Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra - Great Composers in Words & Music - Tchaikovsky - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

I sense a deep humanity in Dvorák's music. He was a great master of orchestration, and he composed unusually beautiful melodies and harmonies. But at the forefront he always presents honesty and generosity. And when we listen to this music, this penetrates deep into our hearts. I consider Dvorák's Violin Concerto to be unique, and it occupies a very special place among all of the violin concertos of this period. Behind it's creation lies a very unusual story. The composition dates back to 1879, but it's premiere did not take place until 1883, exactly four years later. The reason for this was that the concerto was dedicated to Joseph Joachim, who repeatedly requested a number of changes in the piece. The story subsequently ended in such a way that Joachim, despite the changes and his years of collaboration with Dvorák, ignored the piece when it was completed, leaving it to be premiered instead by Czech violinist František Ondrícek. -Mikhail Pochekin

With orchestral works at the core of his output, the supreme melodic gift that distinguishes the music of Eric Coates earned him a reputation as the 'uncrowned king of light music'. It was the London Suite that made Coates a household name, with the Cockney exuberance of it's third movement, Knightsbridge, capturing the nation's imagination as a BBC theme tune, as did the rousing march Calling All Workers. Cinderella and The Selfish Giant were inspired by his son's bedtime stories, the latter absorbing the jazzy dance rhythms of the day. The Dambusters March was one of Coates' last pieces, and remains one of the most iconic movie themes ever written.

Tchaikovsky / Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra - Tchaikovsky Prokofiev [COMPACT DISCS] date 12/05/2012