Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kožená

Tom Service meets the mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená and conductor Sir Simon Rattle: partners in life and music. The husband-and-wife team talk to Tom about their collaboration on Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with London Symphony Orchestra. Also, they talk about how this, and other music, has a special resonance in our conflicting times.

Tom also hears from musicians in Ukraine about their experiences of the conflict. Viola player Stas Sagdeyev is a member of the orchestra at Odessa Opera House, currently silenced, while conductor Theodor Kuchar has returned to the country to work with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine in Lviv, one of the busiest ensembles in the country.

And ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Tom meets Alyson Frazier of Play for Progress, an organisation which helps young asylum seekers in Croydon, south London, through music. Alyson tells Tom of the progress the young people have been making and some of the remarkable musical talents which have been unearthed.

Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo