Julius Fučík: Entrance of the Gladiators Context Julius Fučík was born in Prague in 1872, and this was a time where Prague was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Differently to many other composers of the time, Fučík began Read more…
Julia Gomelskaya: Memento Vitae Context Julia Gomelskaya was born on March 11, 1964 in Ukraine. At a young age she began engaging in music and this carried through to her later years where she began studying composition Read more…
Aaron Copland: Letter from Home Context Aaron Copland (1900-1990), was born in Brooklyn, New York City into a Conservative Jewish family. Whilst growing up he, along with his other siblings, was offered music lessons. Copland became Read more…
Toru Takemitsu: Requiem for String Orchestra Biography Toru Takemitsu was born in 1930 in Tokyo. At a very young age, Takemitsu was called into military service. However, during his time in the military, Takemitsu became aware of Western classical Read more…
Tania León: Batá Biography Born in Havana, Cuba in 1943, Tania León began learning the piano at the young age of four years old. Twenty years on, she had earned her bachelors and master degrees in Read more…
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Biography Hector Berlioz was born near the French town of Grenoble on December 11, 1803. Unlike a lot of composers who were born around this time, Berlioz started music at the much Read more…
Karl Jenkins: Palladio Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (CBE), was born on 17th February, 1944, in Penclawdd, Wales. He first received music training from his father, who was a choirmaster and chapel organist. Jenkins began to Read more…
George Frideric Handel: Ombra mai fù Commonly known as Handel’s ‘Largo of Love’, Ombra mai fù is the opening aria in the 1738 opera Serse. Sung by the character Xerxes I of Persia, the vocal part is composed for a countertenor. Perhaps Read more…
Aram Khachaturian: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia Born in Tblisi, Georgia in 1903, Aram Khachaturian’s music is still performed regularly in concert halls today. Perhaps one of his most famous works is the Adagio of Spartacus and Read more…
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings Adagio for Strings (1936), was originally the second movement of Samuel Barber’s String Quartet in B minor (Op.11). However, at the end of the year Barber had rearranged the movement for a full string Read more…