Tuesday 26 May 2015

Henry-Louis de La Grange 91st Birthday


Today is the 91st birthday of Professor Henry-Louis de La Grange  His work on Gustav Mahler is a monument, to the composer, to music, and to proper scholarship. Conductors interpret, listeners listen, but scholars provide the materials others can build upon.  That's why I firmly believe that Professor de La Grange has done more than anyone else to increase our knowledge of Mahler, giving us the means to develop our interpretations, and to evaluate the interpretations of others. Professor de La Grange's work has enhanced our understanding of Mahler as a deeply intellectual, thoughtful man, whose symphonies form a trajectory of musical and extra-musical ideas. The greater the insight,  the greater the chances are of true understanding

Professor de La Grange has dedicated his life  to a great cause,  His father was a pioneering aviator, who served the community. His mother was a patron of the arts, encouraging some great names before they became famous. Their son continued that tradition of unselfish dedication to higher things, yet always with the kindness, generosity and humility that marks genuinely remarkable people,  In a world which seems to be descending into selfish barbaric ignorance,  Professor de La Grange, and his values, and the values Mahler espoused, stand as a beacon for civilization.

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