Poetry, stories, art, and music from the desk of Jezzie G, a writer without a label
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
1929-30
Concerto
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s, Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Santa Lucia
1916
Classical
Enrico Caruso
Opera
Born: 25 February 1873, Naples, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 2 August 1921, Naples, Italy
Caruso was an operatic first lyric tenor and dramatic tenor. To great acclaim, he sang at the major opera houses of Europe and America in a variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to being commercially recorded and made 247 recordings from 1902-1920 making him an internationally popular star in the world of entertainment
Requiem
2005
Classical
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins as written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
Pavane pour une infante défunte
1902
Classical
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s, Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Ninna Nanna Della Vita
1938
Classical
Beniamino Gigli
Classical, Opera
Born: 20 March 1890, Recanati, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 30 November 1957, Rome, Italy
Gigli was a lyric tenor opera singer, widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation
Only a Rose
1956
Classical
Mario Lanza
Opera
Born: 31 January 1921, Pennsylvania, USA
Nationality: American
Died: 7 October 1959, Rome, Italy
Lanza was a tenor singer and actor. He was a popular Hollywood star in the late 1940s and the 1950s. He began training as a professional singer at the age of 16. Following an appearance at the Hollywood Bowl; in 1947, Lanza signed a film contract with the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Louis B. Mayer, who saw the performance and was impressed by his singing
Land of Hope and Glory
1902
Classical
Edward Elgar
Classical, Orchestral
Born: 2 June 1857, Worcestershire, UK
Nationality: English
Died: 23 February 1934, Worcestershire, UK
Elgar was a composer known for his works that have entered many English and International classical repertoires. Amongst his most famous compositions are orchestral works such as the Enigma Variations, Pomp and Circumstance Marches, and concertos for violin and cello. He also composed choral works such as The Dream of Gerantius. He was appointed Master of the King’s Music in 1924
O Sole Mio
1955
Opera
Beniamino Gigli
Classical, Opera
Born: 20 March 1890, Recanati, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 30 November 1957, Rome, Italy
Gigli was a lyric tenor opera singer, widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation.
La Spagnola
1952
Opera
Mario Lanza
Opera
Born: 31 January 1921, Pennsylvania, USA
Nationality: American
Died: 7 October 1959, Rome, Italy
Lanza was a tenor singer and actor. He was a popular Hollywood star in the late 1940s and the 1950s. He began training as a professional singer at the age of 16. Following an appearance at the Hollywood Bowl; in 1947, Lanza signed a film contract with the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Louis B. Mayer, who saw the performance and was impressed by his singing
Just Another Star
2003
Choral
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
How Great Thou Art
2018
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Jewel Song
1859
Opera
Charles Gounod
Opera
Born: 17 June 1818, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 18 October 1893, Saint-Cloud, France
Gounod was a composer and wrote twelve operas including “Faust” (1859) and “Romeo and Juliet” (1867), both of which remain in the international repertory. Gounod also composed church music, songs, and other shorter pieces. He was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France’s prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. A deeply religious man, Gounod considered the priesthood after his studies
In Autumn
1865
Romantic
Edvard Grieg
Romantic
Born: 15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway
Grieg was a composer and pianist. He is considered one of the main composers of the Romantic era and his music remains the standard of the global classical repertoire. Grieg made use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions and brought fame to the music of Norway
Immenso sogno
2002
Classical
Russell Watson
Opera
Born: 24 November 1966, Salford, UK
Nationality: English
Watson is a tenor known for both operatic style and pop songs. He started singing as a child and garnered attention after performing at a working men’s club, In 1999 he sang the national anthem at the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, “Barcelona” at the last match of the Premiership season between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, and a full set of songs at the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final in Barcelona between Manchester United and Bayern Munich
Haugtussa
1895
Classical
Edvard Grieg
Romantic
Born: 15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway
Grieg was a composer and pianist. He is considered one of the main composers of the Romantic era and his music remains the standard of the global classical repertoire. Grieg made use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions and brought fame to the music of Norway.
Funeral March of a Marionette
1872
Classical
Charles Gounod
Opera
Born: 17 June 1818, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 18 October 1893, Saint-Cloud, France
Gounod was a composer and wrote twelve operas including “Faust” (1859) and “Romeo and Juliet” (1867), both of which remain in the international repertory. Gounod also composed church music, songs, and other shorter pieces. He was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France’s prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. A deeply religious man, Gounod considered the priesthood after his studies
Evening Song
1938
Classical
Zoltán Kodály
Classical
Born: 16 December 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
Nationality: Hungarian
Died: 6 March 1967, Budapest, Hungary
Kodály was a composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, pedagogue, and philosopher. He Is internationally known as the creator of the Kodály method of music education
Deep Peace
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Giovinezza
1937
Classical
Beniamino Gigli
Classical, Opera
Born: 20 March 1890, Recanati, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 30 November 1957, Rome, Italy
Gigli was a lyric tenor opera singer, widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation
Danny Boy
2016
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Be Still
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
A Dream
1920
Classical
Enrico Caruso
Opera
Born: 25 February 1873, Naples, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Dies: 2 August 1921, Naples, Italy
Caruso was an operatic first lyric tenor and dramatic tenor. To great acclaim, he sang at the major opera houses of Europe and America in a variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded and made 247 recordings from 1902-1920 making him an internationally popular star in the world of entertainment
Panis Angelicus
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister.
Festive Overture
1954
Classical
Dmitri Shostakovich
Classical
Born: 25 September 1906, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Russian
Died: 9 August 1975, Moscow, Russia
Shostakovich was a composer and pianist who became internationally known following his First Symphony premiered in 1926. He was regarded as a major composer of his lifetime. Shostakovich combined various musical techniques within his works and his compositions are known for their sharp contrasts, ambivalent tonality, and elements of the grotesque
You Raise Me Up
2003
Classical
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
O Sole Mio
1916
Opera
Enrico Caruso
Opera
Born: 25 February 1873, Naples, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 2 August 1921, Naples, Italy
Caruso was an operatic first lyric tenor and dramatic tenor. To great acclaim, he sang at the major opera houses of Europe and America in a variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded and made 247 recordings from 1902-1920 making him an internationally popular star in the world of entertainment.
Walking in the Air
1985
Film and TV
Aled Jones
Classical, Film and TV
Born: 29 December 1970, Bangor, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jones is a singer and radio and television presenter. He reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s as a teenage chorister
Ein Traum
1889
Classical
Edvard Grieg
Romantic
Born: 15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway
Grieg was a composer and pianist. He is considered one of the main composers of the Romantic era and his music remains the standard of the global classical repertoire. Grieg made use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions and brought fame to the music of Norway
The Nuns Chorus
1965
Folk Music
Kiri Te Kanawa
Opera
Born: 6 March 1944, Gisborne, New Zealand
Nationality: New Zealander
Te Kanawa is a retired opera singer best known for her full lyric soprano voice. She has received accolades from across the world, particularly for her performances of Mozart, Strauss, Handel, Puccini, and Verdi. In her later career, Te Kanawa performed concerts and recitals. Her final performance was in Ballarat, Australia in 2016
Palladio
1995
Concerto Grosso
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins as written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
Verklärte Nacht
1899
Sextet
Arnold Schoenberg
Der Blaue Reiter
Born: 13 September 1874, Vienna, Austria
Nationality: Austrian-American
Died: 13 July 1951, California, USA
Schoenberg was a composer, teacher, music theorist, painter, and writer. Consider one of the most influential composers of the 20th century he is associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art and a leader of the Second Viennese School. Target by the Nazi Party as a Jewish composer his work was labeled degenerate and was forbidden from being published, in 1933 he emigrated to the USA becoming a US citizen in 1941
The Carnival of the Animals: The Swan
1868
Classical
Camille Saint-Saëns
Classical
Born: 9 October 1835, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 16 December 1921, Algiers (El Djazaïr), Algeria
Saint- Seáns was a composer, organist, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic era. Among his best-known works are the First Cello Concerto (1872), Danse Macabre (1874), and The Carnival of the Animals (1886). A musical prodigy, Saint- Seáns made his concert debut at the age of ten
Cantate Domino
1994
Classical
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
La Valse
1919-1920
Classical
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Benedictus
1999
Mass
Karl Jenkins
Jazz, Rock, Classical
Born: 17 February 1944, Gower, Wales
Nationality: Welsh
Jenkins is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His best-known works include the song “Adiemus.” Educated at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music Jenkins joined the jazz band Soft Machine in 1972. He became the group’s leading songwriter and worked with them until 1984. Jenkins has written music for TV ad campaigns and has won the industry prize twice
A Poet’s Quest
1997
Classical Pop
Vanessa Mae
Classical, Classical Pop
Born: 27 October 1978, Singapore
Nationality: Thai-British
Mae is a violinist and has achieved album sales reaching several million, and in 2006 she was the wealthiest entertainer under thirty. Mae also competed under the name Vanessa Vanakorn for Thailand in the 2014 Winter Olympics alpine skiing.
(I) Can Can (You?)
1997
Classical Pop
Vanessa Mae
Classical, Classical Pop
Born: 27 October 1978, Singapore
Nationality: Thai-British
Mae is a violinist and has achieved album sales reaching several million, and in 2006 she was the wealthiest entertainer under thirty. Mae also competed under the name Vanessa Vanakorn for Thailand in the 2014 Winter Olympics alpine skiing.
Andante Festivio
1922
Romantic
Johan Julius Christian Sibelius
Romantic
Born: 8 December 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Nationality: Finnish
Died: 20 September 1957, Ainola, Finland
Sibelius was a composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is considered to be Finland’s greatest composer and is frequently credited with helping Finland develop its national identity as it struggled for independence from Russia. Sibelius is perhaps best known for Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse Triste, and the choral symphony Kullervo
Miroirs
1904-1905
Impressionist
Maurice Ravel
Impressionism
Born: 7 March 1875, Ciboure, France
Nationality: French
Died: 28 December 1937, Paris, France
Ravel was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although he rejected the term he is often associated with Impressionism. During the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was regarded internationally as France’s greatest living composer
Romeo and Juliet
1935
Ballet
Sergei Prokofiev
Classical
Born: 23 April 1891, Sontsivka, Ukraine
Nationality: Russian
Died: 5 March 1953, Moscow, Russia
Prokofiev was a composer, pianist, and conductor. He is considered one of the major composers of the 20th century as the creator of accredited masterpieces across a variety of genres. His works include the ballet Romeo and Juliet, The Love for Three Oranges, and Peter and the Wolf
Violin Concerto No.1
1947
Symphonic
Dmitri Shostakovich
Classical
Born: 25 September 1906, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Russian
Died: 9 August 1975, Moscow, Russia
Shostakovich was a composer and pianist who became internationally known following his First Symphony premiered in 1926. He was regarded as a major composer of his lifetime. Shostakovich combined various musical techniques within his works and his compositions are known for their sharp contrasts, ambivalent tonality, and elements of the grotesque
Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
1896
Classical
Edvard Grieg
Romantic
Born: 15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway
Grieg was a composer and pianist. He is considered one of the main composers of the Romantic era and his music remains the standard of the global classical repertoire. Grieg made use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions and brought fame to the music of Norway
I’m a Doun
1996
Classical
Vanessa Mae
Classical, Classical Pop
Born: 27 October 1978, Singapore
Nationality: Thai-British
Mae is a violinist and has achieved album sales reaching several million, and in 2006 she was the wealthiest entertainer under 30. Mae also competed under the name Vanessa Vanakorn for Thailand in the 2014 Winter Olympics alpine skiing.
Má vlast
1874-79
Symphonic Poems
Bedrich Smetana
Classical
Born: 2 March 1824, Litomysl, Czechia
Nationality: Czech
Died: 12 May 1884, Prague, Czechia
Smetana was a composer and a pioneer in the development of a musical style closely identified with his people’s aspirations for a cultural and political revival. In Czechia, he is regarded as the father of Czech music. Internationally, Smetana is best known for his 1866 opera “The Bartered Bride”
Miss Sarajevo
1995
Classical
Luciano Pavarotti
Opera
Born: 12 October 1935, Modena, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 6 September 2007, Modena, Italy
Pavarotti was an operatic tenor who crossed over into popular music late in his career. He became one of the most loved and acclaimed tenors of all time. He gained international fame for the quality of his voice with numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, establishing Pavarotti as one of the finest tenors of the 20th century and the reputation of King of the High C’s
Escales
1922
Classical
Jacques Ibert
Modernism
Born: 15 August 1890, Paris, France
Nationality: French
Died: 5 February 1962. Paris, France
Ibert was a composer of classical music. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won the Prix de Rome, despite the interruption of active service in the First World War. Ibert is best known for his orchestral work such as Escales (1922)
Anitra’s Dance
2003
Classical
Øystein Baadsvik
Classical
Born: 14 August 1966, Trondheim, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Baadsvik is a tuba soloist and chamber musician. He began playing the tuba at the age of 15 at his school in Trondheim, Norway, and at 18 years old won first prize in a Norwegian nation competition for soloists. Baadsvik has performed with several orchestras including the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra., Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
La Virgen Lava Pañales
1981
Classical
Plácido Domingo
Opera
Born: 21 January 1941, Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Domingo is an opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He is well known for his versatility, performing in Italian, French, German, Spanish, English, and Russian in many of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. Domingo is primarily a Lirico-spinto tenor and is especially renowned for his Cavaradossi, Hoffmann, Don José and Canio as well as becoming the most acclaimed Otello of his generation
Cello Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Classical
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Orchestral, Opera, Ballet, Chamber Music
Born: 30 December 1904, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Russian
Died: 14 February 1987, Moscow, Russia
Kabalevsky was a composer and teach of aristocratic Russian descent. He was a prolific composer of piano and chamber music best known for his Second Symphony, ‘Galloping Comedians’ and his Third Piano Concerto
Die Worte des Erlösers am Kreuze
1785
Classical
Joseph Haydn
Classical
Born: 31 March 1732, Rohrau, Austria
Nationality: Austrian
Died: 31 May 1809, Vienna, Austria
Haydn was a composer of the Classical era and instrumental in the development of chamber music. He spent much of his career as a court musician for the remote estate of the Esterházy family. This isolated him from other composers and music trends. However, Haydn’s music was circulated widely and he was the most celebrated composer in Europe
Jezzie G 