Blogs
Dobrinka Tabakova ‘Whispered Lullaby’: A Hypnotic Daydream
Dobrinka Tabakova: Whispered Lullaby Context Dobrinka Tabakova was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to a music-loving family in 1980. At age 11, Tabakova moved to London Read more…
Blogs
Modest Mussorgsky ‘Dawn on the Moscow River’: A Warm Prelude
Modest Mussorgsky: Dawn on the Moscow River Context Intended to be the prelude for Mussorgsky’s last opera, Khovanschina, the work was to left unfinished after the composer’s death Read more…
Blogs
Philip Sparke ‘The Year of the Dragon’: A Tour-De-Force for Band
Philip Sparke: Year of the Dragon Context Born and raised in London, Philip Sparke studied composition, trumpet, and piano at the Royal College of Music. Known Read more…
Blogs
Léo Delibes ‘Flower Duet’: The Prettiest of Petals
Léo Delibes: Flower Duet Context Léo Delibes’ three act opera Lakmé is perhaps this French composer’s most well-known work. Composed between 1881-1882, Lakmé is based Read more…
Blogs
Manuel de Falla ‘Nights in the Gardens of Spain’: Hola España!
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens on Spain Context Manuel de Falla was born in 1876, in the southern Spanish city of Cádiz. He studied Read more…
Blogs
Paul Dukas ‘L’apprenti sorcier’: Mischievous Magic
Paul Dukas: L’apprenti sorcier Context Paul Dukas was born in Paris, 1865. In 1881, Dukas entered the Conservatoire de Paris, studying piano and composition. Whilst Read more…
Blogs
Ennio Morricone ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’: A Grave of Treasure!
Ennio Morricone: The Ecstasy of Gold Context Ennio Morricone composed his highly popular soundtrack for the 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Read more…
Blogs
Charles Ives ‘The Unanswered Question’: A Cosmic Soundscape
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question Conext Charles Ives was born in Connecticut, USA in 1874, and his father was a USA Army bandleader. Due to this Read more…
Blogs
Camille Saint-Saëns ‘Carnival of the Animals’: A Grand Zoological Fantasy
Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals Context Camille Saint-Saëns wrote Carnival of the Animals whilst in a small Austrian village, and he always referred to it as ‘mais Read more…
Blogs
Howard Hanson ‘Symphony No. 6’: A Turbulent Adventure
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 Read more…