I’ve always loved Edward Lear’s nonense poetry. I discovered this delightfully quirky setting by Stravinsky on what turned out to be the penultimate weekend of normal life when mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska sang it in the concert after our Samling Masterclass. Ema told me afterwards that it was the last piece Stravinsky wrote, which I found rather touching – and it suits the oddities of the poem rather nicely.
Introducing Ailsa Dixon’s Music
Composer Ailsa Dixon studied at Durham in the 1950s. Ahead of a concert celebrating her music, her daughter Josie Dixon tells Ailsa’s story and introduces the music on the programme.