When Sir Edward Elgar died in 1934 it was generally believed that the symphony commissioned from him by the BBC died with him. It was known that he had written some sketches but that in total they amounted to little of substance. This was odd since a large proportion of these sketches were printed in facsimile in a book on Elgar, written by one of his friends shortly after his death. Some parts were already fully scored and many other parts were ... ...interest in the musical community at large, perhaps because Elgar had written nothing of major significance since the death of his wife in 1920 - so what would a handful of sketches contain? The few specialists who did show any inclination to do anything with the sketches were denied the opportunity since the Elgar family wanted to respect the composer's dying wish not to allow anyone to "tinker" with his symphony.
However, in 1995, realising that ...
The Four Seasons
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Performers: Nigel Kennedy
Members of the British Philharmonic Orchestra
Label: Emi Classics Released: October 27th 2003
Price: £13.99
Availability: Most good record shops
The Cover: Kennedy
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678, the son of a violinist. Vivaldi composed during the late Baroque period. He is an instrumentalist composer predominantly of Concertos writing a total of 500.The concerto ... ...against a larger group. More than half of Vivaldis concertos are for the solo violin.
1. Concerto For Two Violins, Strings & Continuo In A Minor, Op. 3 No.8
This Violin concerto was the eighth part of a set that Vivaldi published in 1712. He entitled the set L’Estro Armonico (Musical Fancy). The concertos were in written in the standard format of the time with three movements.
i Allegro
The solo violin for this movement suits Kennedy’s style ...
Advantages: Powerful, emotional music Disadvantages: Can be overpowering
Shostakovich was a clever and diplomatic composer. Although many will argue otherwise, it is generally accepted that he was, like most of his country, pretty unhappy with the whole Stalin era. But on seeing what happened to other composers and artists in his situation, he managed to write music with a kind of double meaning. His 5th symphony - probably the most famous, was subheaded "A musicians response to just criticism" after Stalin severely reprimanded ... ...The final movement of the 5th Symphony includes what is apparently a proud patriotic march - but on closer listening, some would say that it is exaggerated and sarcastic. There is also a movement which is mournful and is said to represent a lament for the suffering of his people. Somehow, he got away with it. There was a book of Shosty's memoirs published a couple of years after his death by a self acclaimed friend of his, named Simon Volkov. This ...
Advantages: Pleasant melodies, good structure Disadvantages: not terribly adventurous in harmony
Franz Joseph Haydn's music is interesting as it is pleasant to listen to. Although he is actually Austrian, most of Haydn's music was written in Hungary for Prince Esterhazy's twice weekly dinner parties. Which meant that many of Haydn's symphonies and string quartets were written in less than four days - quite an achievement, when you consider the length of time his contemporaries spent writing similar works. Haydn wrote and conducted high standard ... ...who were employed by the Prince. And it is in many of Haydn's pieces that we can begin to have an insight into the life of him and his musicians. For example, the "Surprise Symphony" was written with the party gusts in mind. It begins in a plodding, slow mesmerising rhythm, which the already bloated and drowsy guests would listen to once they had eaten their fill at the banquet. Just as it gets to the stage where the guests would be nodding their ...
Advantages: The rousing climax Disadvantages: It classical so is not appreciated by the masses
I remember the first time I heard Beethoven's 7th Symphony. It was awful. Didn't enjoy it all. Then through the perseverence of a friend, I was helped to appreciate the many aspects of this intricate piece of music. The different tunes all adding to the greater sum, the sense of something building up and how Beethoven has the incredible ability to go from the bottom of the scale to the very top in an instance. I have also found that is it imperative ...
Package, to drive, nippy, economical, relaible (*)
