#7 Myra Hess: National Treasure, with Jessica Duchen

Show notes

This episode is particularly close to my heart as it marks my upcoming debut performance at the National Gallery in London on the 10th of October 2024, in honor of 85 years since Myra Hess’s legendary wartime concerts. I couldn’t think of a more fitting guest to join me in celebrating this milestone than the renowned journalist and author Jessica Duchen.

Jessica Duchen held editorial posts with several music magazines, including editing Britain’s first independent piano magazine, before going freelance to concentrate on writing. Following 12 years with The Independent up to 2016, she now contributes to the Sunday Times, the I News and BBC Music Magazine.  She has written seven novels on musical topics, most recently Immortal (2020), capturing the tragic love story behind Beethoven’s ‘Immortal Beloved’ letter. Ghost Variations (2016) is based on the true story of the Schumann Violin Concerto’s rediscovery in the 1930s. John Suchet chose it as his Best Read for the Daily Mail’s Christmas Books. As a librettist Jessica works regularly with the composer Roxanna Panufnik. Their community opera Dalia was premiered at Garsington Opera in summer 2022 and won an Excellence in Music Education Award, while Silver Birch, also for Garsington, was shortlisted for an International Opera Award in 2018. Meanwhile Jessica often creates concert dramas and narrated concerts which have been heard at the Wigmore Hall, The Sage Gateshead and Kings Place, plus numerous festivals in the UK, France and Australia. Having written three biographies – Korngold, Fauré and the London Chamber Orchestra – Jessica is currently working on a new book about Dame Myra Hess, due out next spring from Kahn & Averill. It is the first biography of the great pianist since 1976 and contains material from letters and diaries that has never been published before.

Who was Myra Hess, and what important role did she play during the Second World War at the iconic National Gallery? How did Rachmaninoff respond when she pointed out that he had learned a wrong note in Schumann's Carnaval? And much more!