Anthony Burgess

‘I wish people would think of me as a musician who writes novels, instead of a novelist who writes music on the side,’ said Anthony Burgess. And the numbers back him up: yes, Burgess wrote an impressive 33 novels, but he also penned over 250 pieces of music, from piano miniatures to three symphonies. His operetta Blooms of Dublin was even broadcast by the BBC. Recently, there’s been some interest in Burgess’s music from performers; curious listeners can now hear pianist Richard Casey’s Burgess album on the Prima Facie label and Stephane Ginsburgh’s The Bad-tempered Electronic Keyboard (on Grand Piano).