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In it to win it

Tom Service ponders classical music competitions: are musical instinct and the competitive spirit a happy combination, and what sort of repertoire have competitions produced?

From Strictly to village fĂȘte vegetables, competitions are embedded in our culture. And music is no exception: think of the Pythian Games of ancient Greece, the mediaeval singing competitions which selected the Master Singers, the improvisatory keyboard face-offs of 18th-century Vienna, and the international media-driven events of our own times.

But are musical instinct and the competitive spirit uneasy bedfellows? Why do some musical tournaments consistently produce winners who go on to have spectacular careers, and others winners who sink without trace? What’s the value of music written for competitions?

On hand to help Tom Service answer these questions and throw light on the sometimes murky world of music competitions are Lisa McCormick author of Performing Civility, a study of the social aspects of music competitions, and saxophonist and 2016 ±«Óătv Young Musician finalist, Jess Gillam.

David Papp (producer)

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 10 Nov 2023 16:30
±«Óătv Radio 3

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Music Played

  • ±«Óătv Concert Orchestra

    Strictly Come Dancing theme

    Conductor: Richard Balcombe.

  • Franz Liszt

    Sonata in B minor S.178 for piano

    Performer: Krystian Zimerman.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4779697.

  • Brian Fahey

    At the sign of the swinging cymbal

    Music Arranger: N/A. Performer: Brian Fahey and His Orchestra.
    • EMI.
    • 7243 8-27260 2 9.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor Op.23 for piano and orchestra

    Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Performer: Martha Argerich. Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • E4498162.

  • Vangelis

    Chariots of fire

    Composer: Vangelis.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 800-0202-2.

  • Chumbawamba

    Tubthumping

    Performer: Chumbawamba.
    • EMI.
    • VTDCD-154.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Concerto no. 17 in G major K.453 for piano and orchestra: 1st mvt cadenza by Mozart

    Conductor: Michael Alexander Willens. Performer: Ronald Brautigam. Performer: Die Kölner Akademie.
    • BIS.
    • BIS1944.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Sonata no. 23 in F minor Op.57 (Appassionata) for piano

    Performer: Olga Pashchenko.
    • ALPHA.
    • ALPHA365.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto in D major Op.35 for violin and orchestra: Finale (Allegro vivacissimo)

    Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Performer: Vadim Repin. Performer: Mariinsky Orchestra.
    • philips.
    • 4733432.

  • FrĂ©dĂ©ric Chopin

    Scherzo no. 4 in E major Op.54 for piano

    Performer: Bruce Liu.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4861555.

  • Hector Berlioz

    La Mort de Sardanapale

    Performer: Daniel Galvez Vallejo. Performer: Jean‐Claude Casadesus. Performer: Orchestre national de Lille.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
    • 9029561444.

  • Guillaume Balay

    PiĂšce de Concours

    Performer: Hannes LĂ€ubin. Performer: Maris Lukas Kuen.
    • AUDITE.
    • AUDITE92521.

  • Michel Merlet

    Diptyque: No. 2 Eclogue

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • Marcel Dautremer

    RĂ©cit et Impromptu

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • Pierre Revel

    Fantasy for Clarinet & Piano

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • EugĂšne Bozza

    Ballade Op.62 for trombone and orchestra

    Performer: Fritz Walter-lindqvist. Performer: Thomas Horch.
    • AUDITE.
    • AUDITE97479.

  • EugĂšne Bozza

    Duettino

    Performer: Amy Pollard. Performer: William Ludwig.
    • MARKS RECORDS.
    • 51281-MCD.

  • EugĂšne Bozza

    Etudes-Caprices Op.60: No 6

    Performer: Alexander Oseichuk.
    • MELODIYA.
    • MEL CD 10 00857.

  • Paule Maurice

    Tableaux de Provence: The Bumblebee

    Conductor: Yuri Simonov. Performer: Theodore Kerkezos. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • ONYX.
    • ONYX4065.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor Op.23 for piano and orchestra: Allegro con fuoco

    Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin. Performer: Van Cliburn. Performer: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • TESTAMENT.
    • SBT1440.

  • FrĂ©dĂ©ric Chopin

    Scherzo no. 4 in E major Op.54 for piano

    Performer: Bruce Liu.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4861555.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 5 Nov 2023 17:00
    ±«Óătv Radio 3
  • Fri 10 Nov 2023 16:30
    ±«Óătv Radio 3

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