
This week we've said goodbye to two figures who have been absolutely central to the music world for as long as I can remember. The other day, the great Swedish soprano Elisabeth Söderstr öm passed away. Now, too, the scholar H.C.Robbins Landon, author of renowned tomes about Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, at the age of 83.
The Guardian has been quick to respond to both, with a touching personal reminiscence of Söderström from Martin Kettle here (though I promise him that not all music critics wear anoraks...) and an obit of Robbins Landon here.
As a tribute to both, here is the quartet from Beethoven's Fidelio, starring Söderström as Leonora. With Elizabeth Gale, Ian Caley and Curt Appelgren, in the old classic Peter Hall production at Glyndebourne, LPO conducted by Bernard Haitink.
Post your comment
Jessica Duchen is a music journalist and the author of four novels, two biographies and several stage works. She writes regularly for The Independent and BBC Music Magazine. Her latest novel, Songs of Triumphant Love, is published by Hodder.
- We Told You So
- Sir Raymond Carr in Standpoint
- Conduct Unbecoming: The Classical Commentaries of Norman Lebrecht in Standpoint
- Chronicling The Crash: A Standpoint Ebook
- Grounds for Hope
- Is Islam a Peaceful Religion? Daniel Johnson at the Oxford Union
- Standpoint's Autumn Salons
- Win Tickets to the Inaugural Standpoint Salon
- Lawson Collects on Climate Change Bet
- The Cabinet meeting that kept Salman Rushdie alive
- Friends of Russia or Friends of Putin?
- Russia's Win-Win Election
- The Kremlin Plays Old Tricks With Pussy Riot
- A Pyrrhic Victory for Georgian Democracy
- Abandoned in Moscow
- Standpoint's New Facebook Page
- No need to pander to the Bear, Mr Obama
- Govemania
- Standpoint Recommends: The Tacitus Lecture 2012
- Goodbye, Vienna
- Friends Indeed — Daniel Johnson on Gertrude Himmelfarb
- New Culture Forum Lecture: Jeremy Hunt
- Kangaroo Courts Arrive Down Under
- The BBC's painful novelties
- Money can't buy you love - Nichi Hodgson
- World Youth Day Diary: Day Four
- World Youth Day Diary: Day Three


















