Priaulx Rainier chose the title 'Quanta' for her Oboe Quartet, derived from Quantum Theory, because it captured the essence of the piece where sound clusters accumulate and break into fragments.
Composition History
Hugh Wood's String Quartet No.1 was his first BBC commission, completed in June 1962 and premiered the following month by the Dartington Quartet at the Cheltenham Festival.
Composer Biography
Priaulx Rainier, a South African-born composer featured on this album, studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and later became Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music.
Composer Biography
Peter Racine Fricker, whose Sonata for Cello and Piano is on this album, resumed formal composition lessons with Hungarian émigré Mátyás Seiber after war service.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hugh Wood, described as a natural lyricist, was frequently inspired by English lyric poetry, including works by Ted Hughes and Edwin Muir, whose poems are set in his vocal pieces on this album.
Composition History
Priaulx Rainier's Oboe Quartet: Quanta was commissioned by William Glock for a BBC 'Invitation Concert' and premiered by Janet Craxton and the Oromonte Trio.
Composer Biography
Hugh Wood, the composer of two string quartets and vocal works on this album, taught music at several universities, including Cambridge, where he was a Fellow of Churchill College.
