Elgar wrote four Pomp and Circumstance marches between 1901 and 1907, and a fifth was published in 1930. Sketches were found for a sixth march. Edward Elgar declared, “I know there are a lot of people who like to celebrate events with music. To these people I have given tunes”. The title “Pomp and Circumstance” … Read more
In the late 1970s Steven Spielberg confessed to Roger Moore that he would like to direct a future James Bond movie, but due to a contractual clause that no director in the Bond franchise may receive a cut of the profits (which was a requirement for Spielberg) it’s a shame we’ll never have the chance … Read more
This is the quintessential telling of the legend that truly made us believe a man could fly. Richard Donner’s take is one of great affection and humour, and his casting of an unknown Christopher Reeve in the title role was truly inspired. Reeve brought great warmth and humility to both Clark Kent and Superman, a … Read more
Aida was composed in 1870 and premiered on December 24th 1871 in Cairo, Egypt. Verdi’s grandest opera and one of the most popular ever written, it was intended to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal and the Cairo Grand Opera House in 1869. However, the premiere was delayed for over a year as it … Read more
Eric Coates was born in Nottinghamshire in 1886. As an instrumentalist, he studied violin, then viola, holding the position of Principal Viola with the Henry Wood Queen`s Hall Orchestra in 1912. He went on to specialise in the field of light music, achieving much of his fame through the medium of radio. He has been … Read more
The five Pomp & Circumstance marches (a sixth was intended, but never completed) give the listener an accurate reflection of the contrasting sides of Edward Elgar’s character. By turns ebulliently outgoing and darkly introspective, a merry prankster when relaxing with friends, but always brittle and often unpleasant (especially to amateur orchestras!), Elgar remains a strange … Read more
Tchaikovsky completed his Slavonic March in the autumn of 1876, and it received its first performance in St.Petersburg on the 17th November of that year. The occasion was a concert in aid of Russian volunteers wounded in the Serbo/Turkish War, a war Russia was to join in the following year. There was an air of … Read more
