3 January: In
Rotterdam for a concert of music by Stravinsky, Hindemith, Antheil, Bernstein,
Schuller and Weill, given at De Doelen by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra,
and conducted - on the occasion of his 60th birthday - by HK Gruber (who
sings as well as conducts the Weill numbers forming the second half of the
programme).
4 January-24 February:
Severe viral infection - all work discontinued.
17 January: Cambridge
University Press have taken over the responsibility of publishing Tempo,
which for 63 years has been published in London by Boosey & Hawkes. On 17
January, the Syndicate of the University confirm the formation of an
internationally based Advisory Board of musicologists, composers, critics, and
writers (including Drew).
26 February-13 August:
Article on Royal Palace for Andrew Porter Festschrift.
4-14 March: "What's
Happened to German Music?"; manuscript for later publication.
20 March: With
objectives re-defined in terms of 'regime change' and an end to the alleged
threat from 'weapons of mass destruction', Iraq is invaded by American and
British forces representing, in the words of President George W. Bush, a
'coalition of the willing'. The immediate significance of this pre-emptive
strike is clearer than the likely consequences in the medium and long term.
Meanwhile, the event marks a turning-point that cannot safely be ignored in any
corner of the 'Western' world, however sequestered - the musical world, whether
classical, popular or unpopular (i.e. contemporary classical) being no
exception.
20-24 March: D in
France.
22 March; To the
Musée Maurice Ravel at Montfort l'Amaury - otherwise known as 'La
Belvédère'. The house was occupied by Ravel from 1921 until his
death in 1937, and until now it has been faithfully preserved as the home he
lived and worked in, having decorated and 'composed' it, room by room, in
characteristic and loving detail. Handmade wallpapers he and his brother had
produced and installed may no longer be as smooth and spotless as once they
were; yet they remain unique and are inimitable. Here and there, one may
observe a frayed curtain, a chipped corner, or a patch of crinkled and curling
paintwork - but only as part of a pattern of continuity with the creator of,
say, the Chansons Madécasses or the G major piano concerto.
(Inevitably something of that pattern will be lost as a result of the
refurbishments scheduled for the autumn of 2003 by well-meaning civic and
ministerial authorities).
On this quiet Saturday
afternoon, the museum's Curator, Mme. Moreau, ushers the two Japanese visitors
and the three English ones into Ravel's 'salon de musique' and cordially
invites anyone who so wishes to try the piano. Daunted perhaps by the
surroundings, each defers to the other and no-one comes forward - much to Mme.
Moreau's disappointment. Her invitation is renewed, almost as if the health and
well-being of the instrument depended upon it. The appeal succeeds. Seating
himself at the piano - a fine one, in excellent condition - D plays the last
page of Oiseaux tristes. To this, one of the Japanese visitors - who has
been admiring Ravel's remarkable collection of Oriental artefacts and objets
d'art - responds with a spirited rendering of Chopsticks. In the
circumstances, as well as in the interest of symmetry, D feels obliged to
conclude the impromptu recital, and does so via the first pages and the final
bars of L'Enfant et les Sortilèges.
23 March: Informal
visit to Madeleine Milhaud. The pages in front of her in the picture
above are a print-out of the Milhaud section from this website (see Composers).
1 April: Friends and
former colleagues of Oliver (Tim) Neighbour are invited to join
him at a reception held in London on the occasion of his 80th
birthday.
April-October:
100-page essay on Boris Blacher for the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. 25%
of text cut and reserved for subsequent English language edition.
Summer/Autumn: Sifting
and collating the manuscripts, performance material and music-related papers of
Christopher Shaw, at the request of the heirs of
his widow Jean Shaw.
16 September: Sing
Ariel, a collection of essays in honour of Alexander Goehr, is launched in
London. For DD's contribution, Articles, Essays,
Reviews.
31 October: After six
months of uninterrupted work, D completes a 32,000-word essay on Boris Blacher
for a centenary volume to be published under the auspices of the Archive of the
Academy of Arts in Berlin. |