Ruth Schönthal: String Quartet No.3 ‘In Memorium Holocaust’ Context Composed in 1997, Ruth Schönthal’s String Quartet No.3 is subtitled ‘In Memroiam Holocaust’. For many years Schönthal had avoided this topic in her music as she didn’t want to trivialise the Holocaust. In a 1999 interview she claimed that other composers Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: Sonata, quasi un’improvvisazione Der historische Kontext Sonata, quasi un’improvvisazione wurde 1964 von Ruth Schönthal komponiert. Schönthal komponierte zwei weiteren einsätzigen Sonaten, die Sonate Breve (1972) und Sonatensatz (1973) heißen. Die Erstaufführung fand bei dem 26. jährlichen “Delta Omicron WNYC” Festspiel der amerikanischen Musik in der New York Stadtbücherei Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: Sonata Concertante Context Originally written to be played on either a cello, viola or clarinet, Ruth Schönthal’s Sonata Concertante was composed in 1973. Now fondly remembered as a work for clarinet and piano, that is the version this blog will discuss. There aren’t many records regarding this work, Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: Sonata, quasi un’improvvisazione Context Composed in 1964, Ruth Schönthal’s Sonata, quasi un’improvvisazione is one of three one-movement sonatas that she composed. The other two are Sonata Breve (1972) and Sonatensatz (1973). The premiere of this sonata happened at the Delta Omicron 26th Annual WNYC Festival of American Music Read more…
Ruth Schönthal: Self-Portrait of the Artist as an Older Woman Context Ruth Schönthal was a Jewish-American pianist and composer who was of German birth. Schönthal was a remarkable pianist, dedicated pedagogue and keen composer throughout her lifetime, with her taking a professorship at several universities in New York. Schönthal’s compositional Read more…
Jennifer Higdon: All Things Majestic Context Composed in 2011 from a commission by the Grand Teton Music Festival, Jennifer Higdon’s orchestral suite All Things Majestic is a provocative four movement work. All Things Majestic was premiered at Walk Festival Hall on August 19th, 2011. The music tells of some of Read more…
Libby Larsen: A Lover’s Journey Context Commissioned by The King’s Singers, Libby Larsen’s six-part male vocal suite A Lover’s Journey tells the story of love. A Lover’s Journey is set into four separate songs, with Larsen using text from William Shakespeare and James Joyce. The work was premiered on Valentine’s Read more…
Hildegard von Bingen: O eterne Deus Context Translated into ‘O eternal God’, this short antiphon by Hildegard von Bingen talks about central themes of love and the dawning of humankind. She uses lots of imagery of light and divinity, making this a hopeful antiphon. The Text Latin and English translations Read more…
Hildegard von Bingen: Cum erubuerint Context Hildegard von Bingen’s haunting choral work Cum erubuerint is a companion piece to her other antiphon Cum processit factura. Between these two works the story of Adam and Eve’s naive fall into deception and how the Virgin Mary and her Son graced the world Read more…
Hildegard von Bingen: O virga ac diadema The Text 1 – O virga ac diadema purpure regis / O branch and diadem in royal purple clad, que es in clausura tua sicut lorica: / who like a shield stand in your cloister strong. 2 – Tu frondens flouristi in alia Read more…