Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Context With its full title reading Symphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d’un artiste en cinq parties (Fantastical Symphony: An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts), the work lends itself to being autobiographical. The first performance was at the Paris Conservatoire in Read more…
Howard Hanson: Symphony No. 6 Context Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was a popular American composer and conductor. Over his long career he won numerous prizes including a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his Fourth Symphony and the George Foster Peabody Award for ‘Outstanding Entertainment in Music in 1946. Hanson’s music is Read more…
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No.9 (From the New World) Context Dvořák composed his last, and indeed most internationally popular, symphony in his first year of living in the United States of America. Dvořák’s career, financial situation and international recognition had all ideally lined up when he was commissioned to compose the Read more…
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 Context Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) composed his ever-popular Seventh Symphony between the years 1881-1883. It was then subject to further revisions in 1885. The premiere was given by the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the baton of Arthur Nikisch in Lepizig in December 1884. The symphony bought the Read more…
Vincent D’Indy: Symphonie Cévenole Context The French composer and pedagogue Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931) composed and published many works over his lifetime, although sadly now many of his works are seldom heard in concerts. One of the only works that does receive performances is Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (‘Symphony Read more…
Alexander von Zemlinsky: Symphony No. 1 in D minor Born in Vienna in 1871, Alexander von Zemlinsky was tutored by some of the ‘great’ composers of the Romantic period – Gustav Mahler and Johannes Brahms. After the premiere of Zemlinsky’s First Symphony, Brahms supported the young composer until his own death Read more…
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony is a regular work that is performed in modern-day concert halls. A colourful display of symphonic mastery, this symphony goes into incredible depths to showcase the skill and the array of different instruments within a romantic orchestra. Composed Read more…
Arthur Bliss: A Colour Symphony Although thoroughly represented on records from the 20th Century, Arthur Bliss’ works are seldom performed outside of the United Kingdom in the 21st Century. As a composer who took influence from composers such as Elgar, Stravinksy, Ravel, and Vaughan Williams, Bliss’ compositional style is quintessentially British, Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 87 Known as the ‘father of the symphony’, Haydn composed a staggering amount of symphonies in his lifetime. From working for royalty, to becoming a favoured public symphonist, Haydn’s output is influential to this very day. This particular blog will look into his 87th symphony, which was Read more…
Dearest readers, it has been far too long since the last blog in this Mahler set, but I was finishing off a large part of my Masters degree, so sadly this had to take a backseat. With only my dissertation left to go, I am happy to say I am Read more…