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Front Row: Vikingur Olafsson, Power in publishing, Thackray Museum of Medicine.

13/08/2021

Vikingur Olafsson, Power in publishing, Thackray Museum of Medicine.

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Vikingur Olafsson, Power in publishing, Thackray Museum of Medicine.

Pianist Vikingur Olafsson is in the studio to talk about audiences, live music, and Mozart

Vikingur Olafsson performs live in the studio. The publishing industry, power and the critical voice. Museum of the Year nominee The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds.

Last year, Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson was Front Row's artist-in-residence from Reykjavik. Finally this week, he's able to join John Wilson in the studio, where he talks playing at the Proms and how great it is to be back performing in front of live audiences. He shares stories from his new Mozart album (including a childhood tantrum against the child prodigy), and plays Mozart and Cimarosa live in the studio.

A storm has blown up over poet Kate Clanchy’s recent reaction to a review on GoodReads of her book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. The reviewer pointed out racist and ableist tropes in the book. Clanchy has now apologised for getting things wrong but initially accused the reviewer of lies. John is joined by Amy Baxter, founder of Bad Form, which describes itself as ‘a literary review celebrating black, Asian and racialised community writers’. Amy also works as an Editorial Assistant at publishers Hachette, and with her is the poet Anthony Anaxagorou. They consider what the story reveals about the publishing industry and the critical voice. Who is employed and who is listened to, and what lessons can be learned? 

We hear from the second of the five museums and galleries shortlisted for the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021. This year’s prize will reflect the resilience and imagination of museums during the pandemic, and today we hear from Nat Edwards at The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds.


Main image: John Wilson and Vikingur Olafsson

Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Julian May

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