Indra Hughes brings a personal approach to Summer Sonic with a strong West Auckland thread, where this Lancashire lad now lives. He shares music that is special to him, and chats about people he's worked with. There's Bach in unusual guises, rousing 'curtain-raisers' of romantic British music, Mel Tormé, relaxing, beautiful slow movements and tuneful eighteenth-century organ concertos.
The programme opens with part of Sir Charles Stanford's 1879 opera The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan which is about an Islamic terrorist who plans to take over the planet and wipe out all non-believers... extraordinarily topical! A short but delightful piece of instrumental Bach that was first performed on 30 Dec 1714 - 300 years ago. There's an extract from Mel Tormé's 1990 performance at the Wellington Festival. Indra will play music by his near neighbour Margaret Wegener who's 93 and who worked with Vaughan Williams, and he plays his favourite recording of Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, performed in Gloucester Cathedral, the place for which it was written.
Dame Janet Baker sings Dido’s Lament (1966) – stage version
Music Details:
ORTIZ: Passamezzo Moderno - More Hispano/Parrilla (rec & dir) (Carpe Diem CD-16279)
STANFORD: The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, Overture - NSO of Ireland/Pearce (Marco Polo 8.223580)
BACH: Sinfonia, from Cantata 152, Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn – Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki (BIS CD 841)
KERN: Pick Yourself Up, from Swing Time – Mel Tormé (vocals), George Shearing (pno) (RNZ)
EVANS: Journey To Recife – Chanticleer (Teldec 4509-96515)
PURCELL: When I am Laid in Earth, from Dido and Aeneas – Janet Baker (mezzo), British CO/Lewis (Classic CD issue 57)
PURCELL arr Rees-Williams: When I am Laid in Earth, from Dido and Aeneas – David Rees-Williams Trio (BBCLJ 30032)
Michael Leighton JONES: A Christmas Medley – APO brass & percussion/Hughes (Atoll ACD 342)
STANLEY: Movt 1, from Organ Concerto in E Op 10/1 - Northern Sinfonia Orch/Gifford (org & dir) (CRD 3365)
Margaret WEGENER: Song, Remember and I Heard a Skylark Sing – Georgina Coldwell (sop), Nigel Foster (pno) (Musica Arioso)
HANDEL: Sinfonia, Aria & Hallelujah chorus, from Athalia - Joan Sutherland (sop), AAM/Hogwood (L’Oiseau-Lyre 417 126)
HUMMEL: Movt 2, from Piano Concerto in B minor Op 89 - Stephen Hough (pno), English CO/Thompson (CHAN 8507)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis - BBC SO/Davis (BBC MM83)
ORTIZ: Passamezzo Moderno - More Hispano/Parrilla (rec & dir) (Carpe Diem CD-16279)
