Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Mark Radcliffe's Choral Odyssey 1

Mark Radcliffe discusses his favourite choral music, from his early exposure to Handel's Messiah, through to works by Gorecki, Tallis and James MacMillan.

In the first of two programmes, broadcaster Mark Radcliffe begins his choral odyssey.

As a child, he was taken by his father to see the Hallé Orchestra with full chorus performing Handel’s Messiah, and he was struck by the majesty and power of the human voice. We hear Surely, He hath borne our griefs from Handel's work.

Over the years, Mark's interest grew and diversified, and this is reflected in his choices of works such as Duruflé's Requiem, James MacMillan's O Radiant Dawn and Tallis's soaring Spem in Alium, through to Enigma's 1990 song Sadeness, which features plainsong.

With music from Harry Christophers' The Sixteen and Gorecki's heart-breaking Symphony No 3, Sorrowful songs, Mark takes us on the first part of his journey through the choral canon.

Presenter: Mark Radcliffe
Producers: Ben Collingwood & Elizabeth Foster

Release date:

56 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sat 21 Mar 202613:00

Knock on wood – six stunning wooden concert halls around the world

Knock on wood – six stunning wooden concert halls around the world

Steel and concrete can't beat good old wood to produce the best sounds for music.

The evolution of video game music

The evolution of video game music

Tom Service traces the rise of an exciting new genre, from bleeps to responsive scores.

Why music can literally make us lose track of time

Why music can literally make us lose track of time

Try our psychoacoustic experiment to see how tempo can affect your timekeeping abilities.

Podcast