Sunday Feature

The Red Piano Factory

Sunday 15 June 2008 21:40-22:25 (Radio 3)

Petroc Trelawny visits the Chinese city of Guangzhou and the Shanghai Conservatoire as well as fast-food style piano kindergartens and the biggest piano factory in the world to find out why China is gripped by piano fever. Tens of millions of shoolchildren are learning the instrument and Western classical music is in the ascendancy. Yet less than four decades ago, classical music was banned and pianos were smashed as symbols of Western decadence. Part of Radio 3's Focus on China season.

Listen to the programme

View a gallery of photos from the Red Piano Factory programme
Go to the Focus on China pages

Duration:

45 minutes

Sunday Feature

Episode and Playlist Information

• 29 Jun 08 Locke and Tolerance
• 22 Jun 08 China and Minorities
• 15 Jun 08 China's piano fever
• 8 June 2008 Two Skulls
• 1 June 2008 Robert Rauschenber
• 25 May 08 DH Lawrence
• 18 May 08 Toru Takemitsu

Sunday Feature pages