Category Archives: Lecturer
The Shock of the New?
People often fear new music, or what they see as ‘new music’. It is certain that music has changed dramatically over the past hundred years and it has often been … Continue reading
East meets West meets East
When French composer Claude Debussy first heard the Javanese Gamelan at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, a new and exciting cross-fertilisation of music began. The music of the East truly … Continue reading
Holst and The Planets
Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’ was a ground-breaking work. Yet who was Gustav Holst? A mild mannered Englishman, born in Cheltenham, passionate about music education and a teacher first and foremost, … Continue reading
Gustav Mahler and his narcissistic wife Alma
Alma Maria Schindler was considered a beautiful woman, something of a prize, but at what cost? She had innumerable lovers and even more admirers, yet she is most famous for … Continue reading
Mussorgsky’s many Pictures at an Exhibition
How many versions of Mussorgsky’s iconic ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ exist? Why has it fascinated conductors and orchestrators so much? Why do they continue to want to make new versions … Continue reading
S is for Signs, Secrets and Symbols
Composers tell us so many things in their music. They tell us secrets about themselves, their love lives, their passions, their fears, their seeming crimes, their deepest beliefs, and so … Continue reading
The Mozarts in London
250 years ago, between 1764 and 1756, Leopold Mozart brought his eight-year-old Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl to London. They gave concerts and entertainments to wealthy benefactors throughout their stay. … Continue reading
J.S. Bach and the sign of the cross
Johann Sebastian Bach emerged from a dynasty of musicians and is widely acknowledged as the most influential of all composers. His work is steeped in and informed by his devout … Continue reading