Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alasdair Mitchell
This score video is provided for educational (non-commercial) use only, using the edition produced as part of Mitchell's 2002 doctoral thesis at the University of Edinburgh (era.ed.ac.uk/items/2c0225b8-226a-4764-ae87-5e5e89a0cc4b).
John Blackwood McEwen (1868-1948) was a Scottish composer and educator, most notable for his decades-long tenure teaching composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. For more information about McEwen, see my score video of his fourth string quartet: youtu.be/Dvk6pWg_VAc
"The Demon Lover", the second of McEwen's collection of tone poems "Three Border Ballads", is dated to 1908 in the score, although Mitchell writes it was completed in 1906-07. The piece was never performed in the composer's lifetime, nor afterward until this recording by Mitchell in 1993; it is one of the best examples of McEwen's varied orchestral palette, ranging from full-throated Austro-German-style writing to moments that wouldn't look out of place in Scriabin's third symphony - all combined with narrative elements originating from Scottish folklore. According to McEwen himself, this work was written in response to the poem "Graih My Chree" by the Manx writer Hall Caine:
"The thematic substance of this piece is mostly taken from music composed in the year 1900...as an accompaniment to the recitation of a poem by Hall Caine entitled 'Graih my Chree'. The subject of the poem is found in the folk -lore of several countries and consists of the luring of a woman from home, husband and children, by a Demon who takes the form of her dead sailor lover...The composer's aim was the construction of a piece which would not only be expressive of the emotional content of the story, but would be a coherent and adequate instrumental work."
The text of "Graih my Chree" can be found here: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Graih_my_Chree
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alasdair Mitchell
This score video is provided for educational (non-commercial) use only, using the edition produced as part of Mitchell's 2002 doctoral thesis at the University of Edinburgh (era.ed.ac.uk/items/2c0225b8-226a-4764-ae87-5e5e89a0cc4b).
John Blackwood McEwen (1868-1948) was a Scottish composer and educator, most notable for his decades-long tenure teaching composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. For more information about McEwen, see my score video of his fourth string quartet: youtu.be/Dvk6pWg_VAc
"The Demon Lover", the second of McEwen's collection of tone poems "Three Border Ballads", is dated to 1908 in the score, although Mitchell writes it was completed in 1906-07. The piece was never performed in the composer's lifetime, nor afterward until this recording by Mitchell in 1993; it is one of the best examples of McEwen's varied orchestral palette, ranging from full-throated Austro-German-style writing to moments that wouldn't look out of place in Scriabin's third symphony - all combined with narrative elements originating from Scottish folklore. According to McEwen himself, this work was written in response to the poem "Graih My Chree" by the Manx writer Hall Caine:
"The thematic substance of this piece is mostly taken from music composed in the year 1900...as an accompaniment to the recitation of a poem by Hall Caine entitled 'Graih my Chree'. The subject of the poem is found in the folk -lore of several countries and consists of the luring of a woman from home, husband and children, by a Demon who takes the form of her dead sailor lover...The composer's aim was the construction of a piece which would not only be expressive of the emotional content of the story, but would be a coherent and adequate instrumental work."
The text of "Graih my Chree" can be found here: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Graih_my_Chree
![EDUARD TUBIN - Symphony No. 11 [unfinished] (Score Video)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l-vYcU8buKo/mqdefault.jpg "EDUARD TUBIN - Symphony No. 11 [unfinished] (Score Video)
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arvo Volmer
Eduard Tubin (1905-1982) was an Estonian composer and conductor, his countrys most prolific and arguably greatest symphonist. Having completed his studies under another very prominent Estonian composer, Heino Eller (whose music I also plan to upload), in independent Estonia, Tubin fled following the Soviet reoccupation of his country in 1944. He settled permanently in Sweden for the rest of his life, writing many of his most important works, being elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and becoming a Swedish citizen in 1961. In addition to an impressive eleven symphonies, Tubin wrote two operas, the first Estonian ballet (Kratt), concerti for double bass and balalaika, choral music, art songs, and chamber and solo works (particularly violin and piano music.)
For those unacquainted with Tubin, his orchestral music - particularly the symphonies of his middle and later period - shares some common elements with Shostakovich, often marrying relatively rigid formal structures like fugues with rather astringent harmonic ideas and an unexpected emotional intensity. He also brought Estonian folk music into several of his works. Although Tubins work was initially somewhat unrecognized outside Estonia (even in Sweden), it has gained prominence in the last few decades due to the efforts of Estonian conductors including Neeme and Paavo Järvi.
The eleventh symphony, which Tubin was working on when he passed away in 1982, combines the aforementioned characteristics with a rather bright orchestration typical of his later music. The last minute or so of the first movement was completed by the Estonian-Canadian composer Kaljo Raid, resulting in the recording here; the score I have available is a copy of Tubins manuscript and thus does not contain this completion.
I now have scores of all of Tubins symphonies except the first; some of them are scans of old and battered copies, so they will take a little longer to upload - especially as most of his symphonic works are quite substantial in both musical material and length. I also plan to post his balalaika concerto soon, so if you enjoyed this work, stay tuned for more!")
