Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 ‘Trout Quintet’ - Franz Schubert
Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 ‘Trout Quintet’ by Franz Schubert
Schubert completed this quintet in 1819 at the age of 22. The quintet is unusual in that instead of the ensemble containing a piano and string quartet, the ensemble includes a piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. The name for the quintet is due to the fact that the fourth movement is a variation on a theme of a song Schubert composed in 1817 to the text of the poem “Die Forelle” (the Trout) by German poet Christian Schubart.
The quintet is comprised of five movements: I. Allegro vivace 00:00 II. Andante 13:23 III. Scherzo: Presto 20:14 IV. Andantino – Allegretto 24:25 V. Allegro giusto 31:53
Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky (arr. by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
The first musical version of ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ was in the form of a tone poem, an orchestral work which evokes a specific poem, painting or landscape. Mussorgsky completed the tone poem in 1867, however due to pressure from his mentor Miliy Balakirev, Mussorgsky never organised a performance.
Requiem in D minor, K. 626, Part III ‘Dies Irae’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart began composing his only requiem mass in 1791, but unfortunately died before it was completed. Numerous composers have since made their own completion to the mass. One of the sections that is confirmed to be composed by Mozart is the ‘Dies Irae’ at the beginning of part three. This section represents the turmoil of the Last Judgment, ‘Dies Irae’ meaning ‘day of wrath’ in Latin.
Messa da Requiem ‘Dies irae’ by Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi composed his version of the Catholic funeral mass in 1874 in honour of the Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni. The work received its premiered in May 1874 at the San Marco church in Milan. The work is comprised of 7 sections. A popular part of this requiem is the ‘Dies irae’ chorus in section two. The requiem is sung in Latin during the choral sections.
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 by Frédéric Chopin
Chopin completed this concerto in 1830 with the premiere being given in October of that year at the Teatr Narodwy (National Theatre) in Warsaw. The piece was well received in Poland as well as later in France and other European nations.
The work is comprised of three movements:
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Romanze – Larghetto
III. Rondo – Vivace
Gymnopedie No. 2: Lent et triste by Erik Satie
Composed in 1888 as part of a set of three ‘Gymnopédies’ while Satie was living in Montmartre as an independent musician. The name ‘Gymnopédie’ may originate from the word gymnopaedia referring to an event where the youth of the village gathered to dance without weapons.
The Lady of the Lake: Ellens Gesang III, Op. 52, No. 6 ‘Ave Maria’ D. 839 by Franz Schubert
Austrian composer Franz Schubert composed a collection of seven songs based on the poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ by Scottish poet Walter Scott. The work was composed in 1825, with the first performance likely given at the castle of Countess Sophie Weissenwolff in the Austrian town of Steyregg.
The full piece is comprised of seven songs:
I. "Ellens Gesang I"
II. "Ellens Gesang II"
III. "Bootgesang”
IV. "Coronach"
V. "Normans Gesang"
VI. "Ellens Gesang III"
VII. "Lied des gefangenen Jägers"
Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 ‘Italian Symphony’ by Felix Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn completed his Symphony No. 4 in 1833, with the premiere performance being given in May of 1833 at the London Philharmonic Society. The work is inspired by the time Mendelssohn spent travelling in Europe between 1829 and 1831.
The work is comprised of four movements:
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante con moto
III. Con moto moderato
IV. Presto and Finale: Saitarello
Nabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves by Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi completed his opera ‘Nabucco’ in 1841, with the premier performance being given in March of 1842 at La Scala in Milan. The opera was a success from its first performance. The opera is based on an adaptation of a selection of books from the bible as well.
The chorus is sung repeatedly throughout a performance.
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 by Johannes Brahms
Brahms completed this violin concerto in 1878, with the premiere performance being given in January of 1879 in Leipzig. The work received a mixed response, however it has since become a popular work for concert orchestra and is one of the more popular Brahms compositions.
The work is comprised of three movements:
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace