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Episode details

Radio 4,08 Jul 2021,28 mins

Laura Mvula, Michael Spicer, Anthony Bolton

Front Row

Available for over a year

Laura Mvula’s first two albums were Mercury-Prize nominated, and now 5 years later she has returned with ‘Pink Noise’, an 80’s-inpsired-synth-inflected album full that’s perfect for dancing to. She explains the inspiration behind the music, and how this is the album she always wanted to make. Since he posted his first Room Next Door video in 2019, comedian Michael Spicer has had over 60m views. Spicer discusses the origin of the idea where he acts as an adviser feeding lines to a politician’s imaginary earpiece and intercuts his feed with the politician’s answers. The Life and Death of Alexander Litvinenko is a new opera opening for a limited run at Grange Park Opera in Surrey. It tells the story of the former KGB officer who was poisoned in the UK by Russian secret agents. We speak with its composer (former financier) Anthony Bolton about why this story deserves operatic treatment.

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