performed by the Taneyev Quartet (cover image by Frederic Koberl) Vadim Nikolayevich Salmanov was born on November 4, 1912 in Saint Petersburg. His musical education began with piano lessons from his father, and was preparing to enter the Leningrad Conservatory … Continue reading Vadim Salmanov: String Quartet no. 1
performed by Dmitry Yablonsky and Hsin-Ni Liu (cover image by Toa Heftiba) We’re continuing our discussion of some of Weinberg’s earliest chamber works. If you haven’t yet read the articles on his string quartet or violin sonata, I suggest you … Continue reading Weinberg Sonata no. 1 for Cello and Piano in C, op. 21
performed by the Auryn Quartet, or below by the Badke Quartet, with Tamsin Waley-Cohen as first violin We’ve actually featured Britten before, but only once, and we didn’t give anything of a bio, so here’s something short. Benjamin Britten was … Continue reading Britten String Quartet no. 2 in C, Op. 36
performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox, or below by the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis Sir Michael Kemp Tippett was born on 2 January, 1905 in Eastcote, London. His father was a singer, or rather a … Continue reading Sir Michael Tippett: Symphony no. 1
performed by the WDR Sinfonie-Orchester under Rudolph Barshai There’s something epic and final and mysterious about ninth symphonies, isn’t there? Beethoven! Schubert (give or take)! Bruckner (roughly)! Dvorak! Mahler! They’ve come to mean something final in a composer’s output, his (give or … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 9 in E-flat major, op. 70
Variations and Fugue on a theme of Purcell performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky, or below by the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln under Jukka-Pekka Saraste This is fun. And of musical integrity. There are some pieces with either specific … Continue reading Benjamin Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Fugue for Thought 