Is music the food of love? It’s possibly the best way ever to create a mood, as fans of horror movies and thrillers know too well. As a writer, I’ve used music both to create believable characters and as inspiration. In my crime thriller After The Interview, only Jed, who adores classical music, appreciates Melissa’s talent for playing it. When relationships, high-flying corporate careers and finances fall apart, music is their safety net and the thread that connects them.
Another writer who loves the classics is Bristol’s Tim Davidson, who was fascinated by an opera rumoured to have been written by Mozart and then lost before it could be performed. Eventually, he wrote The Bloomsbury Manuscript (part modern mystery, part historical fiction), with an intriguing cast of womanisers, musicians and Mafiosi. Again, music is the thread that binds them together, and gives the reader a mystery to solve.
Does classical music do it for you? If it does, here are three concerts to try:
In Birmingham, the CBSO – arguably the best orchestra in Britain – is currently touring Europe, but they’re back on 17th June with Mahler’s Symphony No 3 and a short, cutting-edge piece, ‘Lakes Awake At Dawn’ by Latvian Eriks Esenvalds.
Bristol’s premier choir, the City of Bristol Choir, are raising funds for the local Children’s Hospital on 20th June with light and lovely classics by John Rutter – who’s turning up to conduct them himself.
London’s Elysian Singers are bringing Handel and Bach to Dore in Herefordshire on 4th July and London on 9th July.
But back to fiction – it’s not just about the classics. Rock musician Ryan Davis’ 27 draws heavily on his own experiences. Rocketed to stardom, creative minds find themselves under pressure from every direction: greedy managers, drug suppliers, and an intrusive media whose curiosity is seemingly insatiable.
If this has whetted your appetite for music in fiction – do check out any of the above, especially thriller After The Interview!
