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Richard Blackford writes of his composition Niobe: "Niobe was commissioned by the Czech Philharmonic and first performed at the Rudolphinum, Prague, on November 11th, 2017. The violin soloist was Tamsin Waley-Cohen and the Czech Philharmonic was conducted by Ben Gernon. Niobe, daughter of Tantalus and wife of King Amphion of Thebes, gave birth to seven sons and seven daughters. At the annual celebration in honour of Leto, goddess of motherhood and protector of the young, Niobe boasts that she is greater than the goddess by virtue of the fact that Leto only has two children, Apollo and Artemis, whereas she has seven times as many. Leto, enraged, sends Apollo to kill all her sons, and Artemis to kill all her daughters. Her husband Amphion, devestated, kills himself. Niobe is turned into stone on Mount Sipylus and, as she weeps ceaselessly, waters cascade down her rock face."
