Music Matters

In This Programme

BORIS BEREZOVSKY
The virtuoso Russian pianist, Boris Berezovsky has just finished recording the complete Rachmaninov - Preludes, Rhapsody and all four Concertos. His performance career has been dedicated to exploring the outer limits of the piano repertoire, not just Rachmaninov, but also Hindemith and Godowsky's fiendish transcriptions of Chopin's Etudes.
Tom talks with Berezovsky and finds out what it is that drives him to perform.

Boris Berezovsky plays Rachmaninov's 3^rd Piano Concerto at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, February 2007.

BOOSEY & HAWKES INSTRUMENTS
The closure of the Boosey & Hawkes musical instrument factory in 2005 marked the end of large-scale instrument manufacture in the UK. A collection of the instruments made by Boosey and Hawkes was started in 1859 and has now found a new home in the Horniman Museum with a display of over 100 items from the company's instrument collection and archives. Tom visited the Museum to look round the exhibition with the curator for the collection, Dr. Bradley Strauchen, and to catch up with some of the people who worked for the company.

Sound Designs: The Story of Boosey & Hawkes is on permanent display at the Horniman Museum in London.

SOUND INTERMEDIA
Composers and performers wanting to work with electronics and computers need help in realising their visions. So, Sound Intermedia offers the potential to create the soundscapes of contemporary music all over the world. Ian Dearden and David Sheppard have worked with everyone from Squarepusher to Harrison Birtwistle. This year marks their 10^th anniversary and Tom went to their studio to find out what happens on the blurry line between composition, collaboration and sound design.

GYORGY KURTAG
The enigmatic Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag celebrated his 80thBirthday this year. His distinctive compositions for chamber ensemble and orchestra distil a lifetime's experience and expertise into beautiful shards of music. Sharing their passion for his music with Tom are the Hungarian music specialist Rachel Beckles-Wilson, the violinist Irvine Arditti and the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Music Matters

Episode and Playlist Information

• 10 December 2006
• 3 Dec 06 Ned Rorem
• 19 Nov 06 Prokofiev
• 12 Nov 06 Gilbert and Sullivan
• 5 Nov 06 Stephen Hawking
• 22 Oct 06
• 15 Oct 06

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