Preface
This review was the start of my second career, if such it be. It came about following an invitation from John Gilhooly to join him on a cruise down the Danube in the steps of Schubert in the summer of 2015. He had put together concerts in various locations which the composer had visited, and gathered first-class artists to perform them. These included Graham Johnson, the great Lieder pianist and scholar. Over dinner one night on the boat, Johnson complained that his magnum opus had received no reviews and inadequate notice. With post-prandial enthusiasm, I volunteered to try to fill the gap, and on my return persuaded Sam Leith at The Spectator to publish my review. It’s very obviously a first effort, and a rather purple piece of writing, but I still prefer the original version to the (heavily sub-edited) published copy.