Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 Context Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg on September 25th 1906, and by the age of nine he began to play the piano. By the age of thirteen, Shostakovich was admitted into the prestigious Petrograd Conservatory, where he learnt piano under Leonid Nikolayev. At Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No.3 Context Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 was composed in the summer of 1883 in Wiesbaden, which was about 6-7 years after he had completed his Symphony No. 2. It was premiered on December 2nd, 1883 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Hans Richter. At the time of the premiere, Read more…
Arthur Bliss: A Colour Symphony Context 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 Read more…
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 87 Context Haydn composed his set of six ‘Paris’ symphonies between 1785 and 1786. A product of a prestigious foreign commission from the Comte d’Ogny (a French Nobleman), this set of symphonies are influential due to their rich musical language and obvious shift in Haydn’s compositional style. Read more…
Alberto Nepomuceno: Symphony in G minor Context Although not particularly known outside of his native country of Brazil, the music of Alberto Nepomuceno has recently been recorded and shown to the world. The son of a violinist and music educator, Nepomuceno was born in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza in Read more…
John Adams: Harmonielehre Context John Adams’ epic symphonic work Harmonielehre was composed in 1985. The title derives from the German for ‘Study of Harmony’, which is also a reference to Arnold Schoenberg’s 1911 theory book of the same name. Adam has commented that Harmonielehre was inspired by a dream that Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.1 Context Ludwig van Beethoven grew up hearing and learning about the symphonies of his predecessors such as Mozart and Haydn. When he was a boy, Mozart was penning his famous Salzburg symphonies, and when he was a teenager, Mozart was writing his perennial late symphonies. Read more…
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.5 A Snapshot Context Composed between 1804-1808, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is not only one of his most famous works, but it’s also one of the most well-known works in the Western Classical Music canon. The Fifth Symphony premiered on 22nd December 1808 in an Read more…
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.4 Context Composed in 1935, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fourth Symphony is one of his most dissonant and dramatic. The work was dedicated to fellow composer, Arnold Bax. Many think of Vaughan Williams as a ‘pastoral’ composer, with his works oozing modality, melodic excitement and English folk Read more…
Paul Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber Context Born in November 1895 in Hanau, Paul Hindemith engaged with music at a young age. Starting with playing the violin, Hindemith later attended Frankfurt’s Hoch’sche Konservatorium, where he studied violin performance with Adolf Rebner. Further to this, Hindemith Read more…