JJ and special guest, composer Richard Barnard, explore the character and impressive range of the trumpet, from blood-curdling battle calls to breathy jazz ballads. Then Richard reveals the inner workings of his piece for Matilda Lloyd, trumpeter extraordinaire. 

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Haz’s healthy obsession with Horror prompts discussions on Welsh Halloween traditions, from apple-bobbing to tail-less black pigs, a swap of scary musical scores and diverse examples of ‘night music’. For some good cheer, there are also favourite moments from ‘West Side Story’ - all inspired by the Lumas Winds’ programme.

Mae obsesiwn iach Haz ag arswyd yn ysgogi trafodaethau ar draddodiadau Calan Gaeaf Cymru, o siglo afalau i foch duon di-gynffon, cyfnewid sgoriau cerddorol brawychus ac enghreifftiau amrywiol o 'gerddoriaeth nos'. I gael rhywfaint o hwyl, mae yna hefyd hoff eiliadau o 'West Side Story' - pob un wedi'i ysbrydoli gan raglen Lumas Winds.

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To see in this new series, JJ and Haz say farewell to summer with the music of half-light, slumber and nocturnes. Along the way you'll find out why we should feel sorry for Janacek's postman, who the mysterious Silke Schäfer is, and why Swiss tea bags have a superior design.

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After getting some stereotypes out of the way - viola jokes, composers who played viola, best viola shreds - Haz and JJ explore the wonders of the instrument, from how it got its name, via lesser known orchestral moments, through to solo works that put it on the map. Along the way: Lionel Tertis' big-hipped viola, and the connection between violists and basketball players. The perfect end to the season!

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JJ interviews Christiana Mavron ahead of the Mavron Quartet's performance in the Arts Active Lunchtime Concert Series, on 3rd June 2025.

Cardiff Classical Lunchtime Recitals: The Mavron Quartet - Arts Active

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Jon and Haz find out why it's best not to say 'neoclassicism' in a hurry before plunging into beautiful reinventions of the past. Along the way, Haz makes the connection between Stravinsky and sweating and Jon discovers Couperin's 'Tic-Toc Choc'.

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JJ and Haz extol the virtues and versatility of the clarinet, from its humble folk beginnings through to its many shapes and sizes of today. Includes the instrument's nicknames, its use in classical and jazz and its resemblance to milk chocolate.

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The duo performing in an upcoming Cardiff Lunchtime series at Eglwys Dewi Sant talk with Jon about how they met, the background to their instruments and the thinking behind their innovative and beautifully considered programme.

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With the unusual pairing of a recorder and accordion coming up in a concert, Jon and Haz do a quick survey of other rarer concert instruments. In this 'musical zoo' are instruments that are both haunting and hooting, folk and electronic, and one that reminds Haz of a 'depressed Cor Anglais.' 

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Jon and Haz dip their toes into the ocean that is Roots Music, discussing its stereotypes and stigmas, its multiple instruments and crazy time signatures, and why pan pipes make for great massage music. Along the way, Jon talks about his own journey with the Dovetail Orchestra for asylum-seeking musicians, which has bases in both Bristol and Cardiff (at Eglwys Dewi Sant). 

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