Arthur Bliss's Elegiac Sonnet was commissioned by the composer to commemorate the gifted Australian pianist Noel Mewton-Wood, who took his own life at age 31.
Performer Biography
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet became well-known through their close association with Dmitri Shostakovich, who entrusted them with the Western premieres of his last three quartets.
Compositional Technique
Peter Warlock's The Curlew is uniquely scored for flute, cor anglais, and string quartet, setting four poems by William Butler Yeats.
Performer Biography
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet is one of the few quartets to use Classical instruments for appropriate repertoire and performs on both historical and modern set-ups.
Compositional Technique
Ivor Gurney's revisions to Ludlow and Teme, such as breaking up the 4/4 metre and making a small cut in 'When smoke stood up from Ludlow', aimed to 'take away the squareness' of the music.
Recording & Production
This recording of Ivor Gurney's Ludlow and Teme is the first performance of his revised and corrected version, based on sources from 1925.
Performer Biography
James Gilchrist, the tenor on this recording, began his career as a doctor before turning to music full-time in 1996.
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