Howard Blake's success with children's music, particularly the animated film The Snowman, has tended to overshadow his other prolific output.
Performer Biography
The Edinburgh Quartet, a British chamber ensemble, was founded in 1960 and quickly achieved international recognition after winning the Contemporary Prize at the Evian-les-Bains String Quartet Competition.
Composer Biography
Howard Blake, the composer, won a piano scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at eighteen, where he studied with Harold Craxton and Howard Ferguson.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Howard Blake's 'Spieltrieb' (urge to play) was inspired by a remark attributed to Mozart and Schiller's theory that following this urge can lead to the highest levels of thought.
Recording & Production
This album features world première recordings of several works, including the string quartet arrangements of A Month in the Country and Leda and the Swan, and a revised String Trio.
Composition History
The String Trio, Op. 199, was composed at the request of the three string players who had recorded Howard Blake's Piano Quartet, Op. 179, with him as pianist.
