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Rodin, Curtis Sittenfeld, Mark Simpson's cello concerto, Korean television drama

The new Rodin show at the British Museum reveals how he was influenced by the Elgin Marbles. Plus Mark Sampson's new cello concerto live and Curtis Sittenfeld's short stories.

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece is a new exhibition at the British Museum which highlights the influence the Greek Parthenon sculptures had on the French artist on his first visit to the museum in 1881. The show's curators, Ian Jenkins and Celeste Farge, discuss the relationship between Auguste Rodin's works, including The Kiss and The Thinker, and Pheidias's Elgin Marbles.

One of Britain's leading young composers Mark Simpson, himself a winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Award, has written a cello concerto for his friend, Leonard Elschenbroich. Mark and Leonard reveal the collaborative process involved in its composition and Leonard performs an extract live in the studio.

Novelist Curtis Sittenfeld, famous for her novels American Wife and Eligible, talks to John Wilson about her first collection of short stories, You Think It, I'll Say It. The book, nominated for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, includes a story told from the point of view of Hillary Clinton as she runs for the Democrat nomination for president. Other stories delve into parenthood, extra-marital affairs and reconciling our teenage selves with how we are in middle age.

Momtaza Mehri, the London Youth Laureate, explains the huge popularity among young people of television dramas made in Korea, and the significance of the Korean Wave or Hallyu, as it is known.

Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Julian May.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Rodin

    Duration: 07:32

  • Korean television drama

    Duration: 04:41

  • Mark Simpson's cello concerto

    Duration: 08:26

  • Curtis Sittenfeld

    Duration: 06:52

Rodin

Rodin

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece is at the British Museum, London from 26 April - 29 July 2018.

Images:

Main image above: The Kiss by Auguste Rodin (Right) with two goddesses from the Parthenon marbles

Image to the left: (Left) Ariadne (large version) by Auguste Rodin 1905 with a figure from the Parthenon marbles

Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld's new collection of stories, You Think It, I'll Say It is out on 03 May 2018 in hardback, and as an ebook and audio download.

Image: Curtis Sittenfeld

Image credit: Jo Sittenfeld

Mark Simpson's cello concerto

Mark Simpson's cello concerto

Mark Simpson's Cello Concerto, performed by the BBC Philharmonic with solo cello by Leonard Elschenbroich is on BBC Radio 3 on 02 May 2018 at 7.30pm.

Image: Leonard Elsenbroich (Left) with Mark Simpson (Right)

Image credit: Jenny Whitham

Credits

RoleContributor
PresenterJohn Wilson
Interviewed GuestIan Jenkins
Interviewed GuestCeleste Farge
Interviewed GuestMark Simpson
Interviewed GuestLeonard Elschenbroich
Interviewed GuestCurtis Sittenfeld
Interviewed GuestMomtaza Mehri
ProducerJulian May

Broadcast

  • Wed 25 Apr 201819:15

BBC Arts Digital

BBC Arts Digital

The best of British culture live and on demand.

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Inspire

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