Ursula Mamlok: Molto Vivo Context Born on February 1st, 1923, Ursula Mamlok was born in Berlin, Germany into a primarily Jewish family. Her biological father, Hans Meyer, died when she was a baby, but her mother remarried fairly soon after. Mamlok composed and performed as a child in Berlin, however, Read more…
Gabriel Fauré: Élégie Context Composed in 1880, Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie for solo cello was first performed in 1883. Originally composed for cello and piano, Fauré also orchestrated the work for cello and orchestra. At first, Fauré was looking into writing a cello sonata and it was in his method to Read more…
Ursula Mamlok: From My Garden Context Born on February 1st, 1923, Ursula Mamlok was born in Berlin, Germany into a primarily Jewish family. Her biological father, Hans Meyer, died when she was a baby, but her mother remarried fairly soon after. Mamlok composed and performed as a child in Berlin, Read more…
Percy Grainger: Willow Willow Context Willow Willow was Percy Grainger’s first setting of a traditional tune, which was written for voice and piano in 1898. In years to come, Grainger wrote an orchestral version which featured strings and guitar with voice for the song, both versions are performed today, but Read more…
Ian Clarke: The Great Train Race Context Ian Clarke is known as being a leading figure in the flute world. A composer and performer, Clarke has performed and has had his works performed across the world. His wide-range of published works have established themselves into the core repertoire of flute Read more…
Maurice Ravel: Jeux d’eau Context Composed in 1901 when Maurice Ravel was under the tutelage of Gabriel Fauré, Jeux d’eau (‘Fountains’ / ‘Water Games’) was dedicated to the composer’s tutor. The first premiere of the piece came at a private viewing for the Les Apaches. The public premiere came in Read more…
Josef Suk: 4 Pieces for Violin & Piano Context Composed in the spring of 1900, Josef Suk’s 4 Pieces for Violin and Piano (Op.17) was dedicated to fellow violinist Karel Hoffmann. This small suite of music shows the breadth of Suk’s penmanship and showcases his technical writing when it comes Read more…
Selim Palmgren: Snöflingor Context Selim Palmgren (1878-1951) was a Finnish composer and conductor. He studied at the Music Conservatory in Helsinki, where he then pursued piano performance under the tutelage of Busioni and Berger. He made a small career out of being a concert pianist, where he toured to the Read more…
Camille Saint-Saëns: Havanaise Context Composed in 1887, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Havanaise is a staple concertante work for solo violin and orchestra. Originally intended for Cuban violinist Rafael Díaz Albertini, the French premiere actually saw Martin Pierre Marsick take to the stage to perform this thrilling work. The Music Set in Read more…
Philip Glass: Etude No.1 Context Philip Glass’ first set of Etudes were composed in the mid 1990s. In a recent interview about this set of works he commented saying: “The point of the etudes, originally, was to strengthen my piano playing and that actually worked. I actually got to Read more…