In the Studio

Errollyn Wallen, the Belize born British composer, tells Antonia Quirke about the inspiration behind Lady Super Spy Adventurer, which is receiving its world premiere at the proms this year. And she invites her to the place where the piece was composed, a remote lighthouse on the Scottish coast. Errollyn made history when she became the first Black woman to have a work performed at the Proms. She tells Antonia about breaking down barriers, and how living in a lighthouse has influenced her music, and who exactly is Lady Super Spy Adventurer.

The opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London was heralded as one of the most spectacular and successful outdoor theatrical events in the world, watched by more than 3.8 billion people. The man behind it was Bradley Hemmings. Bradley is a festival director, and every year is responsible for putting on the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) in London. Now in its 27th year, he tells Anna Bailey about the key elements that make for a great and accessible outdoor event. Follow Bradley as he puts together the line-up for this year’s festival and coordinates the opening night. Collaborating with Jenny Sealey, his co-producer of the Paralympic Games, and with Peter Hudson, the artistic director behind Charon, a 32-foot-high rotating zoetrope as seen at The Burning Man Festival in America, and now one of the main attractions for this year’s GDIF in London.

Welcome to Cremona - city of the violin. These Italian streets are brimming with horse hairs, varnish and chiselled wood. The central square is lined with storefronts displaying beautifully handcrafted wooden instruments. Braimah Kanneh-Mason, concert violinist and member of the musically gifted Kanneh-Mason family, travels to where the Stradivarius was born. Braimah learns about the techniques used to replicate the world’s most famous stringed instruments in the workshop of world-class violin maker Daniele Tonarelli. It was in Cremona, 500 years ago, that Andrea Amati was credited with inventing the “modern” violin. In his footsteps came the likes of Nicola Amati, Guarneri “del Gesù” and, most famously, Antonio Stradivari, who all perfected their craft in this northern Italian city. Daniele is the latest in a long line of Cremonese luthiers. Braimah gets a taste of the age old recipe that created these musical masterpieces hundreds of years ago. It is still used today. Daniele shows Braimah his newest violin – just 20 days old. How does this youthful instrument feel in the young violinist’s hands, and – more importantly – how does it sound? Are today’s Cremonese luthiers living up to the legacy the great violin makers left behind?

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic music venues in the world. And yet it was also known for less-than-perfect acoustics in the main concert hall. The sound was considered thin and scattered. The problem has taken two years and 150 million Australian dollars to fix, involving 174 tonnes of steel in the roof space alone.

Regina Botros joins a team of experts as they enter the final stages of re-tuning the building, ready for an opening night concert where everything has to sound just right.

Presented by Regina Botros.

Executive produced by Stephen Hughes for the BBC World Service.

We journey with the internationally celebrated operatic conductor Carlo Rizzi as he revives Il proscritto after 180 years of neglect.

Mercadante’s opera was first performed in Naples in 1842, and centres on a love triangle set in Scotland during Oliver Cromwell’s rule. The original cast were stellar performers, having previously taken lead roles in opera premieres by Verdi and Donizetti. The Neapolitans applauded Act One, but the following Acts were indifferently received, and Il proscritto fell into neglect.

Complete with a newly edited score and world class performers, Luke Whitlock journeys with conductor Carlo Rizzi, artistic director of Opera Rara, as he prepares Il proscritto to be heard at the Barbican in London, after nearly 200 years of silence.

From collaborating on a new performance edition, heading into the studio to record the opera for commercial release, to journeying to London’s Barbican to rehearse and perform the work before a 21st-century audience, this creative process has been a labour of love for Carlo Rizzi and Opera Rara.

Image: Carlo Rizzi (Credit: Simon Weir)

Frankincense, tonka beans and a steam iron. Just some of the elements that top mixologist Arnd Henning Heissen uses to create his cocktails. Inspired by aromatherapy and the perfumes people wear, he searches the globe for unusual ingredients to recreate that smell in drink form, blending together bark juices and fragrant herbs, working with smell and memories to craft what he calls ‘liquid sculptures.’ Lindsay Leonard meets him in Berlin, Germany as he creates new tastes and sensations for his latest menu.

Producers: Lindsay Leonard and Andrea Kidd

Composer Sally Beamish tells Anna Bailey why she decided to write a concerto about bees for the BBC Proms. She reveals that Hive was inspired by a ballet that she's collaborating on with her partner, the writer Peter Thomson, who shares her fascination with queen bees. Anna talks to Sally and Peter on a visit to a local beehive and then joins Sally during the first rehearsal with harpist Catrin Finch, who explains why the harp is perfect for capturing the sound of a beehive. Anna captures the buzz as the piece is rehearsed with the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, and finally, the hive of activity that is the world premiere at The Royal Albert Hall.

Presented by Anna Bailey

James Corner, is the founder of the urban landscape design Field Operations, is best known for his work on the New York High Line - the reclamation of a disused former railtrack in Manhattan. He talks about the transformative impact that the High Line has had on the area into a 21st century city - and about the potential for new urban green space in London as he works on another project with a railtrack at it’s heart, the Camden High Line.

With the project at an important stage of planning he describes the challenges of creating a green park alongside a rail track which is in everyday use. We meet James on a visit to the site in London and Olivia Reevell meets him in his new offices which overlook New York’s Bryant Park - he talks about the importance of urban green spaces in cities, post-pandemic, and the inspiration he draws from the work of Frederick Law Olmsted on the 200th anniversary of his birth - Olmsted was the founder of American landscape architecture and the man responsible for creating New York’s central park.

James Corner was born in the the North of England in the UK, and draws inspiration from the natural landscape of that part of the world for his urban design work. He founded Field Operations in New York which has a cosmopolitan team of 100 people and he is at work on other major projects including the Presidio in San Franscisco and the waterfront for the city of Seattle. For this programme he describes the qualities and characteristics of his urban green space design work.

The horses are learning their dance routines, the acrobats are perfecting their tumbles and sequins are being sewn onto leotards and leggings - in 2017, In the Studio had ringside seats to the circus. Antonia Quirke met the inner circle of Giffords Circus as they conceived and crafted the show where the theme was the 17th Century Spanish court. The team were led by circus creator Nell Gifford, who left home aged 18 to join her first circus. She then set up her own travelling troupe based in the West of England featuring performers from all over the world. As the circus rides again this summer, Antonia reveals the tragedy that befell the troupe a couple of years after the programme was broadcast.

Chocolat was Joanne Harris’s third novel, famously made into a film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, bringing the writer worldwide recognition. Set in Southern France, it’s a darkly magical modern folk-tale, in which food, namely chocolate confections, plays a central part. Readers delighted in the story of Vianne Rocher and her six-year-old daughter, Anouk, who set up a chocolate boutique during Lent, right opposite the church, much to the annoyance of the village priest, Francis Reynaud. It’s an act that gently changes the lives of many of the villagers. Having recorded the audio book in recent years, Joanne has revisited the novel, and the writing process behind it. In conversation with Dr Vic James, she reveals how she drew inspiration from her French heritage, why the themes of indulgence and guilt, motherhood and patriarchy are so present, and crucially, about the importance of chocolate to the story. They’re also joined by Laura Grandi who translated the novel into Italian, and has continued to work with Joanne ever since.