Shangri-La (1946 song) Shangri-La (1946 song) "Shangri-La" is a popular song written by bandleader Matty Malneck and Robert Maxwell in 1946 with lyrics by Carl Sigman. The term comes from "Shangri-La" as the hidden valley of delight in James Hilton's 1933 novel "Lost Horizon". The term "Shangri-La," especially in the 1930s and 1940s, was slang for heaven or paradise, and the song is about the joy of being in love. Composer Maxwell's instrumental version (saxophone/organ lead with brass and rhythm), which featured his harp solo, which is heard in the introduction as well as in the coda section of the song, charted in
Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings and leads them back to Paradise for "War." In the culminating battle, Logos accidentally stabs Extasis, and she dies in his arms. At one point in the story, the Choir of Angels performed a version of "Lux Aurumque" with modified lyrics. The Carnegie Hall performance on June 15, 2010 included a greatly altered story (Logos and Extasis are now lovers, not brother and sister, more choral singing, and was produced as a one act concert). Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings is a musical work of theatre, with music by composer Eric Whitacre, lyrics by Whitacre