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…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons March: Song of the Lark Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Read more…
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata No.3 Context The last of the three piano sonatas that Frédéric Chopin composed has since been regarded as his most technically complex to perform. Composed in 1844 during his mature years, the sonata explores structures that were made popular by his German contemporaries. This weighty four-movement Read more…
Rebecca Clarke: Chinese Puzzle Context Composed in 1921 for solo violin and piano, Rebecca Clarke’s Chinese Puzzle is an intricate study for the violin. Using the pentatonic scale, Clarke bases this short study on typical Oriental themes and harmony. The Music Throughout the entirety of Chinese Puzzle, the violin Read more…
Alban Berg: Vier Stücke Context Vier Stücke was composed in 1913 and are perhaps Berg’s only true miniatures. His wife Helene writes that he composed them in June, which means it was in the same month as his fateful visit to his tutor, Schoenberg. It is recorded that this meeting Read more…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons February: Carnival Context Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his twelve character pieces for piano, The Seasons, at the same time that he was writing his popular ballet, Swan Lake. Each piece in The Seasons depicts a different month of the year in Russia. Although originally composed Read more…
Cécile Chaminade: Automne Context Cécile Chaminade was born in Paris, 1857. At a young age she started playing the piano, with her mother being her first teacher. She then learnt with Félix Le Couppey. As well as learning the piano, Chaminade also took an interest in learning the violin. She Read more…
Claude Debussy: Arabesque No.1 Context Composed between 1888-1891, Claude Debussy’s set of two arabesques were some of the composer’s earlier works. The first in particular has remained a popular piece amongst audiences and performers alike. Although composed when Debussy was in his mid-twenties, the arabesques are a mere hint of Read more…
Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No.3 Context Throughout his career, Edvard Grieg composed three violin sonatas. The first two he wrote relatively quickly, but the third took him much longer to piece together. Completed at the end of 1886, Grieg’s Violin Sonata No.3 has remained, by far, his most popular work Read more…
Amanda Maier: Violin Sonata in B Minor Context Born in the Swedish town of Landskrona in 1853, Amanda Maier began her musical studies from a young age. Her father was a violinist and pianist, and so Maier learned from him in the first instance. Maier went on to study at Read more…