Author Archives: mj263

About mj263

Music Collections Supervisor at Cambridge University Library. Wide musical interests. Often to be found stuck in a composer's archive, or enthusing about antiquarian music.

Greek fire

Posted on 11 October 2019

The Cambridge Greek Play, a triennial event, will be staged next week. In 2019, it tells the tragic story of Oedipus at Colonus. There will also be a Greek play symposium, taking place on Sunday 20th October. The performance of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Waiting for Miss Julie

Posted on 4 October 2019

William Alwyn’s opera Miss Julie, received its London concert premiere at the Barbican on Thursday 3rd October 2019. It was one of Alwyn’s favourite works, but had a long and difficult history. Its concert staging was of particular interest for those … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Jam, Jerusalem, and musical innovations

Posted on 13 September 2019

The very first branch of the Women’s Institute in the United Kingdom was formed 104 years ago this week in a small village with a very long name, Llanfair PG, on Anglesey. Originally formed in Canada in 1897, the WI … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wood at the Proms

Posted on 6 September 2019

2019 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Henry Wood. The British conductor’s name is inextricably linked with that of the Proms – probably the most famous music festival in the world. Although there had been promenade concerts … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

To celebrate, to commemorate: A long weekend

Posted on 16 August 2019

It’s not as though music festivals are a new thing. The Proms will celebrate their 125th birthday in their current form next year, while the Bayreuth Festival is even earlier dating back to 1876. A programme for the “Dr. Who” … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The happy pianist and assorted oddities

Posted on 9 August 2019

Kate has been working recently on a selection of books that were donated initially to the Pendlebury Library. Not quite suitable for their collection, they came over here to the Pen’s sister library, the UL’s Music Department. One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hunting for dragons, cam(e)ls, and musical lions in Krakow

Posted on 2 August 2019

I’ve just returned from a delightful fortnight in Krakow, part business, part holiday. The business part, thanks to Cambridge University Library, and the Music Libraries Trust, was spent at IAML (pronounced Yam-Ull)’s annual congress. Having been involved with IAML (UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment