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Lot Essay
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) was an English composer, best-known for composing the longest piece of piano work (Opus Clavicembalisticum, 1930). Born to Indian Zoroastrian and Spanish-Sicilian parents, he was exceptionally gifted as a pianist from a young age, and was largely self-taught as a composer.
A notoriously private man, Sorabji’s work remains renowned for its highly idiosyncratic mix of exoticism and sombreness. Sorabji considered performance a celebration - a rite rather than an act - which led him to impose a notorious ban on the public playing his works without his express consent, following a performance by pianist John Tobin which he found distressing. Following his death in 1988, his extraordinarily rich and complex output has gained a cult-like following.
We are very grateful to Robert Ansell for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
A notoriously private man, Sorabji’s work remains renowned for its highly idiosyncratic mix of exoticism and sombreness. Sorabji considered performance a celebration - a rite rather than an act - which led him to impose a notorious ban on the public playing his works without his express consent, following a performance by pianist John Tobin which he found distressing. Following his death in 1988, his extraordinarily rich and complex output has gained a cult-like following.
We are very grateful to Robert Ansell for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.