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A world spiralling towards war. A composer descending into madness. And a devoted woman struggling to keep her faith in art and love against all the odds.

About the Author

Jessica specialises in words for, with and about music. Her work includes novels, biographies, journalism, plays, words&music performances, poetry for musical setting, and the libretto for Roxanna Panufnik's opera SILVER BIRCH (Garsington Opera, 2017). Born in London, she studied music at Cambridge and piano with Joan Havill.

Her latest novel, GHOST VARIATIONS, tells "the strangest detective story in music", based on the true story of the bizarre rediscovery, and Nazi propaganda conscription, of Schumann's long-suppressed violin concerto.

Jessica often presents narrated concerts based on her novels, appearing at venues including the Wigmore Hall, the International Wimbledon Festival, the Buxton Festival, The Sage Gateshead and a number of music societies. Her play A WALK THROUGH THE END OF TIME has been staged many times to introduce Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, performed by actors including Harriet Walter & Henry Goodman and Janet Suzman & Michael Pennington.

Jessica's biographies of the composers Gabriel Fauré and Erich Wolfgang Korngold for Phaidon's 20th Century Composers series have met with wide acclaim. She was a classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016 and her journalism has also appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and other specialist publications. Her music blog "JDCMB", http://jessicamusic.blogspot.com, has attracted more than 2.8m readers.

Jessica lives in London with her violinist husband and two fluffy cats. She loves long walks, cooking, ballet, theatre and scouring second-hand bookshops for out-of-print musical gems.

Watch an interview with Jessica by Melanie Spanswick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vv_rTlnB-g

Watch a preview of the Schumann Violin Concerto in which Jessica tells its story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MqId5hqql0

Reviews

"A thrilling read" – John Suchet, The Daily Mail Christmas Books Choice, on GHOST VARIATIONS

"Duchen has a rare talent which is increasingly being recognised" – Gavin Esler

"Enthralling...Jessica writes with an unpredictable and original voice and a dazzling perceptiveness" – Joanna Lumley

"Schumann's lost concerto and a virtuoso femme fatale keep you gripped and guessing in Ghost Variations. Set in 1930s London, this musical mystery by Jessica Duchen strikes a hot-blooded tune with grace notes from beyond the grave...Duchen’s orchestration of such intrigue merits great applause." – The Jewish Chronicle on GHOST VARIATIONS

"Schumann's wonderful violin concerto has a tragic history unlike any other piece of music. In this splendid new novel Jessica Duchen manages to find the fine balance between facts and fiction.Her book reads like a thriller yet it's also a tribute to great music and musicians." – Sir András Schiff on GHOST VARIATIONS