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Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell
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Great classical music inspired by books
10. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell
Frequently appearing high in charts of the best 20th century novels, George Orwell's vision of future dystopia Airstrip One – formerly known as Great Britain – was turned into an opera at Covent Garden by American conductor and composer Lorin Maazel in 2005. Reviews were scathing, The Guardian declaring that it was 'both shocking and outrageous that the Royal Opera…should be putting on a new opera of such wretchedness and lack of musical worth.'
