"He wanted it to be something that's consoling and helpful. It's the end of their lives where they can rest in peace." World renowned choral conductor Sir David Willcocks, shares his personal reflections on the Faure Requiem alongside those for whom the music has comforted and inspired. Known for its peaceful and hopeful nature the Faure Requiem has been called 'The lullaby of death'. Whilst Gabriel Faure himself never spoke directly about what inspired his interpretation of the Requiem, author ...
Sep 21, 2010•28 min
At the core of Czech cultural identity Bedrich Smetana’s Ma Vlast. Written in the late 19th century, it's a series of six symphonic poems. For a western audience the most popular and best loved is Vltava, a soundscape conjuring up vivid images of the river which runs through Prague. Jan Kaplan is a Czech born film-maker who has lived in the UK since 1968. He describes the 'educational concerts' he had to attend as a young boy when - bored to tears - he would endure long performances of Smetana's...
Sep 14, 2010•28 min
Stephen Sondheim's song, Send In the Clowns, from the musical 'A Little Night Music' was written late in rehearsals for the actress Glynis Johns, playing the part of Desiree. A song of regret and anger, the part has famously been played by Judi Dench, and the song became an independent hit, sung by Judy Collins, Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand. Hannah Waddingham played the youngest ever Desiree in Trevor Nunn's production, and used her memories of an unhappy relationship to inspire her perfo...
Sep 07, 2010•28 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Bach wrote his Goldberg Variations for harpsichord in the 1740s, but today it's performed by pianists all over the world. People describe the place these pieces have in their lives, including a neuroscientist from New York, pianist Angela Hewitt, a father driving his family through the night in the Australian Outback, and a woman from Oregon whose life was transformed, perhaps even saved, by this music. Produced by Sarah Conkey ...
Mar 23, 2010•28 min
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands is a spiritual song originating in the USA. But it first caught the public's attention when Laurie London took it to the top of the charts in 1958. In this programme, people describe the place that the song has in their lives. Including the conductor of a choir for refugees and asylum seekers and the minister who led prayers on President Obama's first day in office. There's also a performance from Washington Performing Arts Society's Children of the Gospel C...
Mar 16, 2010•27 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Dido's Lament is a popular name for a famous aria, 'When I am laid in earth', from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, with the libretto by Nahum Tate. Mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly talks about why she finds the piece, sung by the likes of Janet Baker and Emma Kirkby, so extraordinary, and the skill it takes to perform it. Composer and cellist Philip Shepperd's musical life was transformed when he was part of the rock sin...
Mar 09, 2010•28 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. When Mendelssohn wrote his Violin Concerto in 1844 he could hardly have imagined how famous and well loved it would become. In this programme, people tell how it has played an important part in their lives. Violinist Daniel Hope tells how he got caught practising this concerto secretly locked in the bathroom at school. Harry Atterbury remembers hearing the Mendelssohn for the first time on the night before a Second world War air...
Mar 02, 2010•28 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Based on Psalm 103, this hymn was written by Henry Francis Lyte, who also penned Abide With Me, and is most asssociated with the tune by John Goss - even though the two men never met. Their hymn has become one of the most popular for weddings, and was used at those of the Queen and Prince Philip and Charles and Camilla. Increasingly it is also used at funerals, and the widow of DC Stephen Oake, killed while on duty during an ant...
Feb 23, 2010•28 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Richard Strauss was 84 when he completed his last work. It was the Four Last Songs, which, although about death, convey a sense of calm acceptance. It was written of its time in 1948, but it still touches the hearts of many listeners today. As the soprano voice delves ever deeper into the richness of the music, interviewees tell how the Four Last Songs have brought calm and beauty at key moments in their lives. Contributors Alan...
Sep 29, 2009•28 min
Written by Carole King and made famous by James Taylor, You've Got a Friend won a Grammy Award in 1971. In this programme people tell how this song has affected their lives. Contributors: Carole King Nick Barraclough Marcella Erskine Estelle Williams Karen Garner James Taylor Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Producer: Terry Carter First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2009.
Sep 22, 2009•27 min
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis When Vaughan Williams wrote his Tallis Fantasia in 1910, he changed the course of British music. Here at last was a piece of music which was no longer under the Teutonic influence, but which drew on old English hymn tunes and folk idioms for its themes. As the string music builds to a climax, interviewees tell how this music has brought solace and hope in times of tragedy and changed the cour...
Sep 15, 2009•28 min
Hal David discusses writing The Look of Love with Burt Bacharach, for the soundtrack of the spoof 1967 James Bond film Casino Royale. This classic track, sung by Dusty Springfield, provided the musical backdrop for a love scene between Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress. Dusty Springfield's former backing singer, Simon Bell, remembers being on stage at the Albert Hall when Dusty laughed her way through a performance of the song, and musician Jonathan Cohen describes how the samba rhythm underscori...
Sep 08, 2009•28 min
Allegri wrote the chord sequence for his Miserere in the 1630s for use in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week. It then went through the hands of a 12-year-old Mozart, Mendelssohn and Liszt until it finally reached England in the early 20th century and got fixed into the version we know today. The soaring soprano line that hits the famous top C and never fails to thrill has become a firm favourite for concert audiences around the world. Textile designer Kaffe Fassett, writer Sarah Manguso and con...
Sep 01, 2009•27 min
Louis Armstrong recorded the classic 'What a Wonderful World' in 1967, amidst civil rights demonstrations and protests against the Vietnam War. It was a song written for him. Was it naïve or a powerful anthem for peace? Featuring: Prof. Peter Ling Laurence Bergreen Simon Weston Katie Melua Troy Andrews Milan Bertosa Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Producer: Sara Conkey First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008....
Oct 14, 2008•28 min
Chopin's Ballade clearly tells a story, and yet that story differs for each person who hears or plays it. Pianist Peter Donohoe heads a cast of people whose lives have been shaped and changed by hearing and playing this technically demanding, emotionally turbulent piece of music. Featuring: Peter Donohoe Pete Rosskamm Edi Bilimoria Richard Bielecki Andrew Armstrong Dr Jay B. Hess Joshua Wright Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Producer: Rosie Boulton First broad...
Oct 07, 2008•28 min
On 2nd March 1959, Miles Davis and his sextet began recording a new album: "Kind of Blue". The first track was "So What" and the album became the best selling Jazz album of all time. This programme tells the stories of people whose lives have been changed by this piece of music. Featuring: Clemency Burton-Hill Jonathan Eno Estelle Kokot Ashley Kahn Dr Richard Niles Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal. Producer: Rosa Boulton First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in Septemb...
Sep 30, 2008•28 min
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is based on a children's show he wrote for his nephews and nieces. Discover the story behind the famous ballet And what is the impact on those who hear it and dance to it? Featuring: Dr. Elena Denzhkina-Campbell Dr. Margaret Reynolds Tom Conlon John Warrack Francesca Allen Jane Hackett Barbara Hughes Sir Roy Strong Matthew Drury, piano Marion Tait Gaylene Cummerfield Matthew Lawrence Scott Ambler Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact Producer: Sara...
Sep 23, 2008•27 min
Thomas Tallis's work is one of the most elaborate and spectacular pieces of choral music ever written. Scored for 40 voices, the piece is best sung and heard in the round in order to appreciate an extraordinary sonic experience. Choral conductor Simon Halsey and Michael Morpurgo discuss the music's spine-tingling effect on both performers and listeners. Featuring: Graeme Fife John Davies Clive Stafford-Smith Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact. Producers: Rosie Boulton ...
Jan 29, 2008•28 min
Originally a Motown song written by Ed Cobb and recorded by Gloria Jones, Tainted Love became famous on the UK's Northern Soul scene in the late 1970s. It was heard by Marc Almond and Dave Ball who later became Soft Cell, and recorded a classic version. Featuring: Mark Ravenhill Peter Christopherson Ray Harris Russ Winstanley Alan King Dave Ball Mike Thorne Danny McNamara Nev Fountain Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact. Producer: Sara Conkey First broadcast on BBC Radi...
Jan 22, 2008•28 min
Jean Sibelius's glorious orchestral work was adopted by the Finnish people as a symbol of its fight for independence from Russia, and well over 100 years later it is still regarded as Finland's second national anthem. Its popularity is international, both in orchestral form and also in shorter form as the Finlandia Hymn. Featuring Sibelius's great-grandson Jaakko Ilves and conductor John Storgards. Series about music that makes the hairs stand up on the back of our necks. Producer: Karen Gregor ...
Jan 15, 2008•27 min
Andrew Collins and Mark Shenton present the story behind the classic song New York, New York. Songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote the title song for the film. Unfortunately, the star Robert de Niro didn't like it, so they furiously wrote another one. John Kander talks about the story behind the classic song. Featuring: Lorrena Turner Michael Freedland Huw Madoc-Jones Terry Bennett Alun Howells Gareth Valentine John Kander Patrick Sasso Rosemary Watts Series about music that makes the ...
Jan 08, 2008•28 min
