Category Archives: Anniversary

On this day in 1936 – the death of composer Ottorino Respighi

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by Ben Hogwood Image of Respighi courtesy of Wikipedia

Today marks the anniversary of the death of composer Ottorino Respighi, 90 years ago in 1936, at the age of just 56.

Respighi’s most famous works are the orchestral pieces making up the ‘Roman trilogy’ – in order of composition the Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals. A previous post on the composer highlighted recordings of those three; however I wanted this time to pay tribute to Respighi’s flair as an orchestrator. Here are his arrangements of five of Rachmaninoff‘s Etude-Tableaux for piano, showing off the orchestra with colour and flair:

Published post no.2,862 – Saturday 18 April 2026

On this day in 1895 – the first performance of The Wood Nymph by Sibelius

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by Ben Hogwood Image of Sibelius courtesy of Wikipedia, and Finnish photographer Daniel Nyblin

Having just returned from Tallinn, Estonia, I feel particularly close the music of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. On this day in 1895 one of his early orchestral works, The Wood Nymph, was premiered – and you can listen below:

Published post no.2,861 – Monday 17 April 2026

On this day in 1896 – the first performance of the Lemminkäinen Suite by Sibelius

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by Ben Hogwood Image of Sibelius courtesy of Wikipedia, and Finnish photographer Daniel Nyblin

On this day in 1896, the world premiere of Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite took place in Helsinki. The suite, in four distinct movements, has become a popular concert piece and is an early indication of the composer’s ability to tell dramatic tales through the orchestra. In this case the story follows Lemminkäinen in the Kalevala, the Finnish epic of folklore and poetry. The four movements are Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island, The Swan of Tuonela (sometimes placed third and the most popular of the four), Lemminkäinen in Tuonela and Lemminkäinen’s Return

You can listen to a performance below from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste:

Published post no.2,857 – Monday 13 April 2026

Bach at Easter – Easter Oratorio

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by Ben Hogwood

This joyful piece of music was written by Bach in Leipzig, in April 1725. It has four vocal soloists, who take on the parts of Mary Magdalene (alto), the ‘other’ Mary (soprano) and the apostles Simon Peter (tenor) and John (bass).

The brightly scored orchestra consists of trumpets, timpani, wind and strings, and its celebratory air is perfect for the festival as it tells of the events of the first Easter day.

Published post no.2,849 – Monday 6 April 2026

Bach at Easter – Cello Suite no.6

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by Ben Hogwood

Happy Easter! And with it, some more music by Bach for solo cello.

The Cello Suite no.6 in D major, BWV1012, is often paralleled with Easter Sunday and the Resurrection, its Sarabande in particular finding a serenity and light appropriate for the season. You can watch Yo-Yo Ma in the whole suite below:

Published post no.2,848 – Sunday 4 April 2026