{"product_id":"william-walton-muse-of-fire-9780851158037","title":"William Walton  Muse of Fire","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis acclaimed biography draws on first-hand accounts, including new material on Walton's circle of the 20s and 30s; the composer's work in film a particular focus.\u003c\/b\u003eWhen in June 1923 a bewildered audience in London's Aeolian Hall heard Edith Sitwell declaim her \u003ci\u003eFaçade\u003c\/i\u003e poems through a megaphone, the 21-year-old William Walton - conducting behind a painted backcloth - stood on the threshold of fame. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s he was regarded as the white hope of British music, and a succession of works including the Viola Concerto, \u003ci\u003eBelshazzar's Feast\u003c\/i\u003e and the First Symphony more than fulfilled that early promise; he was also one of the first serious composers to be involved in films. Using first-hand accounts, this book explodes the myth of \u003ci\u003eFaçade's\u003c\/i\u003e riotous reception, examines Walton's work in both films and radio and, through contemporary correspondence, articles and interviews - wherever possible in his own words - explores Walton's life and troubled times. It brings to the fore his complex personality - \"remote, removed, distant\" in Laurence Olivier's words, in dynamic contrast with music of such vitality and drama. Composition for him was an arduous, often painful, process riddled with difficulties, uncertainties and self-doubts, and further complicated by severallove affairs (one being with Italy) that inspired his finest works. STEPHEN LLOYD's previous books include a biography of H. Balfour Gardiner and a collection of Eric Fenby's writings on Delius, which he edited. In addition to record sleeve notes, programme notes, reviews and articles, he has contributed to the \u003ci\u003ePercy Grainger Companion\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eStudies in Music Grainger Centennial Volume, An Elgar Companion\u003c\/i\u003e, and volumes on Delius, Waltonand Bliss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImmensely detailed, rich, and often fascinating anecdotal biography... * CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003eCareful in its judgments, copiously quoting from Walton's letters, and rich in appendices. * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *\u003cbr\u003eA helpful contribution to the slow but steady re-evaluation of Walton. * MUSIC AND LETTERS *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOldham and Oxford; Sitwellian patronage; poetry through a megaphone; the white hope of British music; \"throw in a couple of brass bands\"; unfinished - con malizia; a reel composer; films again - and radio; \"terribly dull without the music\"; Troilus and Ischia; \"desperate to find a tune\". Appendices: Lambert on Walton; Walton on Lambert; Walton on films; recording the music by Muir Mathieson; the \"Facade\" poems; reviews of \"Facade\"; list of works.","brand":"Boydell Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51768239718743,"sku":"9780851158037","price":29.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780851158037.jpg?v=1758717009","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/william-walton-muse-of-fire-9780851158037","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}