Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.One of the most heartening sights of 2024 was seeing Michael Tilson Thomas conducting again. Three years after being diagnosed with brain cancer he was back with high-profile performances of several of the most demanding Mahler symphonies in London and New York.MTT, as he is known to his colleagues, was born on December 21 1944, so this weekend marks his 80th birthday. There have been many tributes to him as a conductor, but this four-disc set focuses on his parallel, if more modest, career as a composer.As in his conducting, MTT proves to be master of many styles. He has described his output as echoing the “musical journey” of his life, embracing not only the core classics, but jazz, Broadway and much more.The most substantial of the 18 works here involve the human voice. From the Diary of Anne Frank accompanies extracts from Frank’s diary, eloquently read by Isabel Leonard, with music of innocence and wonder. Two others — Poems of Emily Dickinson, with Renée Fleming in radiant voice, and Meditations on Rilke, sung by Sasha Cooke and Ryan McKinny — raid every style from Schubert and Mahler to a sea shanty and a 1930s supper club.The rest make a highly entertaining pick‘n’mix that takes in the sunny, Italian-flavoured Notturno, memories of Bali in Island Music and the improvisatory-like piano solos of Upon Further Reflection. The performances, involving a starry array of soloists and orchestras, are first-rate. A handsome booklet includes photos and the composer’s own notes.★★★★☆‘Grace: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas’ is released by Pentatone
