Tag Archives: violin and piano

Dmitri Shostakovich: Romance from the Gadfly

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Dmitri Shostakovich composed his most famous film score for the 1955 Soviet film, The Gadfly. The Romance from the Gadfly for violin and orchestra is often performed as a standalone piece because it is so popular. BBC’s series, “Reilly Ace of Spies” famously used the Romance from the Gadfly as the soundtrack to the series.

I have recorded a violin/piano arrangement by Donald Fraser of Shostakovich’s Romance from the Gadfly. Here is a YouTube link to my recording if you would like to listen to it. Thanks for listening.

https://youtu.be/0Vbh4lEUArk

Howard Brockway – Cavatina Op. 13

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Howard Brockway (1870-1951)

Howard Brockway was an American composer and pianist.  Brockway composed pieces for solo piano, a symphony, piano quintet, sonata for violin and piano, and a suite for cello and orchestra (or piano). He also wrote choral music.

With singer Loraine Wyman, Brockway travelled to the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky to record traditional folk songs.  Howard Brockway later wrote out piano accompaniments for the folk tunes he recorded and Loraine wrote down the words.  The folk songs they collected were published in two volumes in 1916 and 1920.

From 1911 to 1920 Brockway worked as a recording artist and piano roll editor for Ampico (the American Piano Corporation).  He was the company’s most prolific recording artist, recording around 155 pieces (as well as many accompaniments and popular tunes).

Howard Brockway’s Cavatina Op. 13 for violin and piano (which is featured in this post) was featured in the soundtrack to the movie “The Prince of Tides”.  It is played here by violinist Pinchas Zukerman and pianist Marc Neikrug.  Enjoy.