John Lill at 70

Available for over a year

Petroc Trelawny meets British pianist John Lill as he tours the country to mark his 70th birthday. Lill reflects on a career which began at the tender age of nine with his first recital, and has seen him record the complete piano concertos of Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninov - earning critical plaudits as a Beethoven interpreter, as well as being made an OBE and awarded the CBE for services to music. Brian Moynahan, author of a new book on Shostakovich's Seventh 'Leningrad' Symphony composed as his native city was under siege in the winter of 1941-2, talks to Petroc about the enormous impact of the piece, and how it provided a 'moral redemption' for Stalin and the Soviet regime. Plus - the role of music broadcast on the radio during times of conflict. Morag Grant, editor of a new book on the subject and Professor Erik Levi, an authority on the German music of the 20th century, especially during the Nazi era, discuss.