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Thompson, Damian
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
British court composer falls into disgrace
The British Master of the Queen's Music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies will not, as generally expected, write the wedding music for Prince William and Kate Middleton. The bridal couple has decided in favour of a composer whose name has yet to be made public. He has fallen into disgrace for his lack of patriotism, Damian Thompson suspects in his blog for the conservative paper The Daily Telegraph: "Last November, Sir Peter announced that he would not 'legitimise' the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan by wearing a poppy or attending Remembrance Day services. He intended this as a political statement - but that's not how it will have been interpreted by Buckingham Palace, which shares the view of the British public that gestures and services of remembrance transcend politics. ... You cannot publicly trash national symbols that the Queen holds dear and then expect to be honoured at her grandson's wedding."
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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Society, » United Kingdom
Russian pianist garners cirtical acclaim
Yevgeny Sudbin, a 25-year-old Russian immigrant living in southeast England, who won his first international piano competition at the age of 10, receives high accolades from interviewer Damian Thompson. "Following the release of two CDs this year, critics are prophesying that Sudbin - who spent part of his childhood in the basement of a refugee hostel - will be one of the greatest pianists of the new century. 'In terms of aristocratic poise, he matches even [Italian-born Arturo Benedetti]Michelangeli,' wrote Julian Haylock, editor of International Piano magazine, of Sudbin's debut disc, a Scarlatti recital issued by Bis. 'This is staggering playing, so spontaneously alive that one can scarcely believe it was taped in the studio'."
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More from the press review on the subject » Culture, » United Kingdom
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