20st Century Classical

Page 4

ORCHESTRA

Peter Grimes outdoor premiere at Benjamin Britten's home beach

Despite reports that Benjamin Britten paced nervously at the back of the Sadler’s Wells Theatre when Peter Grimes first...
ORCHESTRA

Famous Sibelius piece was commissioned for a plywood mill anniversary

Jean Sibelius originally wrote Andante Festivo for a string quartet which was later made all the more luscious when he...
Classical Guitar

Swiss-made prelude gifted to Segovia was never played by him

Andrés Segovia had one of the longest and most distinguished careers in the history of Western music. In his lifetime,...
ORCHESTRA

Bernini's famous fountains are filled with Respighi's music

Fontane di Roma is a symphonic poem written by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi in 1916. It depicts Rome’s...
SPORT

Piazzolla's bandoneón played vital part in the worldwide tango music revival

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), Argentinian composer known for his brilliant tangos, naturally played bandoneón, the most...
ORCHESTRA

Gustav Holst's famous folk suite was dedicated to his students

Gustavus Theodore von Holst, a highly original and inventive composer, was born in England in 1874. Holst was appointed...
Classical Guitar

The scent of magnolia permeating Joaquin Rodrigo's concerto

It may come as a revelation that Joaquin Rodrigo wasn’t a guitarist, despite his contributions to the guitar repertoire...
Collaboration

Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass find a colorful meeting point for European and Indian classics

Almost three decades have passed since Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar collaborated and released the work Passages - a...
ORCHESTRA

Defining Gershwin rhapsody was conceived on a train trip

Rhapsody in Blue is one of the most performed of all American concert pieces, and its opening clarinet glissando is the...
ORCHESTRA

The Third Norfolk Rhapsody, lost a hundred years ago, was reconstructed recently

Vaughan Williams composed three Norfolk Rhapsodies in 1905 and 1906, shaping them on folk melodies he had gathered...
FILM

Paul Reade: the man behind the fresh sound of Jane Eyre

Paul Reade was an English composer of last century. He worked on the BBC TV in the '60s, becoming the pianist and...
ORCHESTRA

Reverie: cello reimagining of Claude Debussy by Julian Lloyd Webber

Reverie is one of the first works written by Debussy for piano. Even at this early stage of his career, with the style...
ORCHESTRA

Albinoni's famous Adagio is unusually solemn and offbeat because it wasn't, in fact, written by Tomaso Albinoni

Adagio in G Minor, attributed to 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni, is widely familiar through its often use...
ORCHESTRA

Peaceful sound for troubling times in The Lark Ascending

Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending is a contemplative and tender tone poem composed as a reaction to George...
Classical Guitar

Farewell to Stromness: the protest tune that fell into national consciousness

One of the most respected composers of his generation, Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016) bridged medieval and...
Classical Guitar

Cuban guitar tradition of Leo Brouwer

Leo Brouwer has earned his legendary status as a contemporary composer for his extensive work in guitar music. He has...
Violin

Wild harmony of the northern fjords by Nils Økland and Hardanger fiddle

Nils Økland is an innovative violinist and composer from Norway, instantly recognizable for his extensive use of the...
Violin

Anne Dudley's BAFTA winning work is a marriage of pop and the classical

Composer, arranger, producer and performer, Anne Dudley is a multi-talented musician whose work encompasses pop and...
FOOTBALL

UEFA Champions League theme is an adaption of George Händel's royal coronation anthem

One of George Händel's best-known pieces, Zadok the Priest, has been traditionally performed during the anointing of the...
Contemporary Composer

Glassworks by Philip Glass is flavored with Bach and Bowie

Philip Glass is an American composer, widely considered to be one of the most influential musicians of the late 20th...

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