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Acclaimed biographer and historical writer Lady Antonia Fraser discusses her life-long love of music and literature with the author and broadcaster Hugo Vickers. Their conversation will touch on the life of Caroline Norton, a pioneering women’s rights activist and the subject of Lady Antonia Fraser’s new book ‘The Case of the Married Woman’. This event also includes a performance of ‘Lady Antonia’s Songs’, a collection of four new songs composed by Stephen Hough, setting verse by Lady Antonia Fraser. 

Lady Antonia Fraser first sent a copy of ‘Verses to Please Myself’, from which the settings are taken, to Wigmore Hall’s Director, John Gilhooly, with a Christmas card in December 2020. Struck by the immediacy and musical potential of the verse, John Gilhooly approached pianist and composer Stephen Hough about commissioning a set of songs. The resulting works range from deeply personal introspection to the pizzazz of Broadway. They are performed here by mezzo soprano Kitty Whately and pianist Simon Lepper.