César Franck: Violin Sonata in A Context César Franck’s Violin Sonata in A was composed in 1886, and was offered as a wedding present for the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. The sonata has become one of the most performed violin works in the repertoire,with it still receiving regular performances. After the Read more…
Paul Hindemith: Posaune Sonate Der historische Kontext Während seiner Karriere versuchte Hindemith wenigstens eine Sonate für jedes Instrument zu komponieren. Seine Posaune Sonate wurde 1941 komponiert und hat vier kleine Sätze. Es ist vorgeschlagen worden, dass Hindemith zuerst nur drei Sätze komponierte und dann der vierte Satz wurde später enthalten. Read more…
Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre Context Camille Saint-Saëns’ tone poem, Danse Macabre was composed in 1874. It started out as an art song for voice and piano, but was soon adapted as an orchestral work. The work is based on a poem by Henri Cazalis, which is based upon French superstition: 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…
Franz Liszt: Réminiscenes de Norma Context During the 1800s opera had a lot of appeal to audiences. From big dramatic story lines to emotional arias, opera was in its prime during this century. Although opera was perceived to have a glamorous aura, it was actually quite inaccessible for a large Read more…
Alexis Ffrench: Bluebird Context Contemporary pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench has been busy taking the world by storm in the last two years. His collection of solo piano works have been performed in a wealth of different venues. His music has made Ffrench a Spotify-era anomaly, with his music racking Read more…
Erik Satie: Je te veux Context Erik Satie’s instantly recognisable Je te veux was originally scored for voice and piano, however, over the years this well-loved melody has also been scored for chamber orchestra, and most famously – solo piano. Translated into English, the title simply means ‘I Want You’, and the original Read more…
Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin & Piano Context Clara Josephine Wieck was born on 13th September 1819 in Leipzig. Her mother was a famous singer in the city at the time. When Clara was five, her parents divorced and she stayed with her father. Friedrich Wieck saw the potential Read more…
Joan Trimble: The Green Bough Context Joan Trimble was born in 1915 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. She, from a young age, learnt to play the piano, read music and then compose her own music. She studied piano with Annie Lord at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin. She continued her Read more…
John Cage: In A Landscape Context Composed in 1948, John Cage’s minimalist solo piano work In A Landscape was composed with the idea that the purpose of the music was “to sober and quiet the mind, thus rendering it susceptible to divine influences.” The work was composed to accompany a Read more…