Music Matters

In this programme

Sir Charles Mackerras
As he celebrates his 80th Birthday, Sir Charles Mackerras continues to bring great energy and passion to his work. Radio 3 marks this anniversary with a week of concerts, incorporating an interview with the maestro. Mackerras has contributed a great deal to the music world, not least in his single-handed rediscovery of Janacek in the 50s, but also through his interpretation and performance of Handel and Mozart. His wife, Lady Judy Mackerras, the pianist Alfred Brendel, the singer Dame Janet Baker, Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Festival, Sir Brian McMaster, and the Countess of Harewood, all give their personal views on the man and his music.

Charles Mackerras Week on BBC Radio 3's Performance on 3, 14th -20th November 2005.

Shetland Odyssey
Operatic subjects have always been varied, from adultery to shipwreck, human tragedy to masked balls. The Tête à Tête opera company's latest project has found inspiration in knitting and weaving. They travelled to the remote Shetland Islands to work on a first draft of the opera alongside the community of knitters on Fair Isle. Their production dramatises the journeys of Odysseus, and the on-stage knitters embody his fate - literally weaving his destiny. Paul Dodgson reports from Fair Isle on a unique collaboration which will be premiered in London next year.

For updates and further information about the project, visit the Fair Isle website.

Billy Budd
Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd caused confusion at its premiere in 1951. It has an all-male cast and is set in the oppressive atmosphere on board HMS Indomitable. Based on Hermann Melville's tale of the tragic demise of an uncorrupted innocent, the opera is a collaboration between Britten and his two librettists, E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier. In an archive recording from 1967, Britten, Forster and Crozier reflect on their experiences of working on the opera together. Tom also visits the rehearsal rooms for English National Opera's forthcoming production of Billy Budd to find out how the conductor, Andrew Litton, and director, Neil Armfield perceive the opera.

English National Opera 's production of Billy Budd runs 3rd - 17th December and features Simon Keenlyside in the title role. You can hear a live broadcast of this production in Performance on 3 on 10th December 2005 at 6.30pm .

Military Bands
Remembrance Sunday is one of the most important days in the calendar for the British Army's military bands. Tom went to Chelsea Barracks to attend the rehearsal for this year's Remembrance Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall , and to find out about the history of the service and its associated music. He talks to Major Denis Burton, Director of Music for The Band of the Grenadier Guards, the oldest military band in the armed forces. He also discovers the importance of music in the army and the special role played by the musicians in raising morale and providing support to the medical services.

To find out more about a music career in the army, visit the website for the Royal Military School of Music .

Music Matters

Episode and Playlist Information

• 5 February 2006
• 22 January 2006
• 8 January 2006
• 11 December 2005
• 4 December 2005
• 20 November 2005
• 13 November 2005
• 6 November 2005
• 23 October 2005
• 16 October 2005

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