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Songs of the Moon

Tom Service takes us on a musical voyage to the moon (and back).

Many of the most instantly recognisable works in classical music are inspired by the Earth’s moon – Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’, Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’, Dvoƙák’s ‘Song to the Moon’. Tom Service takes us on a musical voyage to the moon (and back), from the cosmic-scale classical to the lesser known music invoking and inspired by our mysterious celestial companion.

With Professor Monica Grady CBE, leading British space scientist.

Producer: Lola Grieve

Available now

28 minutes

Music Played

  • Claude Debussy

    Suite bergamasque for piano, L. 75: III. Claire de lune

    Performer: Menahem Pressler.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 479 8756.
  • John Du Prez

    Front Title Music [Clangers Theme]

    Performer: The Clangers.
    • Ocean Music Ltd.
    • OM20203.
  • Pink Floyd

    The Great Gig in the Sky (2011 Remastered Version)

    • Pink Floyd Records.
    • 5099902984056.
  • Constant Lambert

    Horoscope - Suite: Invocation To The Moon and Finale

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Robert Irving.
    • Decca.
    • 482 7289.
  • Atahualpa Yupanqui

    Yo Le Canto a La Luna

    Performer: Gato Barbieri.
    • Ace Records.
    • DVFD 3.
  • Neil Young

    Harvest Moon

    • Reprise.
    • 093624505761.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ("Moonlight Sonata") Op. 27 No. 2: I. Adagio sostenuto

    Performer: Daniel Barenboim.
    • DG.
    • 419 602-1.
  • Katie Paterson

    EARTH-MOON-EARTH SONATA

  • Katie Paterson

    EARTH-MOON-EARTH SONATA

  • Max Richter

    To the Stars

    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 483 7518.
  • Pink Floyd

    Us And Them (2011 Remastered Version)

    • Pink Floyd Records.
    • 5099902984056.
  • Pink Floyd

    Eclipse (2011 Remastered Version)

    • Pink Floyd Records.
    • 5099902984056.
  • AntonĂ­n Dvoƙák

    Rusalka B.203, Op.114: Act 1; Mesicku na nebi hlubokem ["Song to the Moon"]

    Singer: Olga Peretyatko. Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra. Conductor: Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez.
    • SONY CLASSICAL.
    • 88697785442.
  • Bart Howard

    Fly Me to the Moon

    Performer: Astrud Gilberto.
    • Verve Reissues.
    • 00602567828310.
  • Robert Schumann

    Liederkreis Op.39: V. Mondnacht

    Singer: Jonas Kaufmann. Performer: Helmut Deutsch.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 194397832624.
  • Glenn Miller

    Moonlight Serenade

    Performer: Ella Fitzgerald.
    • Verve.
    • 00602557080681.
  • Henry Mancini

    Moon River (From 'Breakfast At Tiffany's / Diamants sur canapé')

    Performer: Audrey Hepburn.
    • Milan.
    • G010004735470H.
  • Meco

    Moondancer

    • RCA Victor.
    • XL 13084.
  • Arnold Schoenberg

    Erwartung, Op.17: Erste Szene: Hier hinein?...(Die Frau)

    Singer: Sara Jakubiak. Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Edward Gardner.
    • CHANDOS.
    • CHSA 5198.
  • Arnold Schoenberg

    Pierrot lunaire Op.21: I. Mondestrunken

    Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Performer: Joonas Ahonen. Performer: JĂșlia GĂĄllego. Performer: Meesun Hong Coleman. Performer: Reto Bieri. Performer: Thomas Kaufmann.
    • ALPHA CLASSICS.
    • ALPHA 722.
  • Arnold Schoenberg

    Pierrot lunaire Op.21: VII: Der kranke Mond

    Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Performer: Joonas Ahonen. Performer: JĂșlia GĂĄllego. Performer: Meesun Hong Coleman. Performer: Meesun Hong Coleman. Performer: Reto Bieri. Performer: Reto Bieri. Performer: Thomas Kaufmann.
    • ALPHA CLASSICS.
    • ALPHA 722.
  • Arnold Schoenberg

    Pierrot lunaire Op.21: XIII. Enthauptung

    Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Performer: Joonas Ahonen. Performer: JĂșlia GĂĄllego. Performer: Meesun Hong Coleman. Performer: Reto Bieri. Performer: Thomas Kaufmann.
    • ALPHA CLASSICS.
    • ALPHA 722.
  • Pauline Oliveros

    Thirteen Changes: No. 10, Standing Naked in the Moonlight - Music Washing the Body

    Performer: Pauline Oliveros. Performer: Massimo Simonini.
    • I dischi di angelica.
    • IDA 028.
  • Anna Meredith

    moonmoons

    • Moshi Moshi Records.
    • MOSHICD95.
  • Claude Debussy

    Suite bergamasque for piano L. 75: III. Claire de lune

    Performer: Menahem Pressler.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 479 8756.
  • Amanda Lee Falkenberg

    The Moons Symphony: VII. Earth Moon Earthrise - The Overview

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Marin Alsop. Choir: London Voices. Conductor: Ben Parry.
    • SIGNUM CLASSICS.
    • SIGCD730.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 25 Feb 2024 17:00
  • Fri 1 Mar 2024 16:30

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