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Walton, William

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From his early years as a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, to his old age on the Italian island of Ischia, Sir William Walton was a tireless correspondent. Spontaneous and naturally fluent, his letters build up a detailed self-portrait of one of England's finest 20th-century composers. The remarkable gallery of friends and colleagues to whom he wrote included: Osbert Sitwell, Siegfried Sassoon, Laurence Olivier, Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin. This selection contains new information about his compositions, notably his opera Troilus and Cressida. Much is also revealed of Walton's liaisons with the women in his life. The letters, many published here for the first time, have been annotated throughout, and the book includes previously unpublished photographs of the composer and his circle. This is a book for all who love Walton's music, with its unique blend - like the letters themselves - of individual flair, English romanticism, and Italian warmth. William Walton was the leading British composer of the generation that followed Elgar, Holst and Delius. Among his works that have achieved lasting fame are Facade, Belshazzar's Feast and the opera Troilus and Cressida. In 1945 he composed the music for Laurence Olivier's highly successful film of Henry V.

Composers --- Walton, William, --- Walton, William --- Correspondence

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"William Walton's reputation has never been higher - his masterworks remain firm favourites with public and performers, notably his eloquent concertos, his dramatic cantata Belshazzar's Feast, his vivid film scores (such as Henry V), his powerful First Symphony and the sparkling entertainment Facade." "Born in the cotton town of Oldham, Walton's life was transformed when he won a choral scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford. He soon lost his Lancashire accent but never his innate canniness. His remarkable creative gifts were spotted by the Sitwell family, who encouraged him to quit university, live with them in Jazz-Age London and earn his living purely as a composer." "An idyllic relationship with a beautiful German princess ended in emotional turmoil that nearly scuppered his First Symphony. But then Walton became the lover of Alice, Viscountess Wimborne (22 years his senior), a powerful society hostess who guided his career and chose the librettist for his first opera Troilus and Cressida. Within a year of her death he met the vivacious 22 year old Susana Gil Passo, marrying her after a whirlwind courtship. On their honeymoon he announced that he did not want children and intended to live in Italy. They settled on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, eventually acquiring a plot of rocky hillside land upon which they developed the villas and estate of La Mortella, now one of Italy's best-known gardens. A knighthood in 1951 was followed by other honours but his final years were dogged by ill health and a depressing sense of creative impotence."--Jacket.

Composers --- Walton, William, --- Walton, William Turner, --- Uolton, Uilʹi︠a︡m, --- Walton, William --- Great Britain --- Biography

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Music and literature --- Musique et littérature --- Muziek en literatuur --- Walton, William --- History --- Walton, William, --- Criticism and interpretation. --- Criticism and interpretation