Have you ever returned from a vacation reenergized and inspired to create? A trip to Italy inspired Englishman Edward Elgar to write an orchestral overture called, "In the South". Elgar spent time in the Italian Riviera town of Alassio where he had a "eureka" moment. He later wrote:
"Then in a flash, it all came to me - streams, flowers, hills; the distant snow mountains in one direction and the blue Mediterranean in the other; the conflict of the armies on that very spot long ago, where I now stood - the contrast of the ruin and the shepherd - and then, all of a sudden, I came back to reality. In that time I had composed the overture - the rest was merely writing it down."
Check out these other composers on vacation:
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| Respighi hanging at the beach with friends (2nd from right) |
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| Debussy catching some rays |
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| Esa-Pekka Salonen enjoying the outdoors |
