Suicide in an Airplane, written at a time when aeroplanes were made of little more than canvas and wood, is said to have been inspired by a newspaper article in which an aviator took his own life by crashing his plane into the ground. It doesn’t take too much imagination to hear the plane approach, circle over the listener and fly out again into the distance—although, of course, after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 the title and unremitting blackness of the music may carry more specific connotations for the modern listener.
from notes by Martin Anderson © 2002
