in 1870. Originally intended for his brother to use in concerts throughout his tour of Imperial Russia, Pizzicato Polka became a crowd-pleaser for Strauss himself, with many of his Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.4 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…
George Frideric Handel: For Behold, Darkness Messiah Part I 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 being Read more…
Miles Goodman: Overture to The Muppet Christmas Carol Context The Muppet Christmas Carol is a popular musical version of the festive tale, produced by Jim Henson Productions and Disney. Premiered in 1992, the film has seen much success, and is still referred to as one of the greatest Christmas films Read more…
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve Introduction Context Composed between 1894-95, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve is an opera in four acts. Based on Nikolai Gogol’s short story with the same name, Rimsky-Korsakov wanted to add his traditional folk spin on this popular tale. The opera premiered in December 1895 at the Mariinsky Read more…
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No.1 Context Grieg was simultaneously nationalistic and cosmopolitan in his approach to composition and that was due to his extensive travelling around Europe throughout his lifetime (1843-1907). Grieg believed that his music represented the beauty and rural truths of the Norwegian landscape, but at the same time Read more…
Vincenzo Bellini: Sinfonia from Norma Context Vincenzo Bellini’s most popular opera, Norma was first premiered in December of 1831. With a libretto by Alexandre Soumet, Norma became a leading example of the bel canto genre. Many of Bellini’s other works have been disregarded, yet Norma remains a true staple in Read more…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo for Piano and Orchestra Context Supposedly composed in 1782, around the same time as some of his popular late concertos, Rondo for Piano and Orchestra is a lively work that showcases the composer’s flair for melodic writing. There is still much speculation as to why this Read more…