Music Matters

22 January 2006

Sunday 22 January 2006 17:45-18:30 (Radio 3)

Tom Service talks to Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, whose La Pasión Según San Marcos gets its UK premiere at the Barbican as part of two concerts focusing on his work.

Tom also explores a collaboration between British and Iraqi performers at the Old Vic in London; a new production of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale.

Duration:

45 minutes

In This Edition

Osvaldo Golijov
Born in Argentina , Osvaldo Golijov studied in Jerusalem and is now based in Boston . His music reflects the vibrant complexity of contemporary life. His musical influences are diverse, ranging from klezmer to tango and from Bach to Astor Piazzolla. His eclectic music comes to the UK this month and next in two concerts at London 's Barbican. The first features four of his pieces, including the European premiere of Ayre, a song-cycle written for and performed by Dawn Upshaw. The second concert is the UK premiere of his St. Mark Passion which mixes Brazilian popular dance forms like mambo with intense spirituality. Tom asks Golijov about his controversial interpretation of the Passion and the sources of his inspiration.

The Barbican concerts are on 31 st January and 24 th February and you can hear the first of these in Performance on 3 on 16 th February.

Scottish Executive response to Cultural Commission
After discussing Scotland's Cultural Commission with Michael Tumelty, Ian Smith and Eddie McGuire in the last edition of Music Matters, a follow up on the recent response from the Scottish Executive. Tom talks to Patricia Ferguson, Scotland's Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Sport about the Executive's formal response and why they've axed Scottish Arts Council and taken on just 20 of the Commission's 131 recommendations.




The Soldier's Tale
Composed in 1918, Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale marked the arrival of a new kind of music theatre. The original scoring mixes music, theatre and Faustian allegory. But a new co-production at London 's Old Vic is a collaboration between a British theatre company and Iraqi musicians and actors. Andrew Steggall, the director, travelled to Baghdad and northern Iraq to recruit actors and players. The choice of The Soldier's Tale could be seen as a clever piece of political commentary on the invasion and occupation of Iraq , or as a reaction to a fledgling democracy. However, Steggall doesn't perceive the work in such vehement political terms. Tom went to rehearsals at the Old Vic to find out more about the production.

The Soldier's Tale runs at the Old Vic , 26 th January - 4 th February.

Mozart's Operas
In the 250 th anniversary year of Mozart's birth, the composer's life and work is receiving attention in both performance and words. David Cairns's new book, Mozart and His Operas, offers an insight into Mozart the man through placing the operas in the context of Mozart's life and the rest of his music. Cairns 's book is the result of 60 years of studying and performing the operas. He talks with Tom about his own passion for Mozart's music and Tom is joined by Nicholas Kenyon to review Cairns's book.

David Cairns : Mozart and His Operas. Pub. Penguin . 26 th January 2006. Hb. £22.
For more Mozart on BBC Radio 3, visit the special Mozart portal .

Mpingo tree
Few musicians give much thought to what their musical instruments are made of. However, the wood of the East African Mpingo tree is used more than any other wood for the manufacture of clarinets, oboes and bagpipes. Unfortunately, the sustainability of this valuable resource is constantly jeopardised due to over exploitation. So, what can be done? Tom Talks to Steve Ball, the project co-ordinator the Mpingo Conservation Project to find out more about protecting its future.

Music Matters

Episode and Playlist Information

• 2 April 2006
• 19 March 2006
• 12 March 2006
• 5 March 2006
• 19 February 2006
• 5 February 2006
• 22 January 2006
• 8 January 2006
• 11 December 2005
• 4 December 2005

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