Jul 03 Blog arnold bax Composer Arnold Bax wrote his Violin Concerto in 1937-38 for Jascha Heifetz. Heifetz, reportedly, was disappointed in the work. Bax himself didn’t acknowledge the opus until he was asked to provide a new work in 1943 for violinist Eda Kersey. The work was reintroduced by the soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir […] By Alan Brandt Jul 03 Blog arnold bax By Alan Brandt
Jun 27 Blog Delius’ America Two major European composers became smitten with American “Negro folk” melodies. Both spent time in America and both absorbed these folk tunes into their own compositions. One was Antonin Dvorak and the other was Englishman Frederick Delius. Delius’ father was a hard-working German immigrant in Yorkshire, England. He expected his sons to follow in his […] By Alan Brandt Jun 27 Blog Delius’ America By Alan Brandt
Apr 09 Blog Stanford’s pupils Charles Villiers Stanford is an important figure in music history. So much so, that the fifth edition of Grove’s Dictionary dedicated eight pages to the British composer. Born in Ireland, Stanford composed and played music at an early age. A prodigious composer, Stanford wrote 9 operas, 7 symphonies, 5 concerti and many other works. But […] By Alan Brandt Apr 09 Blog Stanford’s pupils By Alan Brandt