Proms Plus Literary [BBC Proms]

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Britten 100: Billy Budd

20130827

D.H. Lawrence hailed Herman Melville's novella, Billy Budd, a masterpiece when it was first published in 1924. Then, in 1951, came Britten's opera, adapted from the book. The writers Philip Hoare and Jamila Gavin join Rana Mitter to explore the book's themes of good and evil, justice and the law and the actor Peter Marinker will be on hand to illustrate their remarks with readings from the book.

Producer: Zahid Warley.

Writers Philip Hoare and Jamila Gavin discuss Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Britten And Poetry

20130820

Benjamin Britten's compositions were inspired by the work of many poets and novelists, including Wilfred Owen, W.H. Auden, Blake, Shakespeare, Henry James and Thomas Mann. The actor Samuel West, who has narrated some of Britten's films, and writer Alexandra Harris explore the relationship between words and music. Presented by Ian McMillan and including readings by Malcolm Sinclair.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

The relationship between Benjamin Britten's music and the poetry which inspired it.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Craig Raine

20140805

Borrowing and reshaping existing phrases is a feature of both music and literature. The poet Craig Raine discusses the way expressions change their meaning and why writers adopt a magpie approach to language.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Producer: Zahid Warley.

Poet Craig Raine discusses ways in which writers adopt a 'magpie' approach to language.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Dylan Thomas Centenary

20140811

The current National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and the painter Peter Blake celebrate the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas.

Gillian Clarke remembers hearing Under Milk Wood being broadcast on radio when she was a teenager and recognising those voices and she's gone on to read and reflect on his work. She's joined on stage by painter Peter Blake who completed a 28 year project to illustrate Under Milk Wood this year when he showed his portraits of the characters at the National Museum of Wales.

The presenter is Shahidha Bari. The reader is Trystan Gravelle .

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Producer: Laura Thomas.

Poet Gillian Clarke and artist Peter Blake celebrate the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Gavin Maxwell

20140815

Nature writers Miriam Darlington and Horatio Clare join Rana Mitter to discuss the Scottish author and naturalist Gavin Maxwell in his centenary year, including readings from Ring of Bright Water described as 'one of the greatest wildlife books of all time'.

The reader is Scott Handy.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Miriam Darlington is the author of Otter Country

Horatio Clare's books include A Single Swallow, Running for the Hills and Sicily Through Writers' Eyes

Producer: Harry Parker.

Nature writers Miriam Darlington and Horatio Clare discuss Scottish author Gavin Maxwell.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Icelandic Culture

20140822

As the Iceland Symphony Orchestra appear at the Proms, Radio 3's New Generation Thinker and expert in Nordic sagas Eleanor Rosamond Barraclough joins novelist Joanna Kavenna to discuss Icelandic culture.

Their conversation will range from trolls and the myth of Thule to Nordic Noir, from the 19th century British visitors who included William Morris and Anthony Trollope to modern poets Glyn Maxwell and Simon Armitage.

Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough teaches at Durham University and will be presenting a documentary for BBC Radio 3 about The Supernatural North

Joanna Kavenna's books include Come to the Edge and The Ice Museum: In Search of The Lost Land of Thule

Producer: Jacqueline Smith.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Light Music At The Bbc

20130731

The writers Simon Heffer and Andrew O'Hagan discuss the halcyon days of light music at the BBC and beyond with Matthew Sweet. With its jaunty melodies and cascading strings, they restore it to its proper place: the heart of British musical life.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Simon Heffer and Andrew O'Hagan on the halcyon days of light music at the BBC.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Louis Macneice

20130902

Former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and poet Paul Farley on the work of one of the most popular and influential of the Thirties poets, Louis MacNeice, the BBC producer who worked with Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden and whose most enduring work, Autumn Journal, is set amid the upheaval of the period leading up to the Second World War. MacNeice died fifty years ago this week.There's also a Proms appreciation of fellow Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney whose death was announced on Friday

Ian McMillan presents.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this summer's Proms Plus events.

Poets Andrew Motion and Paul Farley celebrate the life and work of poet Louis MacNeice.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Mahler In Words

20130715

Mahler in Words: conductor, rock star and blogger Kenneth Woods introduces a selection of readings about Gustav Mahler and discusses how the composer's intense relationship with Alma fed into the writing of his Fifth Symphony. Woods argues that the tempestuous monster of popular myth is not an accurate depiction of Mahler and there is a chance to hear rare audio of an orchestral player who actually worked under him.

Rana Mitter presents. The reader is Nicholas Boulton.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as the first of this year's Literary Proms Plus events.

Conductor Kenneth Woods presents a selection of readings about Gustav Mahler.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Martin Amis

20140829

Novelist and essayist Martin Amis discusses 'The Zone of Interest', his 14th novel, in which he revisits the Holocaust for the first time since his controversial book, 'Time's Arrow'. He'll be talking to Philip Dodd about his use of language in writing about the death camps, a writer's relationship with his characters, why he wanted to explore how what one of his characters describes as 'a sleepy country of poets and dreamers, the most highly educated nation the earth has ever seen' yielded to 'such wild, such fantastic disgrace' and why novelists of his generation seem to be drawn to write about the Second World War.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music.

Producer: Fiona McLean.

Author Martin Amis discusses his novel The Zone of Interest.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Melbourne's Cultural Heritage

20140819

Melbourne prides itself on being the 'cultural and sporting capital of Australia'. It's a UNESCO City of Literature. As the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform at tonight's Prom concert the publisher Carmen Callil, founder of Virago Press, and novelist Helen Fitzgerald reveals Melbourne's cultural and historical heritage past and present from the city's imperial buildings and boulevards to modern artists such as musician Paul Kelly and the poetry of the late Dorothy Porter.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Producer: Jacqueline Smith.

Carmen Callil and Helen Fitzgerald discuss Melbourne's cultural heritage.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Michael Tippett

20130801

Rana Mitter introduces an anthology of readings on English composer Michael Tippett.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Music And Cinema

20130826

From the very first days of silent film to the contemporary CGI blockbuster, music has always played a crucial role in cinema, guiding the audience throught the story, keeping their attention, fixing time and place. The film composer Debbie Wiseman and critic David Benedict discuss with Matthew Sweet the ways in which movie makers have created mood with music.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Debbie Wiseman and David Benedict on the ways film-makers have created mood with music.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Philip Larkin And The Whitsun Weddings

20140905

Andrew Motion and Kate Clanchy discuss Philip Larkin and his work The Whitsun Weddings.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Playing Falstaff

20130724

What makes Falstaff, Prince Hal's fat, boastful and cowardly companion so irresistible to writers and composers? The character appears in several Shakespeare plays and in musical works by Verdi, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Salieri. Samira Ahmed talks to Timothy West and Desmond Barrit about their experience of playing one of Shakespeare's greatest characters.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as one of this year's Proms Plus events.

Timothy West and Desmond Barrit discuss Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's greatest characters

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Poems From The First World War

20140804

On the centenary of Britain's entry into the First World War Dame Shirley Williams and Colonel Tim Collins introduce an anthology of poetry from the war. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music, before this evening's Prom, and featuring actors Roslyn Hill and Monty d'Inverno.

Colonel Tim Collins OBE served in the British army for more than two decades, including tours in Northern Ireland, Germany, and Cyprus, before a speech he made to his troops on the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 made him famous. He told them that they went into Iraq 'to liberate not to conquer' and warned that 'the Mark of Cain' would be on anyone who killed without good reason. The speech won him acclaim around the world, has featured in several films devoted to the Iraq war, and is said to hang in the Oval Office.

Baroness Shirley Williams has been an active figure in British political life for five decades, first becoming an MP for Labour in 1964. She went on to hold several key ministerial positions before - as one of the famous Gang of Four - founding the SDP in 1981. She is also the daughter of Vera Brittain, feminist, pacifist campaigner and author of Testament of Youth, in which she recounts her service as a VAD nurse in World War One. The conflict took the lives of Brittain's fianc退, her brother, and two close friends.

Producer: Laura Thomas.

Dame Shirley Williams and Colonel Tim Collins introduce an anthology of poetry from WWI.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Poles In Britain

20130717

Polish is the third most spoken language in the UK, after English and Welsh, and the 2011 census found over half a million Poles living in Britain. But you don't need to speak Polish in order to embrace Polish culture, thanks to a current boom in translating Polish novels into English. Rana Mitter asks the Polish-born writers Eva Hoffman and A.M. Bakalar to provide a guide to the most exciting writing coming out of Poland today.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Writer Eva Hoffman on the art and literature created by Polish artists today.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Proms Poetry Competition

20130906

Ian McMillan, Judith Palmer and Don Paterson introduce the winning entries in this year's Proms Poetry Competition - and welcome some of the winners on stage to read their poems. The reader is Samantha Bond.

Recorded in front of an audience at this year's Proms Plus events at the Royal College of Music.

In Association with the Poetry Society.

Ian McMillan introduces the winning entries in the 2013 Proms Poetry Competition.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Proms Poetry Competition

20140912

Daljit Nagra and Ian McMillan with the winning entries in 2014's Proms Poetry Competition.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Responses To War: Owen Sheers And Pat Barker

20140720

The Booker prize winning novelist Pat Barker, author of the Regeneration Trilogy on the subject of the First World War, and the poet Owen Sheers discuss writers', musicians' and painters' responses to war including the work of Keith Douglas, UA Fanthorpe, David Jones, Alun Lewis and the paintings of CW Nevinson. The reader is Samuel West.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before the evening's Prom concert.

Prize-winning writer Pat Barker and poet Owen Sheers discuss artists' responses to war.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Robert Frost

20140908

In 1914 the American poet Robert Frost published his collection 'North of Boston'. It was hailed as 'one of the most revolutionary books of modern times' by the English poet Edward Thomas. Matthew Hollis, who has written about the friendship between the two writers, is joined by Frost's biographer Jay Parini to discuss the poet.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music.

Writer Matthew Hollis and biographer Jay Parini discuss the American poet Robert Frost.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Scott, Burns And Beethoven

20130803

In 1818 Beethoven's 25 Scottish Songs set to music the words of writers like Robert Burns and James Hogg. Robert Crawford and Fiona Stafford discuss how the Romantic Movement linked the composer with the poetry of Scottish writers like Burns, James Macpherson and Walter Scott. Susan Hitch presents with readings by David Rintoul.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Robert Crawford and Fiona Stafford on the links between Scott, Burns and Beethoven.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Staging Wagner

20130727

Wagner's stage directions are notorious: giant dragons; underwater singing; horses on stage; storms; destruction by raging fires. Designer Peter Mumford, and Dr John Snelson from the ROH discuss the solutions available to 21st century artists and some of the famous 19th and 20th century stagings. Presented by Anne McElvoy.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Designer Peter Mumford and Dr John Snelson of the ROH on the challenges of staging Wagner.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Sylvia Plath

20130808

To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Sylvia Plath and the publication of her novel, The Bell Jar, the writer, Lavinia Greenlaw and the critic, Sally Bayley, look back on the legacy of a remarkable poet with readings by Buffy Davis.

Born in Boston in 1932 Plath moved to England to study at Cambridge where she met and married the poet Ted Hughes. Her first collection of poems, Colossus, was published here in 1960. In 1962 she wrote most of the poems which would form her best known collection, Ariel. She died in February 1963 during one of the most severe winters on record in Britain. Ariel and The Bell Jar were published after her death.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Lavinia Greenlaw and Sally Bayley reflect on the achievement of Sylvia Plath.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

The Life And Legacy Of Rudolf Nureyev

20130815

Rudolf Nureyev was one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century.

His charisma and electrifying stage presence made him a superstar and he transformed the status and even the expected appearance of the male dancer.

Twenty years after his death the former director of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, who partnered him in Hamlet, and his biographer, Julie Kavanagh, celebrate his life and legacy wit h Samira Ahmed.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Monica Mason celebrates the life and legacy of the great ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

The Sound Of Outer Space

20130831

Capturing the sound of dark matter, comets and distant planets is one of the toughest tasks a film composer can face. Matthew Sweet talks to composers Anna Meredith and Miguel Mera about the ways in which film composers have met the challenge.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this summer's Proms Plus events.

Matthew Sweet talks to Anna Meredith and Miguel Mera about composing the sound of space.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

20130729

In a special event John le Carr退 celebrates the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking Cold War espionage novel, The Spy who Came in from the Cold, the book which brought him international fame and which was described by Graham Greene as 'the best spy story I have ever read'. Anne McElvoy presents.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events, with readings by John Shrapnel.

John le Carre celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

The Taming Of The Shrew

20140802

Rana Mitter talks to the actors Janet Suzman and Alexandra Gilbreath about Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Both women have played the part of Kate -- both in acclaimed RSC productions and both made it their own. They'll be discussing the play's sexual politics and what Shakespeare has to say to audiences today.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Producer: Zahid Warley.

Janet Suzman and Alexandra Gilbreath discuss The Taming of the Shrew and sexual politics.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Tony Harrison

20140807

50 years on from the publication of Tony Harrison's first collection of poetry, Earthworks, the poet and playwright discusses his adaptations of classical Greek drama, including The Oresteia, Lysistrata and Hecuba. He talks to Matthew Sweet about his passionate commitment to the classics, his exploration of issues of class, race and power and whether poetry can ever change the world.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie.

Poet and playwright Tony Harrison discusses his work over the last 50 years.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

What Is Chinese Culture Today?

20140719

The novelist Xiaolu Guo and Chinese Contemporary Arts expert Katie Hill discuss with Rana Mitter the culture of China today from the work of Ai Weiwei to the writing of Mai Jia as the country seeks a path between the past and the challenges of modernity.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before the evening's Prom.

Rana Mitter is joined by novelist Xiaolu Guo to discuss the culture of China today.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Wilfred Owen

20140821

Wilfred Owen is considered by many to be one of the greatest voices of the First World War. The poets Fred d'Aguiar and Michael Longley discuss the work of the poet whose poetry inspired Britten's War Requiem.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Fred D'Aguiar's poems include Boy Soldier in his collection The Rose of Toulouse and his most recent novel is called Children of Paradise

Michael Longley is a recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. His books include Cenotaph of Snow: Sixty Poems About War and his most recent is The Stairwell

Producer: Zahid Warley.

Poets Fred d'Aguiar and Michael Longley discuss the work of WWI writer Wilfred Owen.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Wwi's 'lost Generation'

20140817

You are all a lost generation', said Gertrude Stein of those marked by their experiences in the First World War. The award-winning novelist and poet Helen Dunmore, the author of novels inspired by war including The Siege, Zennor in Darkness and The Lie, and the writer Simon Heffer discuss the myths and realities behind the idea of the Lost Generation of World War 1.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert.

Helen Dunmore's most recent novel The Lie is inspired by World War 1.

Simon Heffer's books include his most recent High Minds: The Victorians and the Birth of Modern Britain

Producer: Zahid Warley.

Writers Helen Dunmore and Simon Heffer discuss the idea of WWI's 'Lost Generation'.

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Comments
Britten 100: Billy Budd	20130827	D.H. Lawrence hailed Herman Melville's novella, Billy Budd, a masterpiece when it was first published in 1924. Then, in 1951, came Britten's opera, adapted from the book. The writers Philip Hoare and Jamila Gavin join Rana Mitter to explore the book's themes of good and evil, justice and the law and the actor Peter Marinker will be on hand to illustrate their remarks with readings from the book. Producer: Zahid Warley. Writers Philip Hoare and Jamila Gavin discuss Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Britten And Poetry	20130820	Benjamin Britten's compositions were inspired by the work of many poets and novelists, including Wilfred Owen, W.H. Auden, Blake, Shakespeare, Henry James and Thomas Mann. The actor Samuel West, who has narrated some of Britten's films, and writer Alexandra Harris explore the relationship between words and music. Presented by Ian McMillan and including readings by Malcolm Sinclair. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. The relationship between Benjamin Britten's music and the poetry which inspired it. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Craig Raine	20140805	Borrowing and reshaping existing phrases is a feature of both music and literature. The poet Craig Raine discusses the way expressions change their meaning and why writers adopt a magpie approach to language. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Producer: Zahid Warley. Poet Craig Raine discusses ways in which writers adopt a 'magpie' approach to language. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Dylan Thomas Centenary	20140811	The current National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and the painter Peter Blake celebrate the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. Gillian Clarke remembers hearing Under Milk Wood being broadcast on radio when she was a teenager and recognising those voices and she's gone on to read and reflect on his work. She's joined on stage by painter Peter Blake who completed a 28 year project to illustrate Under Milk Wood this year when he showed his portraits of the characters at the National Museum of Wales. The presenter is Shahidha Bari. The reader is Trystan Gravelle . Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Producer: Laura Thomas. Poet Gillian Clarke and artist Peter Blake celebrate the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Gavin Maxwell	20140815	Nature writers Miriam Darlington and Horatio Clare join Rana Mitter to discuss the Scottish author and naturalist Gavin Maxwell in his centenary year, including readings from Ring of Bright Water described as 'one of the greatest wildlife books of all time'. The reader is Scott Handy. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Miriam Darlington is the author of Otter Country Horatio Clare's books include A Single Swallow, Running for the Hills and Sicily Through Writers' Eyes Producer: Harry Parker. Nature writers Miriam Darlington and Horatio Clare discuss Scottish author Gavin Maxwell. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Icelandic Culture	20140822	As the Iceland Symphony Orchestra appear at the Proms, Radio 3's New Generation Thinker and expert in Nordic sagas Eleanor Rosamond Barraclough joins novelist Joanna Kavenna to discuss Icelandic culture. Their conversation will range from trolls and the myth of Thule to Nordic Noir, from the 19th century British visitors who included William Morris and Anthony Trollope to modern poets Glyn Maxwell and Simon Armitage. Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough teaches at Durham University and will be presenting a documentary for BBC Radio 3 about The Supernatural North Joanna Kavenna's books include Come to the Edge and The Ice Museum: In Search of The Lost Land of Thule Producer: Jacqueline Smith. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Light Music At The Bbc	20130731	The writers Simon Heffer and Andrew O'Hagan discuss the halcyon days of light music at the BBC and beyond with Matthew Sweet. With its jaunty melodies and cascading strings, they restore it to its proper place: the heart of British musical life. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Simon Heffer and Andrew O'Hagan on the halcyon days of light music at the BBC. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Louis Macneice	20130902	Former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and poet Paul Farley on the work of one of the most popular and influential of the Thirties poets, Louis MacNeice, the BBC producer who worked with Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden and whose most enduring work, Autumn Journal, is set amid the upheaval of the period leading up to the Second World War. MacNeice died fifty years ago this week.There's also a Proms appreciation of fellow Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney whose death was announced on Friday Ian McMillan presents. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this summer's Proms Plus events. Poets Andrew Motion and Paul Farley celebrate the life and work of poet Louis MacNeice. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Mahler In Words	20130715	Mahler in Words: conductor, rock star and blogger Kenneth Woods introduces a selection of readings about Gustav Mahler and discusses how the composer's intense relationship with Alma fed into the writing of his Fifth Symphony. Woods argues that the tempestuous monster of popular myth is not an accurate depiction of Mahler and there is a chance to hear rare audio of an orchestral player who actually worked under him. Rana Mitter presents. The reader is Nicholas Boulton. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as the first of this year's Literary Proms Plus events. Conductor Kenneth Woods presents a selection of readings about Gustav Mahler. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Martin Amis	20140829	Novelist and essayist Martin Amis discusses 'The Zone of Interest', his 14th novel, in which he revisits the Holocaust for the first time since his controversial book, 'Time's Arrow'. He'll be talking to Philip Dodd about his use of language in writing about the death camps, a writer's relationship with his characters, why he wanted to explore how what one of his characters describes as 'a sleepy country of poets and dreamers, the most highly educated nation the earth has ever seen' yielded to 'such wild, such fantastic disgrace' and why novelists of his generation seem to be drawn to write about the Second World War. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music. Producer: Fiona McLean. Author Martin Amis discusses his novel The Zone of Interest. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Melbourne's Cultural Heritage	20140819	Melbourne prides itself on being the 'cultural and sporting capital of Australia'. It's a UNESCO City of Literature. As the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform at tonight's Prom concert the publisher Carmen Callil, founder of Virago Press, and novelist Helen Fitzgerald reveals Melbourne's cultural and historical heritage past and present from the city's imperial buildings and boulevards to modern artists such as musician Paul Kelly and the poetry of the late Dorothy Porter. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Producer: Jacqueline Smith. Carmen Callil and Helen Fitzgerald discuss Melbourne's cultural heritage. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Michael Tippett	20130801	Rana Mitter introduces an anthology of readings on English composer Michael Tippett. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Music And Cinema	20130826	From the very first days of silent film to the contemporary CGI blockbuster, music has always played a crucial role in cinema, guiding the audience throught the story, keeping their attention, fixing time and place. The film composer Debbie Wiseman and critic David Benedict discuss with Matthew Sweet the ways in which movie makers have created mood with music. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Debbie Wiseman and David Benedict on the ways film-makers have created mood with music. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Philip Larkin And The Whitsun Weddings	20140905	Andrew Motion and Kate Clanchy discuss Philip Larkin and his work The Whitsun Weddings. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Playing Falstaff	20130724	What makes Falstaff, Prince Hal's fat, boastful and cowardly companion so irresistible to writers and composers? The character appears in several Shakespeare plays and in musical works by Verdi, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Salieri. Samira Ahmed talks to Timothy West and Desmond Barrit about their experience of playing one of Shakespeare's greatest characters. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as one of this year's Proms Plus events. Timothy West and Desmond Barrit discuss Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's greatest characters The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Poems From The First World War	20140804	On the centenary of Britain's entry into the First World War Dame Shirley Williams and Colonel Tim Collins introduce an anthology of poetry from the war. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music, before this evening's Prom, and featuring actors Roslyn Hill and Monty d'Inverno. Colonel Tim Collins OBE served in the British army for more than two decades, including tours in Northern Ireland, Germany, and Cyprus, before a speech he made to his troops on the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 made him famous. He told them that they went into Iraq 'to liberate not to conquer' and warned that 'the Mark of Cain' would be on anyone who killed without good reason. The speech won him acclaim around the world, has featured in several films devoted to the Iraq war, and is said to hang in the Oval Office. Baroness Shirley Williams has been an active figure in British political life for five decades, first becoming an MP for Labour in 1964. She went on to hold several key ministerial positions before - as one of the famous Gang of Four - founding the SDP in 1981. She is also the daughter of Vera Brittain, feminist, pacifist campaigner and author of Testament of Youth, in which she recounts her service as a VAD nurse in World War One. The conflict took the lives of Brittain's fianc退, her brother, and two close friends. Producer: Laura Thomas. Dame Shirley Williams and Colonel Tim Collins introduce an anthology of poetry from WWI. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Poles In Britain	20130717	Polish is the third most spoken language in the UK, after English and Welsh, and the 2011 census found over half a million Poles living in Britain. But you don't need to speak Polish in order to embrace Polish culture, thanks to a current boom in translating Polish novels into English. Rana Mitter asks the Polish-born writers Eva Hoffman and A.M. Bakalar to provide a guide to the most exciting writing coming out of Poland today. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Writer Eva Hoffman on the art and literature created by Polish artists today. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Proms Poetry Competition	20130906	Ian McMillan, Judith Palmer and Don Paterson introduce the winning entries in this year's Proms Poetry Competition - and welcome some of the winners on stage to read their poems. The reader is Samantha Bond. Recorded in front of an audience at this year's Proms Plus events at the Royal College of Music. In Association with the Poetry Society. Ian McMillan introduces the winning entries in the 2013 Proms Poetry Competition. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Proms Poetry Competition	20140912	Daljit Nagra and Ian McMillan with the winning entries in 2014's Proms Poetry Competition. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Responses To War: Owen Sheers And Pat Barker	20140720	The Booker prize winning novelist Pat Barker, author of the Regeneration Trilogy on the subject of the First World War, and the poet Owen Sheers discuss writers', musicians' and painters' responses to war including the work of Keith Douglas, UA Fanthorpe, David Jones, Alun Lewis and the paintings of CW Nevinson. The reader is Samuel West. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before the evening's Prom concert. Prize-winning writer Pat Barker and poet Owen Sheers discuss artists' responses to war. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Robert Frost	20140908	In 1914 the American poet Robert Frost published his collection 'North of Boston'. It was hailed as 'one of the most revolutionary books of modern times' by the English poet Edward Thomas. Matthew Hollis, who has written about the friendship between the two writers, is joined by Frost's biographer Jay Parini to discuss the poet. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music. Writer Matthew Hollis and biographer Jay Parini discuss the American poet Robert Frost. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Scott, Burns And Beethoven	20130803	In 1818 Beethoven's 25 Scottish Songs set to music the words of writers like Robert Burns and James Hogg. Robert Crawford and Fiona Stafford discuss how the Romantic Movement linked the composer with the poetry of Scottish writers like Burns, James Macpherson and Walter Scott. Susan Hitch presents with readings by David Rintoul. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Robert Crawford and Fiona Stafford on the links between Scott, Burns and Beethoven. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Staging Wagner	20130727	Wagner's stage directions are notorious: giant dragons; underwater singing; horses on stage; storms; destruction by raging fires. Designer Peter Mumford, and Dr John Snelson from the ROH discuss the solutions available to 21st century artists and some of the famous 19th and 20th century stagings. Presented by Anne McElvoy. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Designer Peter Mumford and Dr John Snelson of the ROH on the challenges of staging Wagner. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Sylvia Plath	20130808	To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Sylvia Plath and the publication of her novel, The Bell Jar, the writer, Lavinia Greenlaw and the critic, Sally Bayley, look back on the legacy of a remarkable poet with readings by Buffy Davis. Born in Boston in 1932 Plath moved to England to study at Cambridge where she met and married the poet Ted Hughes. Her first collection of poems, Colossus, was published here in 1960. In 1962 she wrote most of the poems which would form her best known collection, Ariel. She died in February 1963 during one of the most severe winters on record in Britain. Ariel and The Bell Jar were published after her death. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Lavinia Greenlaw and Sally Bayley reflect on the achievement of Sylvia Plath. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
The Life And Legacy Of Rudolf Nureyev	20130815	Rudolf Nureyev was one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century. His charisma and electrifying stage presence made him a superstar and he transformed the status and even the expected appearance of the male dancer. Twenty years after his death the former director of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, who partnered him in Hamlet, and his biographer, Julie Kavanagh, celebrate his life and legacy wit h Samira Ahmed. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events. Monica Mason celebrates the life and legacy of the great ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
The Sound Of Outer Space	20130831	Capturing the sound of dark matter, comets and distant planets is one of the toughest tasks a film composer can face. Matthew Sweet talks to composers Anna Meredith and Miguel Mera about the ways in which film composers have met the challenge. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this summer's Proms Plus events. Matthew Sweet talks to Anna Meredith and Miguel Mera about composing the sound of space. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold	20130729	In a special event John le Carr退 celebrates the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking Cold War espionage novel, The Spy who Came in from the Cold, the book which brought him international fame and which was described by Graham Greene as 'the best spy story I have ever read'. Anne McElvoy presents. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events, with readings by John Shrapnel. John le Carre celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
The Taming Of The Shrew	20140802	Rana Mitter talks to the actors Janet Suzman and Alexandra Gilbreath about Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Both women have played the part of Kate -- both in acclaimed RSC productions and both made it their own. They'll be discussing the play's sexual politics and what Shakespeare has to say to audiences today. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Producer: Zahid Warley. Janet Suzman and Alexandra Gilbreath discuss The Taming of the Shrew and sexual politics. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Tony Harrison	20140807	50 years on from the publication of Tony Harrison's first collection of poetry, Earthworks, the poet and playwright discusses his adaptations of classical Greek drama, including The Oresteia, Lysistrata and Hecuba. He talks to Matthew Sweet about his passionate commitment to the classics, his exploration of issues of class, race and power and whether poetry can ever change the world. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Producer: Philippa Ritchie. Poet and playwright Tony Harrison discusses his work over the last 50 years. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
What Is Chinese Culture Today?	20140719	The novelist Xiaolu Guo and Chinese Contemporary Arts expert Katie Hill discuss with Rana Mitter the culture of China today from the work of Ai Weiwei to the writing of Mai Jia as the country seeks a path between the past and the challenges of modernity. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before the evening's Prom. Rana Mitter is joined by novelist Xiaolu Guo to discuss the culture of China today. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Wilfred Owen	20140821	Wilfred Owen is considered by many to be one of the greatest voices of the First World War. The poets Fred d'Aguiar and Michael Longley discuss the work of the poet whose poetry inspired Britten's War Requiem. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Fred D'Aguiar's poems include Boy Soldier in his collection The Rose of Toulouse and his most recent novel is called Children of Paradise Michael Longley is a recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. His books include Cenotaph of Snow: Sixty Poems About War and his most recent is The Stairwell Producer: Zahid Warley. Poets Fred d'Aguiar and Michael Longley discuss the work of WWI writer Wilfred Owen. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.
Wwi's 'lost Generation'	20140817	You are all a lost generation', said Gertrude Stein of those marked by their experiences in the First World War. The award-winning novelist and poet Helen Dunmore, the author of novels inspired by war including The Siege, Zennor in Darkness and The Lie, and the writer Simon Heffer discuss the myths and realities behind the idea of the Lost Generation of World War 1. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music before tonight's Prom concert. Helen Dunmore's most recent novel The Lie is inspired by World War 1. Simon Heffer's books include his most recent High Minds: The Victorians and the Birth of Modern Britain Producer: Zahid Warley. Writers Helen Dunmore and Simon Heffer discuss the idea of WWI's 'Lost Generation'. The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.