Blogs
Gerald Finzi ‘Five Bagatelles’: A Clarinet Character Study
Gerald Finzi: Five Bagatelles Context Just before he was drafted into the war in 1941, Gerald Finzi completed three short pieces for clarinet. He used Read more…
Blogs
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ‘Sérénade mélancolique’: Mournful Violin
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sérénade mélancolique Context Sérénade mélancolique was composed in early 1875 by Tchaikovsky at the request of violinist Leopold Auer. Scored for solo Read more…
Blogs
Henry Hadley ‘The Ocean’: Flowing on Through Eternity
Henry Hadley: The Ocean Context Henry Kimball Hadley (1871-1937) was an American romantic composer. He was an important figure in the development of American symphonic Read more…
Blogs
Gustav Holst ‘A Somerset Rhapsody’: A Trio of Tunes
Gustav Holst: A Somerset Rhapsody Context Composed in 1906, Gustav Holst’s A Somerset Rhapsody is inspired by a collection of key English folk tunes. Dedicated Read more…
Blogs
Antonín Dvořák ‘The Golden Spinning Wheel’: A Twisted Tale
Antonín Dvořák: The Golden Spinning Wheel Context Antonín Dvořák composed five symphonic poems in his career, all of which were composed in a two-year spell Read more…
Blogs
David Diamond ‘Rounds for String Orchestra’: Circle of Themes
David Diamond: Rounds for String Orchestra Context David Diamond (1915-2005) was an American composer who studied in New York and Paris. He wrote a range Read more…
Blogs
David Arnold ‘The Stepford Wives Main Title’: Reading Between the Lines
David Arnold: The Stepford Wives Main Title Context The Stepford Wives is a 2004 science fiction-black comedy film directed by Frank Oz. The film stars Read more…
Blogs
Frédéric Chopin ‘Etude Op.25, No.12 ‘Ocean’: Rolling Waves
Frédéric Chopin: Etude Op.25, No.12 ‘Ocean’ Context Etude No.12 from his Op.25 collection was the last of his formal studies for the piano. The set Read more…
Blogs
John Adams ‘Saxophone Concerto’: A Jazz Exploration
John Adams: Saxophone Concerto Context Jointly commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Read more…
Blogs
Bedřich Smetana ‘The Bartered Bride Overture’: A Joyous Start
Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered Bride Overture Context The Bartered Bride is a comic opera that was composed between 1863-1866. The music was composed by Bedřich Read more…