Bøger af Fiona (Classical Music Critic - Observer) Maddocks

The moving story of Rachmaninoff's years in exile and the composition of his last great work, against a cataclysmic backdrop of two world wars and personal tragedy.

How does music reflect the key moments in our lives? Fiona Maddocks selects 100 classical works from across nine centuries, arguing passionately, persuasively and at times obstinately for their inclusion, putting each work in its cultural and musical context, discussing omissions, suggesting alternatives and always putting the music first.

Best known as a fine composer, the twelfth-century German abbess Hildegard of Bingen was also a religious leader and visionary, a poet, naturalist and writer of medical treatises. This book paints a portrait of her extraordinary life against the turbulent medieval background of crusade and schism, scientific discovery and cultural revolution.