Gordon Jacob, composer of the Concerto for Chromatic Accordion, String Orchestra and Percussion, taught composition and orchestration at the Royal College of Music for over 40 years.
Composition History
Jonathan Dove's Northern Lights is dedicated to the memory of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who had originally intended to compose an accordion concerto for Owen Murray but died before completing it.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gordon Jacob believed that 'the day that melody is discarded, you may as well pack up music altogether,' and his music is known for its clarity and directness.
Performer Biography
Owen Murray faced condescension when he began his career as a classical accordionist, being told not to bring his instrument to a music class.
Instruments
The free-bass accordion, which emerged in the early 1950s, allowed performers to play melodic passages over several octaves, enabling composers to write fully polyphonic music for the instrument.
Performer Biography
Owen Murray became the first professor of accordion in the UK, appointed at the Royal Academy of Music in 1986, after campaigning for educational opportunities for the classical accordion.
Performer Biography
Owen Murray, the accordion soloist on this album, studied with Mogens Ellegaard, a major advocate for the free-bass accordion, at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
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