Christopher Lawrence is inspired by the love affairs of some of the great composers

Fans of Christopher Lawrence’s ABC Radio Classic FM program should brace themselves before reading his new book, Symphony of Seduction — The Great Love Stories of Classical Composers.

Though the broadcaster says he “would never present or come across as an erotic radio presenter”, there are many racy moments in this collection of stories on the ill-fated love affairs and occasional triumphs of 11 brilliant classical composers, including Mozart, Berlioz, Debussy and Wagner.

“You write what looks good,” says Lawrence, who lives at Fern Tree with his wife, baroque violinist Julia Fredersdorff of Van Diemen’s Band, and their two children.

“It’s written for people who may like the Mills & Boon genre, but I haven’t imitated it. The book is a bit of a sales pitch to people who may not be your typical classical music listener. You shouldn’t look at the cover and think, I don’t know much about composers so I’ll stay away. The book shows the disjunction between people who can organise the world on paper and have an exalted cerebral existence, but are hopeless at getting things right on a practical level.”

The book’s 11 richly re-imagined stories are the result of extensive research, conducted over 12 months, and follow his earlier book, Swooning: A Classical Music Guide to Life, Love,

Lust and Other Follies. Many of the tales depict quintessentially eccentric musical geniuses who embark on darkly outlandish misadventures. “Love, sex, delirium and a lust for revenge combined into a Romantic nightmare for French composer Hector Berlioz [1803-1869]”, writes Lawrence by way of introduction to Berlioz’s love story.

Imagined pillow talk is exquisitely realised, as in the chapter on 17th century composer Alessandro Stradella, “brilliant, bad and dangerous to know during the Italian middle Baroque”. “You stroke me, and I’ll sing,” Stradella’s lover tells him.

“It’s a considered book and it’s smack full of research,” Lawrence says. “[The stories] are all essentially true — the timelines and sequence of events — they’re all absolutely correct. Of course, you have to speculate about some of the dialogue and pillow talk and you have to twist it around a bit to give it more narrative flow.”

Lawrence’s irreverent broadcaster’s voice is present throughout the book. His tone is assured and the prose is short, sharp and punchy. It’s a fast-paced and fun read — possibly best enjoyed as it was intended: while listening to the music that inspired it.

“The book quite explicitly refers to specific pieces of music and we thought there’s a playlist in it. I wrote it very much with the music in mind,” Lawrence says.

“The music is a great inspiration for me and it is woven into the fabric of the narrative. Music seems to propel a lot of creative thought. Most of the composers written of here were much better at writing music than anything else.”

Symphony of Seduction, Black Inc, $29.99. The Symphony of Seduction album is also available to purchase. Visit shop.abc.net.au for more information