Par HOSAY JAMES L.. Blackbeard and his crew of ruffian freebooters, aboard the ship Queen Anne’s Revenge, were the terrors of the Atlantic and the Caribbean in the early 18th century. Composer James L. Hosay captures those turbulent times in music with his vivid and exciting new tone poem, SWORDS AGAINST THE SEA. This presents an excellent opportunity for cross-curriculum teaching with history. SW…

Par ADES THOMAS. Thomas Adès’s second work for string quartet, The Four Quarters was written for the Emerson Quartet and was premiered by them at Carnegie Hall in 2011. The winner of the 2012 British Composer Award for Chamber Composition, the 20-minute work charts the progress of a day. Glassy harmonics typify the opening movement Nightfalls, whilst playful pizzicati abound in Serenade – Morning …

Par JALBERT PIERRE. Duo Concertante contains five brief movements of contrasting character. The first movement functions as a short prelude, with the viola and bass combining to form alternating high and low harmonies and trading off solo lines. The second movement is a playful scherzo, played pizzicato by both instruments, while the third movement is the central, lyrical movement of the work, wit…

to the concerto for piano and orchestra in G Major Hob. XVIII:4. Par HAYDN FRANZ JOSEF. Improvised and also composed solo cadenzas, normally occuring towards the end of a bravura aria or an instrumental concerto movement, have existed since the late 16th century. They provide the performer with an opportunity for self-presentation in the form of a free style of playing or singing, based on themes …

This concerto, a new addition to the literature for guitar and orchestra, casts the guitar almost as a member of the percussion family from the very beginning, explosive in its energy, easing into song for its second theme.An extensive cadenza takes the soloist to the highest note before plunging into an appropriately hectic ending. A simple (but all the more telling) guitar solo opens and closes …