Free Thinking

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Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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The ideas shaping our lives today - with leading artists and thinkers in extended interview and debate.

Free Thinking: Diverse Classical Music II

Diverse Classical Music II

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Diverse Classical Music II

New research into music by Margaret Bonds, Robert Nathaniel Dett, Ali Osman, Isaac Hishow.

Dr Christienna Fryar finds out about the research of scholars Dr Samantha Ege, Dwight Pile-Gray, Ahmed Abdul Rahman and Dr Phil Alexander, which has led to a BBC concert.

New Generation Thinker Christienna Fryar is joined by four scholars whose work on composers has fed into concerts being recorded by the BBC Philharmonic. 

Musicologist and pianist Dr Samantha Ege from the University of Oxford, is working on the American composer and pianist Margaret Bonds (1913 – 1972)

Dwight Pile-Gray, who is studying at the London College of Music at the University of West London, is researching the Canadian American composer, organist, pianist, choir director and music professor Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882 – 1943)

The ethnomusicologist and instrumentalist Ahmed Abdul Rahman, doing his PhD at Bath Spa University is investigating the music of Sudanese composer Ali Osman (1958 – 2017)

Musicologist and pianist Dr Phil Alexander is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh working on the Scottish Jewish composer Isaac Hirshow (1883 – 1956) 

You can find another episode looking at three more composers: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Kikuko Kanai and Julia Perry available as an Arts and Ideas podcast.

The BBC Philharmonic concert featuring the music of Nathaniel Dett, Margaret Bonds and Joseph Bologne. was broadcast by BBC Radio 3 in Afternoon Concert and is available for 28 days on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001414g

Celebrating classical composers from diverse ethnic backgrounds is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of joint project run in partnership with BBC Radio 3 https://www.ukri.org/news/celebrating-classical-composers-from-diverse-ethnic-backgrounds-2/

It builds upon an earlier partnership focused on Forgotten Female Composers which is continuing to lead to more of their music being performed and recorded 

https://ahrc.ukri.org/documents/publications/forgotten-female-composers/ 

Producer: Amelia Parker
Image:  BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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