Afterwards, he was told that the higher pitched noise was his nervous system, the lower his blood pumping through his veins. From this, Cage concluded that we are all making music all the time – we just don’t know it.
In 4′33″ the nominal performer, or performers, don’t perform for four minutes and 33 seconds (with breaks in between the three movements), while the audience listen to whatever sounds are happening around them. Visiting Harvard’s anechoic chamber, Cage noticed that in this supposedly silent space he could still make out two faint, constant sounds. Although 4′33″ is often referred to as John Cage’s “silent piece” – the composer himself used the term – part of its point is to demonstrate that the concept of silence is at odds with reality.

In a world of car journalism almost entirely made up of middle-aged men acting like pubescent thrill-seekers, this is about as controversial an admission as I could make. For ticket information call 020-7304 4000/ . But Peter Sellars got me through that one with a comment I’ve never forgotten. He said: ‘Go out there, think of your shoe-size, and just do it.’”This was good advice I’ve done it many times since, and it works. I recommend it.”‘Les Contes d’Hoffmann’ opens at the Royal Opera House, London WC2, on 22 January, and runs to 17 February. I was pleased.”Anything else he shies away from?”There were times when I avoided Tarquinius in Rape of Lucretia because I didn’t like the idea of being a rapist.

Then I thought, wait a minute: why not? Could it be that I’m trying to protect my race? This is absurd.”So I did it. And after the first night there was a reception at which a man came right up to my face and said: ‘I don’t like you.’ I said: ‘Well, OK.’ And he said: ‘I don’t like you because tonight you’ve made me think seriously about things in my life.’ Then he walked out and I thought: that’s a very good comment I haven’t wasted my time here. But OK, I see where she’s coming from.”There was a Pelleas in Los Angeles that happened to be taking place at the same time as the O J Simpson trial and where Peter Sellars, the director, had the Melisande look pregnant He wanted me to kick her in the stomach I said I couldn’t. You should see me trying to look human …”And what about looking villainous? The evil black man, the black devil: the kind of stereotype that political correctness was invented to eradicate.”That’s your problem not mine. I’m amused by people like the lady who came up to me recently after I’d sung Mephistopheles in Berlin, most concerned that someone of my colour should be playing the devil.

Hence the philosophising, the sermons and the various principles by which he rules his life. He says he never consciously “plays white” in any of his white roles And he never wears white make-up.”It doesn’t work You should see me trying to look white Huh! You should see me trying to look black. It was more ‘Here’s a black guy trying to be an opera singer’, which is subtler.”I once sang Prince Gremin in a production of Onegin where the Tatyana went to the director during rehearsals and said she couldn’t do this because a girl like Tatyana wouldn’t marry a black man The director said: ‘Oh, come on.’ And she did it. But how that woman suffered trying to play her part with a black husband.