The BBC announces Key Changes: Radio 3’s Essential History of Classical Music: an ambitious new series tracing pivotal points of innovation across a thousand years of music.
Over the course of a year, this major new programme will focus on moments of musical, technological, political and cultural change that altered the course of classical music forever.
Renowned historians and commentators Michael Wood, Suzannah Lipscomb, Kate Williams, Bridget Kendall, Rana Mitter and Simon Schama join writer, broadcaster and Artistic Associate at Southbank Centre, Gillian Moore, for engaging conversations, bringing historical context to the evolution of music.
This landmark series travels from the invention of the musical stave in 1026, via the Protestant Reformation, the court of the Sun King, the French Revolution, the emergence of recording technology and the Second World War, to the arrival of the internet. It examines the role of music in people’s everyday lives: in the church, the fields, the tavern, the theatre, in the home and on the smartphone, against an ever-moving backdrop of religious turmoil, plague, revolution, war, trade, migration, empire and technological leaps forward.
Each episode begins with a moment in history that serves as a launchpad for discussing how music took a bold new turn, and explores the legacy of that moment in the years that followed. Topics covered include the birth of opera and ballet, the evolution of the orchestra, and the mass production of domestic pianos.
The series connects cultural, political, and social shifts with musical innovation, offering listeners a deeper understanding of how history and music intertwine.
Episode One will be broadcast on Saturday 4 April (1pm), with new instalments airing weekly. The full series will also be available in perpetuity on BBC Sounds.
Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, said: “This wide-ranging, year-long commission from Radio 3 deepens our commitment to illuminating the stories of those who have shaped the landscape of classical music. Gillian Moore has proven to be a very popular addition to Radio 3’s roster of presenters; her deep and authoritative knowledge make her the ideal choice to helm this series. I’m also thrilled that so many respected historians will be joining Gillian to explain the context of how world events have shaped the course of musical history, across more than a thousand years.”
Music Matters – currently airing at 1pm on Saturdays – will move to Sundays at 3pm, and the repeat broadcast of Choral Evensong will move to 6pm on Sunday evenings. Words and Music will now follow the Sunday Feature at 7.45pm, and at 9pm there will be a range of programming including Ultimate Calm with Erland Cooper (April) and a new series of Brass Banding with Hannah Peel (October).
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