Paul Max EdlinComposer | Artistic Director | Lecturer | Performer

Category Archives: Lecturer

The Shock of the New?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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