Stuart Isacoff
Piano Man
Mozart: The Reign of Love
By Jan Swafford
Faber & Faber 832pp £30
There is no lack of published biographical material on Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (1756–91), the singular musical genius who put the piano concerto on the map, birthed some of the greatest operas in the repertoire and left behind him a stream of glorious melodies. He was also, from the evidence of his letters, uncouth and childish to the end. Accounts of his short life and his music have ranged from Maynard Solomon’s psychological profile and Jane Glover’s exploration of ‘Mozart’s women’ to Hermann Abert’s hefty biography, which is based on the classic 19th-century work of Otto Jahn and filled with historical detail and perceptive music analysis.
Mozart’s story is that of a sensitive soul with freakish talent who displayed his gifts early on, performing on the keyboard at royal courts with his sister while still a child. He was buffeted by ill fortune, sickness and an overbearing father incessantly chasing after rewards from uncaring patrons. One
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Knowledge of Sufism increased markedly with the publication in 1964 of The Sufis, by Idries Shah. Nowadays his writings, much like his father’s, are dismissed for their Orientalism and inaccuracy.
@fitzmorrissey investigates who the Shahs really were.
Fitzroy Morrissey - Sufism Goes West
Fitzroy Morrissey: Sufism Goes West - Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah by Nile Green
literaryreview.co.uk
Rats have plagued cities for centuries. But in Baltimore, researchers alighted on one surprising solution to the problem of rat infestation: more rats.
@WillWiles looks at what lessons can be learned from rat ecosystems – for both rats and humans.
Will Wiles - Puss Gets the Boot
Will Wiles: Puss Gets the Boot - Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Twisters features destructive tempests and blockbuster action sequences.
@JonathanRomney asks what the real danger is in Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/eyes-of-the-storm