118. Songs from the greatest ever musical! Bernstein, West Side Story
Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (Cacophony ep.117) features the driving funky rhythms at the expense of the wit, poetry and driving funky rhythms of the song numbers… so this episode features four of my favourites. Listening time 22 mins.… Listen
117. The greatest Musical? Bernstein: West Side Story, Symphonic Dances
I played this over a week ago and still the tunes dance around inside my head – it’s the jazz- and latin-fuelled brilliance of the Symphonic Dances from Leonard Bernstein’s smash hit musical, West Side Story – perhaps the greatest musical there is? What do you think? Listening time 34’… Listen
116. Uneasy listening. Scary music for modern times: Bartók, Music for strings, percussion and celesta
I’m no fan of horror films – too scary for me – but, in any case, nothing really scares us more than the thoughts in our heads! I do love scary music though and Béla Bartók wrote the best. Music for strings, percussion and celesta is unusual, gripping, terrifying and thrilling. It’s also brilliant at clearing my mind of any ‘unneccessary’ thinking. Listening time, 40 mins.… Listen
115. A superstar symphony, but not a miracle: Haydn, Symphony No.96
n Haydn came to London he was treated like a superstar: wined and dined by the great and good, and his concerts were the hottest ticket in town. The ‘Miracle’ Symphony, no.96, was Haydn’s first written for Londoners and is designed to win us over with its charms. Music to put a smile on our faces and a spring in our step! Listening time c32 (music 22′, podcast 10′)… Listen
114. Direct to you from London: Urban Living, Shirley J Thompson
A mix of grit, swagger and persistence help us to make it through in the big city. Shirley Thompson’s Urban Living gives us all this plus, perhaps, a tinge of fear and some pheonmenal piano sounds in 7 minutes of [mainly] self-assured city beats. Listening time 12 mins (podcast 5′, music 7′)… Listen
113. London’s the place for me: Coates, London Suite
I’ve come over all nostalgic at the prospect of returning to London in a few days, so here’s a swaggering piece of escapism back to the heady optimistic days of the 1930s in Eric Coates London Suite. Listening time 21 mins… Listen
112. Dancing on Love Island? Ravel, Daphnis & Chloé
Bursting full of life, Ravel’s music for this everyday love story of shepherd meets goatherd meets Greek god of nature is dreamy, sensual, and downright thrilling, all delivered in glorious orchestral technicolor. Meet Daphnis & Chloé! Listening time: 25 mins (podcast 9′, music 16′)… Listen
111. Glimpses of the Divine: Esmail, Darshan
Comfortably crossing cultural boundaries, Reena Esmail draws on both western and Indian , composer Reena Esmail draws on both western and Indian traditions to write distinctive music that is at home in both. Darshan is a terrific solo violin piece which transports us to a timeless state ad may even offer a glimps of the divine! Listening time 21mins… Listen
110. Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, and how great art knows no borders. Tchaikovsky, The Tempest
Shakespeare reaches people across the world with his insights into our shared humanity and his plays have inspired countless composers to write music – providing their own way for us to connect to Shakespeare, each other and ourselves. Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest overture gives us a torrential storm, a big love theme that beats Romeo & Juliet, and one of the most atmospheric, goose-bump-inducing beginning and end to any piece of music. And almost no one knows it at all! Listening time 33 mins… Listen