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Berio the Joker

By the late 1960s Berio had met at least one of The Beatles and written his irreverent masterpiece, Sinfonia. Donald Macleod discusses Berio with Gillian Moore.

Donald Macleod discusses the life and music of Luciano Berio (1925-2003) with Gillian Moore. In today's episode Donald recounts some of Berio's childhood love of practical jokes, and relates this to Berio's irreverence towards certain aspects of the classical tradition. By the late 1960s he was sought out even by The Beatles as a leading light in the classical world . In 1968 he spent a vacation in Sicily (complete with his present and former wife and families) to compose his masterpiece. This is the bold and thrilling Sinfonia, with its O King response to the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, and its famous adaptation of Mahler, complete with the addition of amplified voices.

Sequenza 1
Sophie Cherrier, flute

Sequenza III
Cathy Berberian, mezzo-soprano

Sinfonia
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly.

1 hour

Music Played

  • Luciano Berio

    Sequenza I

    Performer: Sophie Cherrier.
    • DG 457 038-2.
    • DG.
    • 1.
  • Luciano Berio

    Sequenza III

    Singer: Cathy Berberian.
    • Berio: Circles, Sequenzas 1, 3 & 5.
    • Wergo.
    • 4.
  • Luciano Berio

    Sinfonia (1st and 2nd movements)

    Orchestra: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly.
    • DECCA : 425-832-2.
    • DECCA.
    • 13.
  • Luciano Berio

    Sinfonia (3rd, 4th and 5th movements)

    Orchestra: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly. Ensemble: Electric Phoenix.
    • DECCA : 425-832-2.
    • DECCA.
    • 15.

Broadcast

  • Wed 4 Jul 2018 12:00

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