Leroy anderson

Choral singers and their music directors around the UK will be raising brimful glasses on 24 September in celebration of Sir John Rutter’s 80th birthday. His music is, after all, buried deep in the mu

Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye; Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy (piano) Harmonia Mundi HMM902752 49:20 mins Those of us lucky, as I was at both their Ragged Music Festival and

Lalo Schifrin (Born 1932) Composer and conductor Even if they don’t know any other of his music, millions of people are instantly familiar with Lalo Schifrin’s most famous eight notes. Spelling out th

Piano Trios; Piano Quintet, Op. 57* *Julia Fischer (violin),*Nils Mönkemeyer (viola); Oliver Schnyder Trio Prospero PROSP0035 76:52 mins Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet explores a bewildering variety of

Where would movies be without music? Sure, images, story and dialogue are all important. But cinematic soundtracks provide that human connection – the key to character motivation and emotional truth.

The solo cello carves out a slow-moving phrase. It’s not a melody as such, but it becomes a refrain, passed on to the accompanying six cellos. The listener becomes Hercule Poirot, picking out clues hi