Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand

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Neil Brand

Sebastian Barfield

John Das

Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand: Episode 1: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

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Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

Episode 1

Episode 1: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

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How the modern shape of the musical was established through a series of pioneering works.

Series exploring how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years. Neil finds out how its modern shape was established through pioneering works.

Series in which composer Neil Brand explores how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon. Neil hears the inside story from leading composers and talent past and present, and recreates classic songs, looking in detail at how these work musically and lyrically to captivate the audience. 

In the first episode, Neil finds out how the modern shape of the musical was established through a series of pioneering works, from Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's Show Boat in the 1920s with its bold take on America's racial divide and innovative use of songs that further the narrative, to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's My Fair Lady, which made a star of Julie Andrews in the late 1950s. Neil also reveals the songwriting secrets of some much-loved numbers, including Ol' Man River, Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin', and If I Loved You.

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BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals

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How musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon.

Composer Neil Brand explores how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon.

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Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand

Episode 1: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

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