Composed: 1927–28 Premiered: 1934, Hartford, Connecticut Libretto by Gertrude Stein with scenario by Maurice Grosser Background The saints are introduced. Note that St Teresa of Avila is sung by two performers (soprano and contralto). Act I Seven tableaux involving St Teresa II, described as a ‘Pageant, or Sunday School Entertainment’, are revealed behind a curtain on the ...
1896–1989 American composer Thomson was trained in Paris (where he lived for many years) by Nadia Boulanger, and was friendly with several of ‘Les Six’, but his own music is more influenced by Satie and is deeply rooted in American folk music and hymns. It is melodically fresh, harmonically plain and of great simplicity; he was an influence on ...
1896–1989, American A composer of both originality and substance, Thomson produced what was arguably America’s first major opera, Four Saints in Three Acts (composed 1927–28). Hailing from a Southern Baptist background where church music, marching bands and popular American tunes were a large part of his cultural heritage, Thomson attended Harvard and studied under Nadia Boulanger ...
1912–80 American organist Fox studied in America, and with Marcel Dupré in Paris. He made his debut at the age of 14 and appeared in London when he was 19. From 1946 to 1965 he was well known as organist of the Riverside Church, New York. As well as making recordings, he went on tours with a large ...
Like its close relation the concertina, the accordion is a glorified mouth organ, in which the ‘reeds’ (now generally made of tempered steel) are set in vibration by a rectangular bellows. The bellows are operated by the left hand, which also – as in all keyboard instruments – manipulates the so-called bass keyboard, in this case a ...
b. 1965, Welsh One of the most exciting bass-baritones currently performing, Terfel became a sensation after winning the Cardiff Singer of the World Lieder prize in 1989. In 1990 he made his operatic debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at Welsh National Opera, before bursting onto the London scene as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with ...
(Kär’-ol Shi-man-ov’-ske) 1882–1937 Polish composer Szymanowski came from a wealthy family whose estate in the Ukraine was lost after the Russian Revolution. He suffered from tuberculosis, and as a child had to study at home. He later lived in Germany and in Vienna, also travelling to Russia, North Africa, Italy and Sicily, returning to Poland in ...
b. 1927, American From the Mississippi to the concert stages of Europe, Price helped to pave the way for black American singers. Assisted by Paul Robeson and an affluent white family in her hometown, she gained entry to Juilliard, where she appeared in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts. When ...
European culture lay in ruins after the end of World War II. There were many who, in company with the philosopher Theodor Adorno, felt that Nazi atrocities such as Auschwitz rendered art impossible, at least temporarily. Others, though, felt that humanity could only establish itself anew by rediscovering the potency of art, including opera. On ...
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) is said to have written the first film score with L’assassinat du duc de Guise (‘The Assassination of the Duke of Guise’, c. 1908). Many composers in the US and Europe followed suit, although few wished to make a career in films. A famous exception was Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957), whose scores include the Academy Award-winning The ...
The ground-breaking literature of the twentieth century had a major impact on composers, particularly in the 1950s and 60s. The work of Berio has consistently drawn upon the works of James Joyce for parallels between verbal and musical technique, particularly ‘stream of consciousness’ chapters such as Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from Ulysses, while Barraqué based his entire later output ...
Although ostensibly ‘English’, Dido and Aeneas owes its ancestry to Italian and French operatic influences. Although the recitatives follow the rhythms and inflexions of the English language, they were clearly modelled on Italian monody. Purcell followed the already established tradition of taking the plots of operas from ancient myth and legend. This one came from ancient Rome, as the ...
‘The Trojans’ Composed: 1856–58 Premiered: 1890, Karlsruhe Libretto by the composer, after the Aeneid by Virgil Act I The Trojans celebrate peace and admire the wooden horse left by the Greeks after the siege. Cassandre (Cassandra), King Priam’s daughter, forsees the fall of Troy. Her husband Chorèbe (Coroebus) urges her to join the celebrations, but she begs ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 2002–present) Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand – Alex Kapranos (vocals), Robert Hardy (bass), Nicholas McCarthy (guitar) and Paul Thomson (drums) – formed from the scene around the city’s college of art, but only drummer Thomson actually attended. Many wrongly consider their tightly suggestive brand of ‘art rock’ to be a result of years spent studying the visual arts, ...
1945–87 English cellist Du Pré studied with William Pleeth and made her debut in London in 1961. At the age of 20 she recorded the Elgar Cello Concerto under Sir John Barbirolli. She was married to Barenboim, who often accompanied her as pianist and conductor. Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis. Introduction | Contemporary | Classical Personalities | ...
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