It's wonderful that Burgess's music continues to receive growing attention. In addition to the Naxos recordings mentioned in the article was the earlier recording of the guitar quartets with the Aighetta Quartet, which I believe was a commercial recording (and the first of his music?). That recording, and those works, remain my favorites of the few I've had a chance to hear.
Yes, the Aighetta Quartet was an important recording. Sadly, it no longer seems to be available to buy on CD. The Méla Quartet recording of the Complete Guitar Quartets adds a number of 'new' pieces for guitar which were missing from the previous CD.
"...when he knew time was running out," —so terribly sad. One wonders what he thought about his Villiger Export and Café Crème cigars then? For his sake I hope he, like Hitchens, regarded them as the necessary fuel which had allowed him to lead a full life.
Another end of life matter intrigues me: he became friendly with Robertson Davies at the end of his life. Davies was a Canadian author (little known outside Canada but well worth exploring) who had achieved a similar Grand Old Man status. I wonder if any correspondence between them survives?
They met at a literature festival in Toronto in 1986, where they gave a joint reading. For Robertson Davies on Burgess, see his review of Little Wilson and Big God, first published in the New York Times on 22 February 1987, and later reprinted in The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies.
There is some correspondence between Burgess and Robertson Davies at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. At the Burgess Foundation, there are thousands of letters, but they have not been fully catalogued yet, so it is possible there are more. Robertson Davies's novel Rebel Angels is on Burgess's list of his favourite Ninety-Nine Novels, and one day there'll be a podcast about it!
It's wonderful that Burgess's music continues to receive growing attention. In addition to the Naxos recordings mentioned in the article was the earlier recording of the guitar quartets with the Aighetta Quartet, which I believe was a commercial recording (and the first of his music?). That recording, and those works, remain my favorites of the few I've had a chance to hear.
Yes, the Aighetta Quartet was an important recording. Sadly, it no longer seems to be available to buy on CD. The Méla Quartet recording of the Complete Guitar Quartets adds a number of 'new' pieces for guitar which were missing from the previous CD.
"...when he knew time was running out," —so terribly sad. One wonders what he thought about his Villiger Export and Café Crème cigars then? For his sake I hope he, like Hitchens, regarded them as the necessary fuel which had allowed him to lead a full life.
Another end of life matter intrigues me: he became friendly with Robertson Davies at the end of his life. Davies was a Canadian author (little known outside Canada but well worth exploring) who had achieved a similar Grand Old Man status. I wonder if any correspondence between them survives?
They met at a literature festival in Toronto in 1986, where they gave a joint reading. For Robertson Davies on Burgess, see his review of Little Wilson and Big God, first published in the New York Times on 22 February 1987, and later reprinted in The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies.
There is some correspondence between Burgess and Robertson Davies at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. At the Burgess Foundation, there are thousands of letters, but they have not been fully catalogued yet, so it is possible there are more. Robertson Davies's novel Rebel Angels is on Burgess's list of his favourite Ninety-Nine Novels, and one day there'll be a podcast about it!