William Walton Muse Of Fire

When In June 1923 A Bewildered Audience In Londons Aeolian Hall Heard Edith Sitwell Declaim Her 'faade' Poems Through A Megaphone, The 21-year-old William Walton - Conducting Behind A Painted Backcloth - Stood On The Threshold Of Fame. Throughout The 1920s And 1930s He Was Regarded As The White Hope Of British Music, And A Succession Of Works Including The Viola Concerto, 'belshazzars Feast' And The First Symphony More Than Fulfilled That Early Promise; He Was Also One Of The First Serious Composers To Be Involved In Films. Using First-hand Accounts, This Book Explodes The Myth Of 'faades' Riotous Reception, Examines Waltons Work In Both Films And Radio And, Through Contemporary Correspondence, Articles And Interviews - Wherever Possible In His Own Words - Explores Waltons Life And Troubled Times.