Summary of Norman Lebrecht's Genius & Anxiety

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#1 In 1846, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, a composer, came to visit his sister, Fanny, in Berlin. He had a present for her: a proof copy of his new piano trio in C minor, a work of joyous vivacity.

#2 Felix’s relationship with his sister was very close, but he never allowed her to publish any of her songs. He was afraid that her piano works might hurt his reputation.

#3 In 1847, Felix died of a stroke, just like his mother. He had been exhausted from conducting and painting, and his hands had gone numb. He had been conducting six morbid Lieder, opus 71, when his hands lost sensation.

#4 The death of Felix Mendelssohn, at 38, reminds people of Mozart’s at a similar age. His reputation falls like a cemetery angel in a winter storm. Wagner, in his mid-thirties, seizes the opportunity to discredit him and prove his own credentials.

© 2022 IRB Media (Ebook): 9781669398967

Release date

Ebook: 29 April 2022