{"id":11504,"date":"2022-01-26T13:19:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T12:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=162026"},"modified":"2022-01-26T13:38:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T12:38:11","slug":"kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Mosse: the bestselling author on why we should put women back into the story of classical music"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Freya Parr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Kate Mosse\u2019s career began behind the scenes in publishing as editorial director of Hutchinson. She has gone on to pen many historic and ghost fiction novels, as well as personal non-fiction books including An Extra Pair of Hands<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, which sheds light on her experience as a carer for her parents and mother-in-law. In 1996, Mosse co-founded the annual Women\u2019s Prize for Fiction<\/strong><\/a>, launched in response to an all-male Booker Prize shortlist. Her latest novel, The City of Tears<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, is out now in paperback. She spoke to\u00a0BBC Music Magazine<\/em>\u2018s Freya Parr<\/strong><\/a> about the music that has shaped her life.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"The\" city=\"\" of=\"\" tears=\"\" kate=\"\" mosse=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <p>When I was growing up in the 1960s and \u201970s, my parents had an old-fashioned copper turntable with two very old records that I played over and over again. They were my first experiences of hearing a big orchestral sound. One was Karajan\u2019s 1963 recording of <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-5\/"\"><strong>Beethoven\u2019s Fifth Symphony<\/strong><\/a> with the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/tag\/berlin-philharmonic-reviews\/"\"><strong>Berlin Philharmonic<\/strong><\/a>, which is often overlooked because of its popularity, but the way it builds drama is so brilliant. I did a lot of ballet when I was a child and remember watching the pianist, thinking I\u2019d rather be doing what they were doing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Berlin Philharmonic\/Herbert von Karajan<br\/><em>Deutsche Grammophon 477 7578<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" symphony=\"\" no.=\"\" in=\"\" c=\"\" minor=\"\" op.=\"\" allegro=\"\" con=\"\" brio=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" style=\""[object\" object=\"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0eBr9W1GE5nou99gRdy02J?si=bdbbfed2a1ff451c&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<p><em><strong>Read all our reviews of <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/tag\/berlin-philharmonic-reviews\/"\">Berlin Philharmonic recordings here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I later began piano lessons and used to listen to Julius Katchen\u2019s recording of <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-rachmaninovs-piano-concerto-no-2\/"\"><strong>Rachmaninov\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 2<\/strong> <\/a>with the New Symphony Orchestra of London. I remember trying to play the solo part along with a backing track I had on vinyl. If you lost your way, you\u2019d have to lift the record player\u2019s arm up and start again. It was very laborious \u2013 and was a piece well beyond my capabilities. At that point, I thought I was going to pursue music as a profession. Fortunately, I realised in the nick of time that I was a good-enough player\u2026 but that was it. I chose to study English at university instead and music then became a real pleasure, rather than work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 Julius Katchen; New Symphony Orchestra of London\/Anatole Fistoulari<br\/><em>P4Y SCDL 16093<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" piano=\"\" concerto=\"\" no.=\"\" in=\"\" c=\"\" minor=\"\" op.=\"\" i.=\"\" allegro=\"\" moderato=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" style=\""[object\" object=\"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/6Fnl6f9DOvaMRpOikYVkKW?si=bb1c672706cb4763&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<p><em><strong>Find out whether this made it into our round-up of the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-rachmaninovs-piano-concerto-no-2\/"\">best recordings of Rachmaninov\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 2 here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I fell in love with Russian music and went to the Soviet Union in 1987, where I happened upon a three-hour accordion concert, with 30 accordionists playing Russian music. Everyone took in their own flavoured vodka and kept their coats on because it was so cold. There was something extraordinary about hearing music by the great composers played in their homeland.<\/p>\n<p>When I used to be a publisher, I tried to collaborate on a book with the conductor Odaline de la Martinez, while she was preparing for the 1984 BBC Proms. I\u2019d never seen a woman on the podium when I was growing up. She was the first woman to conduct a Prom, which was so exciting. She wanted to write about the women\u2019s orchestras of the Italian convents, which sadly never ended up happening. My aim is to stand shoulder to shoulder with other women and support and promote their work. Trying to put women back into the story of classical music is so important.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Smyth: Serenade in D<br\/>\nBBC Philharmonic\/Odaline de la Martinez<br\/><em>Chandos CHAN9449<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" serenade=\"\" in=\"\" d=\"\" major:=\"\" i.=\"\" allegro=\"\" non=\"\" troppo=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" style=\""[object\" object=\"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1yDw58HG80PDRWQ3KVJzpO?si=5ed8ac8b4ff84817&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<p><em><strong>We named Odaline de la Martinez as one of the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-female-conductors\/"\">best living female conductors<\/a> and one of the 15 <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/15-people-who-made-the-proms-what-it-is-today\/"\">people who made the BBC Proms what it is today<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"smyth\" odaline=\"\" bbc=\"\" philharmonic=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <p>The only time listening to music has been part of my work was when I was working on my novel <em>Sepulchre<\/em>, in which Debussy appears as a character. I\u2019ve always loved the range of his compositions \u2013 the shimmering of light and the feeling of a languid afternoon. Of all his works, though, my favourite is the piano Prelude \u2018La cath\u00e9drale engloutie\u2019, because it\u2019s based on an old Breton folktale. I love ghost stories and the idea of a cathedral coming out of the sea and dipping back below the waves. Debussy always has a narrative to his music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Debussy: La cath\u00e9drale engloutie<br\/>\nNelson Freire (piano)<br\/><em>Decca 478 1111\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" pr=\"\" book=\"\" l.117:=\"\" la=\"\" cath=\"\" engloutie=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" style=\""[object\" object=\"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1ET9ioIReAAwmQJwnXshZE?si=779bb8387f4d400b&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Nelson\" freire=\"\" debussy=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <iframe title=\""Sepulchre"\" type=\""text\/html"\" width=\""336"\" height=\""550"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" style=\""max-width:100%"\" src=\""https:\/\/read.amazon.co.uk\/kp\/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_diY9sf5VxdcK64&asin=140915906X&tag=kpembed-20"\"\/>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Sepulchre\" kate=\"\" mosse=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <p>I write in silence. We don\u2019t have a lot of music in the house, because my mother-in-law Granny Rosie lives with us and wears a hearing aid, so music is difficult if it\u2019s not the focal point. She likes old musicals and songs of the 1930s and \u201940s, so we\u2019ll listen to music like that together. Mostly, though, I listen to music when I\u2019m driving and I tend to listen back to re-runs of Radio 3\u2019s programme Night Tracks. You never know what you\u2019re going to get. You\u2019re introduced to music you\u2019d have never found elsewhere, so end up listening to music from all kinds of musical traditions and cultures. Thanks to <a href=\""https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/m0008w2m"\"><strong>Night Tracks<\/strong><\/a>, I discovered Anne Dudley\u2019s album <em>Songs from the Victorious City<\/em> with Jaz Coleman. It\u2019s kind of world music, telling an epic story. You can almost imagine the sun rising and setting. Right from the shimmering sound at the beginning, it\u2019s like reading a novel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Songs from the Victorious City<br\/>\nAnne Dudley (keyboards)<br\/><em>China Records 847 098-2<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" minarets=\"\" and=\"\" memories=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" style=\""[object\" object=\"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/4h9wBNTpxEXjKRHZQ1tJeH?si=c2e7dcdcb4a7410c&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Songs\" from=\"\" the=\"\" victorious=\"\" city=\"\" anne=\"\" dudley=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <iframe title=\""An\" extra=\"\" pair=\"\" of=\"\" hands:=\"\" a=\"\" story=\"\" caring=\"\" and=\"\" everyday=\"\" acts=\"\" love=\"\" type=\""text\/html"\" width=\""336"\" height=\""550"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" style=\""max-width:100%"\" src=\""https:\/\/read.amazon.co.uk\/kp\/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_wId5icUBfWeEG8&asin=B08HHF6J35&tag=kpembed-20"\"\/>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"An\" extra=\"\" pair=\"\" of=\"\" hands=\"\" kate=\"\" mosse=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Freya Parr Published: Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at 12:00 am Kate Mosse\u2019s career began behind the scenes in publishing as editorial director of Hutchinson. She has gone on to pen many historic and ghost fiction novels, as well as personal non-fiction books including An Extra Pair of Hands, which sheds light on her experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":11505,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music.jpg",1299,1593,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music-245x300.jpg",245,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music-768x942.jpg",768,942,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music-835x1024.jpg",800,981,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music-1253x1536.jpg",1253,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/kate-mosse-the-bestselling-author-on-why-we-should-put-women-back-into-the-story-of-classical-music.jpg",1299,1593,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Freya Parr Published: Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at 12:00 am Kate Mosse\u2019s career began behind the scenes in publishing as editorial director of Hutchinson. She has gone on to pen many historic and ghost fiction novels, as well as personal non-fiction books including An Extra Pair of Hands, which sheds light on her experience…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/11504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}