I wrote of Jessica Duchen’s Beethoven novel Immortal: ‘One of the most astute commentators on classical music in the UK today weaves an utterly convincing narrative from the discovery – after the composer’s death – of a love letter in his handwriting addressed only to his ‘Immortal Beloved’’. So it comes as no surprise that Duchen’s Ghost Variations (from the same publisher) is equally beguiling and this time possesses a bifurcated appeal: as well as being catnip to lovers of serious music – with a violin concerto by Robert Schumann at the centre of the narrative – it also functions as a highly efficient genre piece. As the pianist András Schiff puts it, the novel ‘reads like a thriller, yet it’s also a tribute to great music and musicians’.
The premise here is that during a ouija board session in 1933 London, the real-life Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Aranyi finds herself contacted by the composer Schumann, sending her on a quest to discover and perform his violin concerto which has been long suppressed. Aided by her sister and a friend (both keen spiritualists) the doughty d’Aranyi undertakes the challenge from beyond the grave. However, there are other interested parties – important members of the Third Reich in Berlin are also on the trail of the concerto, planning to use it for propaganda purposes.
There is a tricky balancing act at play in Duchen’s mesmerising narrative: the interface between an intelligently written literary novel with a musical theme and the imperatives of the thriller – in other words, the synthesis required of elegantly written prose and a straightforward page turner. To say that the author pulls off this legerdemain is hardly a surprise, on the evidence of Jessica Duchen’s previously published work. But perhaps the main achievement here is the rounded character she forges for the violinist Jelly d’Aranyi. And the fact that Duchen is working on a biography of the celebrated pianist Myra Hess will be welcome news to music lovers and readers – Ghost Variations is the perfect appetite whetter for any future musical endeavours by this writer.
Ghost Variations by Jessica Duchen is published by Unbound.
