Pekka Kuusisto is a solo violinist, conductor, composer and folk musician who can change the way people think about music.

In this three-part series, he muses on how much creative freedom a musician really has, and the complex relationship between improvisation and ‘sticking to the plan’. How is a performance dictated by time, place, tradition, learned techniques and mindset? And how can we open the door to wider musical freedom in the future, for performers, composers and listeners?

Pekka illustrates his thoughts with a wide selection of music, ranging from Purcell and Paganini to Mahler, Miles Davis and the White Stripes, and he also gets his violin out to create some on the spot improvisations.

In this first episode, Pekka muses on improvisation in its many guises. He shares examples of musicians who exhibit freedom in their performances, including a self-destructing Vivaldi concerto, Dolly Parton’s Jolene as you’ve never heard it before, and a Monteverdi song which Pekka is so fond of that he’s tempted to arrange a private performance of it as a birthday present to himself.

A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3 Show less