Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) wrote 4 Overtures (as he called them), known as his four Orchestra Suites between 1724 and 1731. Each of these suites consists of several movements that are dance-pieces. The form was extremely popular in Bach’s time,
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Making the River Accessible
The Blue Danube for Other Voices September 24th, 2024If you love The Blue Danube, but didn’t happen to have an orchestra hanging about, there were many options for being able to play the piece at home, either by yourself or with friends. For solo piano, the work is -
A War Cemetery in Sound
Johanna Doderer’s Second Symphony “Bohinj” September 19th, 2024Austrian composer Johanna Doderer (b. 1969) looked at the Slovenian Lake Bohinj for her second symphony, Bohinj (2015). Lake Bohinj in Slovenia is a remote lake on the edge of Triglav National Park. Ms. Doderer first focused on the magnificent -
Eduard Tubin: Kratt
The Goblin from Estonian folklore July 24th, 2024When I was writing my blog on the Estonian composer Eduard Tubin, I came across a quote that reads, “Eduard Tubin is to Estonia what Jean Sibelius is to Finland.” This struck me as a very insightful statement. Both composers -
Films Adapted from Dostoevsky Novels
“Crime and Punishment” June 27th, 2024Considered “one of the finest studies of the psychopathology of guilt written in any language, Fydor Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment was first published in twelve monthly installments in 1866. The author had just returned from a 10-year exile in -
Mozart and Death and Klezmer and Healing June 16th, 2024 Filip Runesson’s Hur länge ska hon vara död? (after W.A. Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, K. 626) Mozart and Death, but not the way you think about it. Swedish musician Filip Runesson took Mozart’s Requiem and rearranged it in klezmer -
A Whale Strangled by a Giant Squid
Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto June 13th, 2024To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the London Symphony Orchestra, a very special premiere took place on 13 June 1954. Philip Catelinet, the orchestra’s principal tuba player, featured as the soloist in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto, -
Ghosting in Rag Time
William Bolcom’s 3 Ghost Rags June 9th, 2024American composer William Bolcom (b. 1938) brought popular music of the 19th century back into the spotlight, first with his many recordings with Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano, of music from the Golden Era at the turn of the 20th century. Show -
Aleksey Semenenko June 1st, 2024 ‘You have to experiment, like with cooking’ A musician of fearless technical virtuosity and passionate lyricism, Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko is sought out internationally as a soloist and collaborator known for his thoughtful yet thrilling performances. Aleksey won places on