Live from Birmingham. John Florance reports on two unusual Sounds Like
Birmingham events - Spirit of the Earth, a collaboration with Radio 3 and the South Bank, featuring traditional music from four continents: and Sternklang, Stockhausen's "Star Music". The outdoor performance of this piece involves five groups of musicians about 100 metres apart, linked by runners with torches - rockets will also be fired!
This will be the first time the piece has been done (as intended) in the open air. Also in the programme, Coope, Boyes and Simpson, a new a cappella group from Derbyshire which includes members of folk bands
Swand Arcade and Rogue's
Gallery. They mix original songs with old favourites and a selection of hymns. Producer David Corser