In this episode, the last of season one, Guy Livingston muses on muses, music, and museums. Hark back to the ancient Greeks, Renaissance memes, and to some amazing muses who changed art history: Alma Mahler, Katinka Pasveer, Kiki de Montparnasse, and Clara Schumann. Why is a muse a muse? Is it about eroticism, beauty, sexuality, or couple dynamics? Are some women just smarter than the men they champion? Are muses out-dated now in an era of improved (though still imperfect) gender equality? And I didn’t even get to talk about Frederick Chopin and Georges Sand, who were each other’s muses, and defied gender conventions of their era…
Listen and enjoy! (and see you in the autumn)
Muses Playlist:

* Gustav Mahler: Symphony number 2 –  Resurrection (Andante) conducted by Roger Norrington, SWR Radio Orchestra.
* Karlheinz Stockhausen: Katinka’s Gesang, performed by Katinka Pasveer, from the opera Licht
* Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet opus 47 (1st movement)
* Tom Lehrer: “Alma” for voice and piano, sung by Mr. Lehrer himself.

“You write to become immortal, or because the piano happens to be open, or you’ve looked into a pair of beautiful eyes.” – Robert Schumann