Tom Service talks to the composer Eleanor Alberga about the premiere of her first symphony, 'Strata’. They discuss her creative process, the challenges she faces as well as her influences, which can be found in her native Jamaica and in the music of Bartok and Schoenberg.

Also, an oratorio in Hebrew which was written in 1774, has its UK premiere! Tom eavesdrops on rehearsals of 'Ester' by Cristiano Lidarti with words by Rabbi Saraval. He learns about the fascinating history of the piece from David Conway, members of Hampstead Garden Opera and conductor Andrew Griffiths. 

With the help of the Sonica Festival in Glasgow, we ask: 'What is sonic art?' The festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary and we hear from the festival's Artistic Director Cathie Boyd and from artist Kathy Hinde. 

And, Jazz guitarist and genre-challenger Bill Frisell on his life as well as his fears and joys in music as his biography, 'Beautiful Dreamer', written by Philip Watson, is published this month. 

Producers: Elizabeth Arno and Juan Carlos Jaramillo

Photo: Bill Frisell (c) Carole D’Inverno

Bill Frisell

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Tom Service talks to Sir Mark Elder about the legacy that he is leaving behind him after 24 years as Music Director at the Hallé Orchestra.  He talks to Tom about Charles Hallé and his mission to set up an orchestra for all the people of Manchester, and how his ethos is still central to the orchestra today.  Not only has mark Elder evolved the sound of the orchestra and transformed music-making in Manchester, putting generations of choral singers associated with the Hallé centre stage, but he has forged an identity for Hallé as the orchestra to play British music, and particularly the works of Elgar.   Mark Elder also talks to Tom about his tenure at English National Opera, and the current funding crises that face music in the UK.  As he prepares to step down from the Hallé, he also reflects on how coincidental it is that he should have been destined for Manchester, once the home of his great Uncle. Norman Cocker, who was a well-known organist at the Cathedral there.

Sir Mark Elder

Kate Molleson travels to the Belgais Center for Arts in rural eastern Portugal, to meet pianist Maria Joao Pires, who celebrates her 80th birthday this year.  Among the low buildings, olive groves and orange trees of the arts complex, education centre and home which Pires created in 1999, she talks about her lifelong journey with the piano the age of 3; sharing her views on the classical music industry, explaining how she channels her 'aggression' through music, and stressing how important the arts are, as a meeting point for humanity. Sitting at the piano she gives Kate an exclusive lesson, including tips on how to acquire the proper body posture to play, and demonstrating how she developed a technique of her own, to make the most of what she describes as her small hands. And walking around the site, Kate visits the centre's concert hall, and Pires explains why she cares so deeply about her social projects which use music to connect with children. Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo

Maria Joao Pires

Tom Service talks to pianist and writer, Susan Tomes, about her new book Women and the Piano - a History in 50 Lives. Those lives include well-known names today, from Clara Schumann to Nina Simone, but also many women like Marianne Martinez who have been eclipsed from previous histories of pianists. Tom and Susan discuss how women went from being the Queens of the piano in domestic settings to being excluded from public performances and conservatoires during the development of the concert piano. Pianist, Lucy Parham, talks to Tom too about the impact that Susan's book has had on her, and she talks about life today for female pianists. The Afghan Youth Orchestra is embarking on its first UK tour - Breaking the Silence. Currently exiled in Portugal, the young musicians live and study, having escaped the Taliban’s censorship of music. The orchestra's founder, Dr Ahmad Sarmast and two of his violinists, Sevinch Majidi and Ali Sina Hotak, talk to Tom about their hopes of keeping Afghanistan's situation on the international radar through their music, which fuses traditional and Western instruments into a bold new sound. Tenor Allan Clayton and Aurora Orchestra join forces in a new and highly imaginative theatrical production of Hans Zender's composed interpretation of Schubert's Winterreise.  Tom Service finds out more when he visits them in rehearsal. He talks to Allan alongside Aurora's conductor Nicholas Collon and creative director Jane Mitchell about Zender's interpretation of Schubert's original song-cycle. Tom Service also talks to Kerry Andrew, multi-talented composer, singer, performer and writer. Kerry's third novel, We are Together Because, is out now and Tom talks to them about how music infuses their writing. Tom also talks to Kerry about their last album - Hare - Hunter - Moth - Ghost - recorded as You Are Wolf and in which they turn folk songs and myths inside out.

Aurora Orchestra's Winterreise, Kerry Andrew, and Women at the Piano

Presented by Tom Service.  This week, Tom talks to the American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato about her life in music, and her creative mission to challenge the status quo. From her work in refugee camps, to her long relationship with the maximum security prison SingSing in New York State, as well as in concert halls and opera stages, DiDonato confounds expectations of an international classical artist. She talks about the joy of engaging differently with young audiences, and of recording and touring projects like Eden, which makes real connections with the natural world and includes the publishing of new music for anyone to sing. Conductor Edward Gardner and artist Ben Cullen Wiliams talk about their reimagining of Szymanowski's ballet Harnasie: a story of love, bandits, and how the robbers of the Tatra mountains in Poland win out over the civilisation below. Also featuring filmed choreography by Wayne MacGregor, the production has received its premiere in Katowice and comes to London this month, and uses human and digital intelligence to form a kinetic, sculptural video installation opening a portal to new worlds of dance. And Caroline Potter reveals the mission behind her new book, 'Pierre Boulez: Organised Delirium', which aims to change perceptions about the French composer. A leading figure of the musical avant-garde in the mid-20th century, Boulez is known for the mathematical and structural elements of his music, but Caroline Potter places just as much importance on the influences in his early career from the worlds of literature, magic, surrealism and the music of other cultures.

Joyce DiDonato, Caroline Potter on Boulez, Szymanowski's Harnasie

Sara Mohr-Pietsch talks to renowned American pianist, Jeremy Denk, ahead of his Wigmore Hall recital of Bach Partitas. He discusses his passion for Bach and the profound impact and connection he has when he plays his music. Sara talks to Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli ahead of the day-long immersion into her work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Together they explore what it means for Missy Mazzoli to be a composer today and the stories that she likes to tell through her work.  Writer Gillian Dooley discusses her new discoveries when researching her new book, “She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and music”. She tells Sara more about the role music held in Jane Austen’s life and highlights the importance of it on the characters in her novels. With the help of film critic, Lillian Crawford, we are also taken on a journey through the pastiche film scores that have accompanied adaptations of Austen’s novels over the last 30 years. Plus Donne foundation founder Gabriella di Laccio talks to Sara ahead of her record-breaking acoustic concert, 24 hours of continuous music by female and non-binary composers.

Bill Frisell

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