“Why should I care about a composer’s sexual tastes?” This is what one’s first reaction might be when confronted with a study that addresses LGBTQ issues from the perspective of classical music. This book challenges decades of heteronormative, sometimes hypocritical and biased popularization, and sheds light on the censored or sweetened aspects of composers and women composers we might count in the queer sphere today, under the critical assumption that knowing them more deeply is indispensable to better understand their art. From the ancient traces of the Baroque period to the “liberated” twentieth century of John Cage and Leonard Bernstein, passing through the Romantic storms and fin de siècle upheavals: an exciting gallery of characters, glimpses of life and atmospheres that, without yielding to gossip, offer the reader unprecedented perspectives on the cultural history of the West and, to the music lover, new tools for a more conscious listening experience. Preface by Franco Buffoni. (Source: IBS.co.uk)
Luca Ciammarughi is a pianist, writer and radio host. He has been on the air daily on Radio Classica since 2007. He studied with Paolo Bordoni at the Milan Conservatory, where he graduated with honors in piano and honorable mention in vocal chamber music.
