Oxymoron for Orchestra

This podcast episode from the Sounds Interesting series takes repetition as its theme, a musical technique that has long served composers very well, time and time and time again. 

This podcast episode from the Sounds Interesting series spotlights music expressed through the prism of madness in a range of contexts, from the world of fantasy to the theatre of war.

This episode takes rats as its theme, a topic that, perhaps surprisingly, has caught the attention of composers across the world and down the ages. 

This episode examines how a musical composition can be pampered by alternative wardrobes, when an original is dressed in different presentations of style and instrumentation while retaining its core character.

This episode focuses on a selection of concertos written not for household-name soloists, but for the collective virtuosity of an orchestra's serried ranks.

This episode introduces a selection of classical music items associated with natural disasters, from Biblical times to modern eras.

This episode introduces a selection of classical music items associated with male personal grooming experts, either by profession or name. 

The life of Mahler's wife, Alma, was as multi-faceted as her several talents, that ranged from competent composer to sizzling socialite. This episode peels back the intriguing layers beneath the common perception of her as simply the hard done by wife of the illustrious Gustav. 

This episode spotlights a collection of unfortunate musicians who became hostages of war at the outbreak of the First World War and whose story is as inspiring as the music that sustained them. The setting is Ruhleben, a racecourse in Berlin.  

An overview of the life, times and music of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, whose free spirit ranged both musically and geographically during the first half of the 20th century.