Claude Debussy's 'Rhapsodie for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra' was commissioned in 1903 by Elisa Hall, President of the Boston Orchestral Club. Debussy, who cared little for the instrument and knew alm...
Riding on this success of 'España', Chabrier composed the 'Habanera' in 1885 which was met with equal enthusiasm. It's a beautiful example of the Spanish genre that was so popular with French composer...
Edward German (1862 - 1936) was an English musician and composer best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music including 'Richard III', 'Henry VIII', 'Nell Gwynn' and 'Romeo and Juliet'...
Franz Lehár's Operetta 'Das Land des Lächelns' was composed in 1929 for the famous tenor Richard Tauber. The plot deals with the love between the Chinese Prince Sou-chong and Lisa, daughter of Count L...
'Danse de L'Amazone' des russischen Komponisten Anatol Liadov (1855-1914) ist von bizarrem Humor, Originalität, Präzision und Bildhaftigkeit geprägt. Als eines seiner letzten Werke schrieb er es im Au...
Das Balett 'Nuits d'Egypte' des russischen Komponisten Anton Arensky (1861-1906) basiert auf der Novelle 'Une nuit de Cléopatre' von Théophile Gautier. Berühmt wurde es unter anderem durch die Suite,...
Grigory Lyubomirski (1865-1937) was Russian composer and musicologist. He graduated at the Moscow Conservatorium where he studied with Kashkina, Hubert, Taneyev and Arensky. In the 1890s he became a t...
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as 'The Five'. He was a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions - 'Capr...
In 1909, Gabriel Fauré, Director of the Paris Conservatoire, named Claude Debussy to its Board of Directors. In July, Debussy sat on the jury for the conservatory's annual woodwind 'concours' (exit ex...
In 1890 Rimsky-Korsakov finished his opera-ballet 'Mlada'. Later he derived a suite from this opera. The 'Cortège' is the last movement of this suite. This 'Cortège' is also known as 'Procession of th...
In 1891, Claude Debussy, accepted an odd commission of a Scottish general named Meredith Reid, a descendant of the 'Lords of Ross'. He asked him to write a march using a traditional melody associated...
Edvard Armas Järnefelt (1869 -1958), was a Finnish conductor and composer. As a composer he only achieved some minor success with his orchestral works 'Berceuse' and 'Praeludium'. The 'Praeludium' was...
In 1876 Tschaikowsky composed his ballet 'Swan Lake' Op. 20. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular of all ballets. 'Swan Lake' was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1...
As many French composers in those days, Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931) had a passion for ancestral lands and many of his compositions reflect this rural heritage. One of these is the 'Fantaisie sur des th...
In 1880, while on a convalescent holiday at the coastal resort of Saint-Pair, Emmanuel Chabrier composed what were to be called 'Pièces pittoresques'. Both Alfred Cortot and Francis Poulenc discuss th...
Das Balett 'Nuits d'Egypte' des russischen Komponisten Anton Arensky (1861-1906) basiert auf der Novelle 'Une nuit de Cléopatre' von Théophile Gautier. Kein geringerer als Serge Diaghilev führte es wä...
In 1880, while on a convalescent holiday at the coastal resort of Saint-Pair, Emmanuel Chabrier composed what were to be called 'Pièces pittoresques'. He used 4 of these 10 pieces for piano to orchest...
The work of the Russian composer Anatol Liadov (1855-1914) is characterized by bizarre humour, originality, precision and imagination. "Danse de l"Amazone" is one of his last compositions. It was writ...
Russian composer Anton Arensky (1861-1906) composed his ballet Nuits d'Egypte, based on Théophile Gautier's novella Une nuit de Cléopatre, in 1900. The ballet was programmed by Serge Diaghilev at his...
In 1876 Tschaikowsky composed his ballet "Swan Lake" Op. 20. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular of all ballets. "Swan Lake" was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1...
