This meditative piece was written in 1914. With the onset of the Great War, Vaughan Williams was soon to enlist as an orderly in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and composition and premières were on hold for the duration. The piece takes its name from the title of a poem by George Meredith (1828-1909) and … Read more
Bedrich Smetana was born in 1824 in Bohemia, which was then a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His family was reasonably prosperous, and he was one of numerous siblings. His father, who was a gifted amateur musician, managed the brewery on the estate of Count Waldstein (to whom Beethoven dedicated his 21st Piano Sonata). From … Read more
Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977) was born in St. Marylebone, London, of Polish/Irish parentage. He received his musical education at the Royal College of Music and Oxford University. His first professional appointment was as organist at St. James’ Piccadilly, then St. Bartholomew’s, New York. Following a brief return to London he returned to the U.S.A. with his … Read more
Many of Delius’s orchestral works are scored for very large ensembles and this made performances difficult to organise. Friends managed to persuade him to write for small orchestral groups, thus making his work more accessible to both performers and concert promoters. The Two Pieces for Small Orchestra, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring and Summer Night … Read more
