Judith Weir: Piano Concerto Context Judith Weir was born in 1954 in Cambridge, and at a young age she began learning the oboe. Weir in her youth performed regularly with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She studied composition whilst at school with none other than John Tavener. From Read more…
Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor Context Over the course of his lifetime Robert Schumann only composed one piano concerto. It was completed in 1845 and premiered in Dresden in December of the same year. Schumann’s wife, Clara Schumann, premiered the concerto. The work is dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller, Read more…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 Context Composed in Vienna in December 1785, Mozart’s 22nd piano concerto is part of his more sophisticated collection of works. Mozart had received great success from a series of piano concertos in Vienna since his arrival there in 1781. In early 1785, Mozart’s Read more…
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.1 Context Composed initially in 1891 when he was just 18 years old, Sergei Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto was heavily revised in 1917. After abandoning sketches of a concerto in C minor, Rachmaninov pursued the sketches of what we know to be the First Piano Concerto. Read more…
Richard Addinsell: Warsaw Concerto Context Richard Addinsell is now most remembered for his work on film music. He wrote music for films such as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Scrooge (1940) and Dangerous Moonlight (1941). He led the way in the popularity of ‘tabloid concertos’ – classical compositions for solo instruments Read more…
Gerald Finzi: Eclogue Context Although largely remembered now as a choral composer, Gerald Finzi also wrote some breathtaking orchestral music. Eclogue is composed for a solo piano and string orchestra and was originally intended to be part of a grand piano concerto that Finzi wanted to write in the late Read more…
Dana Suesse: Concerto in 3 Rhythms Context Dana Suesse was born in 1909 in Kansas City. There is not much information on Suesse’s earlier life, but we know that whilst she was still young she travelled around the Midwest Vaudeville circuit, performing both on the piano and as a dancer. Read more…
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens on Spain Context Manuel de Falla was born in 1876, in the southern Spanish city of Cádiz. He studied harmony and counterpoint from a young age, as well as learning the piano. By 1900, he and his family had moved to Madrid, where Falla Read more…
Dora Bright: Piano Concerto No.1 Context Sheffield-born composer, Dora Bright (1862-1951) wrote a number of large scale works, though not many have survived since her death. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music between 1881-89 under the tutelage of Walter Macfarren and Ebenezer Prout. Bright conducted big German tours Read more…
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 Context Composed in 1830 when Frédéric Chopin was just twenty years old, his First Piano Concerto has remained a popular staple in concerto repertoire. At its world premiere, Chopin himself played the soloist’s part as part of his ‘farewell’ concert before he left Poland. The Read more…