One doesn't need to delve very deeply into music history to notice how many composers have had children who followed their father's careers, with J.S. Bach and his several musically successful sons being the most obvious example. Generally, the younger composer either has foundered under the weight of his/her father's reputation (Siegfried Wagner, Soulima Stravinsky), or eclipsed it (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Strauss II, Richard Strauss), but it's unusual for two generations of composers to have achieved approximately ...
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One doesn't need to delve very deeply into music history to notice how many composers have had children who followed their father's careers, with J.S. Bach and his several musically successful sons being the most obvious example. Generally, the younger composer either has foundered under the weight of his/her father's reputation (Siegfried Wagner, Soulima Stravinsky), or eclipsed it (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Strauss II, Richard Strauss), but it's unusual for two generations of composers to have achieved approximately the same degree of fame and success. Such is the case with Lennox and Michael Berkeley. The elder Berkeley, roughly a contemporary of Michael Tippett's, was overshadowed by Britten and Tippett, but enjoyed a solid reputation in Britain and had a prodigious output. His son Michael (born 1948) has made a name for himself with his orchestral music and his two operas, Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, based on Kipling, and an unusually compact and compelling version of Jane Eyre.Chandos has...
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