Benjamin Britten - Violin Concerto

-
As well as a pianist and conductor, Benjamin Britten was a leading composer of the mid-20th century, whose operas were considered the finest English operas since those of Henry Purcell (17th century). The prolific nature of Britten's operatic and vocal output makes it easy to forget that prior to the phenomenal success of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he was primarily known as a composer of vividly orchestrated instrumental music. 

His Violin Concerto was written from 1938 to 1939 and dedicated to Henry Boys, his former teacher at the Royal College of Music, London. It was premiered in New York, on 29 March 1940 by violinist Antonio Brosa with the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli. 

Listen to it here performed by Maxim Vengerov (violin) and conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich (for whom Britten wrote several cello works):



KLEPTOMUSICALIA: How three dead composers copied a living ...
Benjamin Britten (November 22 1913, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England - December 4, 1976, Aldeburgh, Suffolk)


Classical Journey: A South American Sensation - Duo Teresa ...
Mstislav Rostropovich and Benjamin Britten

Sources: Presto Classical, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O-Daiko

-
Image
Daily Hit of Music's 100th post! Thank you for reading our posts on Daily Hit of Music. We hope you're enjoying them and here's to the next 100! Eitetsu Hayashi is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his solo performance work in taiko. Taiko are a broad rang of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside of Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called wadaiko . The process of constructing taiko varies between manufacturers, and the preparation of both the drum body and skin can take several years depending on the method.  Eitetsu Hayashi performing in 2001 Image source   In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, call out orders or announcements, and set a marching pace; marches usually being set to six paces per beat of the drum.  Watch Ei-tetsu Hayashi's exhilarating performance on a huge o-daiku barrel drum. He performs alongside the Shamisen master, Sh
Read more

Vivaldi: Vedrò con mio diletto

-
Image
As well as being the prototype of the modern violin virtuoso - expanding the technical possibilities of the instrument - Antonio Vivaldi also wrote some beautiful vocal music.  Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) Image source The aria "Vedrò con mio diletto", has became a famous concert piece to sing, especially for countertenors, but was originally intended to be sung by the character  Anastasio in Vivaldi's opera 'Giustino'.  Listen to it here: DHM YouTube Italian (original) Text: Vedrò con mio diletto L'alma dell'alma mia Il core del mio cor pien di contento. E se dal caro oggetto lungi convien che sia Sospirero penando ogni momento... Text translation:  I will see with joy, the soul of my soul heart of my heart full of content. And if from my dear object I be far away I will sigh, suffering every moment...  This blog is intended to be educational and to share knowledge about music. Daily Hit of Music does not claim to own anything contained in this post and
Read more

Reform: Infelix Ego

-
Image
Infelix ego  ("Alas, wretch that I am") is a Latin meditation on the opening section of the Expositio upon Psalm 51, Miserere mei Deus , written by the Italian Christian preacher, reformer and martyr, Girolamo Savonarola. He was renowned for his conflict with tyrannical rulers and a corrupt clergy. After the overthrow of the Medici in 1494, Savonarola was the sole leader of Florence, successfully setting up a democratic republic.  Girolamo Savonarola (1452 - 1498) Image source Savonarola's triumph was too great and too sudden not to give rise to jealousy and suspicion. He wrote this text once he eventually found himself in prison, after being tortured on the rack. The victim's ankles were fastened to one roller and the wrists to another. As the interrogation from the corrupt authorities progressed, a handle gradually increased the tension on the chains, inducing excruciating pain. This rack would strain the ropes until the sufferer's joints were dislocated and eve
Read more