Hidden Gems III – Pheobe (1909) by Mel Bonis
Quite rightfully, the work of composers such as Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) are being rediscovered with enthusiasm. Written a year before her death at just 24, Vieille prière bouddhique is a … Continue reading
Rough around the edges
Roughing It – Mark Twain. Penguin Classics. 1982 In the years before he settled down to write about Huck Finn, Mr Clemens vagabonded around for a while, travelling from Missouri … Continue reading
Hidden Gems II: Ramblin’ on my Mind
Whether you’re in the Mississippi Delta, or a poorly air conditioned cupboard room in the Scottish capital, good music hits home. Sadness is universal, and music makes that sadness sing. … Continue reading
Absolutely on Music
Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa – Haruki Murakami, Seiji Ozawa. tr. Jay Rubin. Harvill Secker. Any mention of Glenn Gould is usually enough to make me consider buying a … Continue reading
In Praise of Shadows
In Praise of Shadows – Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, tr. Harper and Seidensticker. Vintage. Tanizaki’s classic essay on Japanese aesthetics is beautiful and at times bewildering. From toilets to theatre … Continue reading
A Young Doctor’s Notebook
A Young Doctor’s Notebook – Mikhail Bulgakov; tr. Hugh Alpin. Alma Books. 1917 – The Tsar has abdicated, Lenin has published his April Theses, and there is chaos in Petrograd. … Continue reading
The History of Jazz – Ted Gioia
Jazz is a tricky subject to write convincingly about. Any attempt to formally mimic its rhythms is usually doomed to the ignominious failure of word soup – … Continue reading
Leo Ornstein
There are some figures whose lifespans encompass seemingly impossible social and historical changes. Think of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) or Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) (‘From Cowboys to Disco’, as my friend remarked). … Continue reading
Known and Strange Things – Teju Cole
‘Known and strange things’ takes its name from Seamus Heaney’s ‘Postscript’, which has as its theme an epiphanic encounter with the ineffable. In the preface to this collection, Cole tells … Continue reading
Ungentle Shakespeare: Scenes from his Life – Katherine Duncan-Jones
In 400 years we seem to have reimagined Shakespeare in every possible light. Augustan sage, Romantic genius, trenchant nihilist, and in Katherine Duncan-Jones’ Ungentle Shakespeare, a nasty piece of work. … Continue reading
Rhapsody of Rags 