Stephen Johnson
 

Slowly, cautiously perhaps, the classical music world is beginning to look again at some of the women composers it once marginalised or simply ignored. Stephen Johnson considers some of the more outstanding talents, and focuses on one woman composer who he feels achieved true greatness: Lili Boulanger, sister of the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger. Despite her painfully short life (she died at just 24), Boulanger managed in this short time to create not only exquisite songs, but some of the powerful and distinctive choral music written in the twentieth century. Though her message isn’t always a comfortable one, it is ultimately, Stephen argues, an important one - and by no means only for women.  

(N.B. Note earlier time)