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Thursday - Sarah Walker, plus Rob Cowan with Nicholas Parsons

With Sarah Walker. Including Five Reasons to Love Concert Overtures; Polorum regina omnium nostra; Artist of the Week: Leonard Bernstein conducting Mahler: Adagio (Symphony No 10).

9am
A selection of music including '5 reasons to love... concert overtures'. Throughout the week Sarah explores how composers have created colourful pieces that might tell a dramatic narrative (Beethoven's Egmont), represent humour (Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture), depict the action or characters from Shakespeare's plays, and celebrate a historical anniversary.

9.30am
Take part in our daily musical challenge: can you work out which two composers are associated with a particular piece?

10am
Rob talks to his guest, Nicholas Parsons. Actor, cabaret performer, stand-up comedian, panel show host and quizmaster, Nicholas has had a long and varied career in show business since he first started working in repertory theatre in the 1940s. He became a household name in the 1970s as the host of game show Sale of the Century, but is perhaps best known as the chairman of 成人快手 Radio 4's Just a Minute. Nicholas has chaired the hit comedy panel game since its inception in 1967 and hasn't missed a show in 48 years and over 900 performances. Nicholas will be talking about the seven decades he has spent working in radio, theatre and television, and sharing a selection of his favourite classical music every day at 10am.

10.30am NEW: Music in TIme
Sarah places Music in Time as she journeys back to the Medieval period with a song written especially for pilgrims to sing: Polorum regina omnium nostra.

11am
Sarah's Artist of the Week is one of the most charismatic conductors of the 20th century, and one of the first American-born conductors to gain worldwide recognition. Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein's prodigious talent as a pianist coupled with lessons from composer Aaron Copland and conductor Fritz Reiner catapulted him into the limelight in the years following the Second World War. His Young People's Concerts for CBS were particularly influential in drawing people to classical music, and his work with the New York Philharmonic and other orchestras led to an international career. He performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1989 as part of the celebrations marking the fall of the Berlin Wall. Throughout the week Sarah features a selection of Bernstein's glittering recordings.

Mahler
Adagio (Symphony No.10)
New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein (conductor).

3 hours

Music Played

  • Alexander Kopylov

    Polka in C major (Les Vendredis bk.2)

    Ensemble: Vertavo Quartet.
    • SIMAX.
  • Johannes Brahms

    Intermezzo in B flat minor, Op.117 No.2

    Performer: Rudolf Firku拧n媒.
    • EMI.
  • Johannes Brahms

    Capriccio in F sharp minor, Op.76 No.1

    Performer: Rudolf Firkusny (piano).
  • 5 REASONS TO LOVE... CONCERT OVERTURES

    • Dmitry Shostakovich

      Festive Overture Op.96

      Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
      • Signum.
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    The Rose Adagio; Dance; Aurora's Variation (Sleeping Beauty, Act I)

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andr茅 Previn.
    • EMI.
  • Amy Beach

    A Mirage (2 Songs Op.100)

    Singer: Emma Kirkby. Ensemble: Romantic Chamber Group of London.
    • BIS.
  • Ferenc Farkas

    5 Ancient Hungarian dances for wind quintet [complete]

    Ensemble: Galliard Ensemble.
    • Deux-Elles.
  • Claude Debussy

    Le Jet d鈥檈au; Recueillement (Le Livre de Baudelaire)

    Orchestrator: Adams, John. Singer: Susan Graham. Orchestra: 成人快手 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Yan Pascal Tortelier.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
  • NICHOLAS PARSONS' CHOICE NO. 1

    • Ludwig van Beethoven

      III. Rondo, Allegro scherzando (Piano Concerto No.1 in C major, Op.15)

      Performer: Yefim Bronfman. Orchestra: Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. Conductor: David Zinman.
      • SONY.
  • NICHOLAS PARSONS' CHOICE NO. 2

    • Ludwig van Beethoven

      IV. Allegro assai (Piano Sonata in C major, Op.2 No.3)

      Performer: Solomon.
      • AUDITE.
  • Aram Khachaturian

    Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (Spartacus)

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Aram Khachaturian.
    • Decca.
  • MUSIC IN TIME: MEDIEVAL

    • Anonymous

      Polorum regina omnium nostra

      Singer: Montserrat Figueras. Choir: Navarra Boys' Choir. Choir: Barcelona Carmina Choir. Choir: Atelier vocal du Centre d'Abbaye aux Dames. Ensemble: Hesp猫rion XXI. Director: Jordi Savall.
      • VIRGIN CLASSICS.
  • George Frideric Handel

    Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351

    Orchestra: Le Concert des Nations. Conductor: Jordi Savall.
    • Handel: Water Music Suites:Jordi Savall.
    • Alia Vox.
    • 23-30.
  • ARTIST OF THE WEEK: LEONARD BERNSTEIN

    • Gustav Mahler

      Symphony No.10 (Adagio)

      Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
      • SONY.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    String Quintet in D major, K 593

    Performer: Philip Dukes. Ensemble: Nash Ensemble.
    • Mozart: String Quintets; Nash Ensemble, Philip Dukes.
    • Hyperion.
    • 1-4.

By Association

Answer: Claude Debussy and John Adams

The music played:

Debussy orch. John Adams
III. Le Jet d'eau (5 Poemes De Baudelaire, L.64)
Susan Graham (mezzo-soprano)
成人快手 Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor)
WARNER

Broadcast

  • Thu 15 Oct 2015 09:00

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