David Blake: Violin Concerto & In Praise of Krishna
4/1/2012, 9 Tracks, 53:51
Featuring
Norman del Mar
Iona Brown
David Blake
Teresa Cahill
Philharmonia Orchestra
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Did you know?
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Composer's Artistic Vision
David Blake described the solo violin in his concerto as 'a nervous, volatile, passionate creature, by turns lyrical and over-dramatic, sometimes at one, sometimes at odds with the orchestra,' giving a new twist to the solo-orchestra confrontation.
Composition History
The Violin Concerto, commissioned by the BBC for the 1976 Proms, was inspired by David Blake's first visit to Italy, drawing on the Tuscan campagna, an opera festival, and Michelangelo's sculptures.
Composer's Artistic Vision
David Blake's music is characterized by fine craftsmanship, identification with ideals of revolution and liberation, and a desire to communicate with a wide audience without compromising his musical language.
Recording & Production
Both the Violin Concerto and In Praise of Krishna on this album were recorded in February and October 1979, respectively, at the Church of St George the Martyr, Hampstead.
Compositional Technique
The overall structure of David Blake's Violin Concerto, with its two large movements, was inspired by Michelangelo's four figures on the tombs in the Medici Chapel: Night, Dawn, Day and Evening.
Composer Biography
David Blake, a British composer born in 1936, uniquely studied in East Germany with Hanns Eisler, a distinguished pupil of Schoenberg.
