One of my favourite things on TV in recent years has been Wolf Hall. Debbie Wiseman’s haunting and memorable music brilliantly captures all the tension, mood and atmosphere. [25 mins]… Listen
If you want a change from Christmas pop, Christmas baroque is the way to go – here’s a sparkling little gem from Arcangelo Corelli – a great 15 minute way to reset, reflect and energise – it manages all these things! (17 mins: podcast 3′, music 14′)… Listen
A bold statement from composer Carl Nielsen, that music IS life, who demonstrates it with a breathtaking symphony of awesome power and overwhelming optimism. The perfect piece for Cacophony’s 100th episode. (50 mins)… Listen
For ep99, I wanted to explore something deeply personal. Mahler’s Symphony No.4 is one of the first pieces I discovered for myself and it moves me like very little else. Sometimes pained, sometimes playful, but most often sublime, the third movement takes you all the way to heaven, just by opening your heart. Listening time 33 mins … Listen
It’s inexplicable to me, but Anton Bruckner’s music has been dividing opinion since he started writing it 140 or so years ago. He goes in search of the meaning of life and comes back with… Marmite! Personally, I love it. There are few better noises than the transcendental climax of a Bruckner symphony. In this episode, it’s the thrilling end of his 3rd. (Listening time 20 mins)… Listen
One of the closest [classical] things to electronic dance music, John Adams’s Shaker Loops is one of my favourite things. Dreamy and reflective music mixed with thrilling dance music that leaves us ecstatic, maybe even transcendent! Listening time 32 mins (Podcast 7, Music 25′)… Listen
Powerful and moving, Lili Boulanger’s cry From the Bottom of the Abyss (Psalm No.130) shows her deep commitment to her faith, and to her music-writing, in the face of illness. Diana Ambache, long-time champion of women composers, joins me to talk about Boulanger’s short life, major talent and this subtle masterpiece for huge choir and orchestra.… Listen
The intensity, joy, heartbreak and thrills of great sporting moments are almost unmatchable… except by those in great music. The magic of the Olympics is transformed by the alchemist John Williams into four minutes of musical, life-affirming perfection. Olympic Fanfare and Theme is one of my favourite Williams pieces, and that’s really saying something! (Listening time 11′)… Listen
Even more irresistible than the Italian football team and their ace national anthem is Verdi’s overture to Nabucco. It’s rousing and joyous and simply one of my favourite things. [13 minute listen]… Listen