Few of the so-called ‘exiled composers’ were as controversial as Hanns Eisler. None since Wagner had written such copious and trenchant observations on society, politics and ethics in addition to writing about music.… Continue reading →

In nearly every book on Vienna’s fin de siècle, the only composers dealt with in depth, are Mahler and Schoenberg. It is, however, only a partial representation of what music was expressing at… Continue reading →

In the recent article on Egon Wellesz, I made a passing reference to the fact that there was already a page dealing with Eugenie Schwarzwald to be found as an earlier blog-entry. In… Continue reading →

„Toch! Sie sind ein Wahnsinniger! Aber Hindemith, was bilden Sie sich ein mit solchen Werken? Sie sind doch ein aufrichtiger Bürger!“ (‘Toch! You’re a madman! But Hindemith, what could you be thinking of, composing such… Continue reading →

Egon Wellesz was undoubtedly one of Vienna’s modernist masters, lost to the city and posterity after exile in 1938. He, along with Alban Berg and Anton Webern made up the original group of… Continue reading →

Being in Austria just as Conchita Wurst wins the Eurovision Song Contest throws up any number of issues. I didn’t watch – in fact, I have never watched a Euro-Vision song contest –… Continue reading →

In survey after survey, Austria follows the UK as the most euro-sceptic of all EU members, yet here in Vienna, the euro-elections have a dynamism that is unimaginable in Britain: there are television… Continue reading →

Sadly, for copyright reasons, I can’t upload the TLS review of ‘Forbidden Music’ to Facebook. But I can report that in an article entitled ‘By Authors Unknown’, Stephen Brown reviews three books along… Continue reading →

I’ve added another poster for a second centenary concert for Walter Wurzburger – the first concert poster can be seen below. A fascinating forgotten voice celebrates a centenary: Walter Wurzburger – or, as he must… Continue reading →