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Front Row: Sir John Akomfrah, bicentenary of Byron's death and sped-up music

Sir John Akomfrah, bicentenary of Byron's death and sped-up music

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Sir John Akomfrah, bicentenary of Byron's death and sped-up music

Sir John Akomfrah at Venice Art Biennale, 200 years since Byron's death, sped-up music.

Sir John Akomfrah represents the UK at the 60th Venice Art Biennale, 200 years since Byron's death, and the appeal of sped-up music.

Lord Byron died 200 years ago on Friday. Lady Caroline Lamb described him as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. Fiona Stafford has edited Byron's Travels, a new selection of his poems, letters and journals. He was only 36 when he died, but had written seven volumes of verse, thirteen volumes of journal and thousands of letters.  The poet A. E. Stallings, who lives in Greece, where Byron died while supporting the Greek struggle for independence - and Fiona Stafford, join Tom Sutcliffe to celebrate this great, scandalous and very funny Romantic poet.

We talk about the sped-up music phenomenon, and what it tells us about the constantly evolving relationship between the music industry and music fans. Music business writer Eamonn Forde and singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan are in the Front Row studio.

And artist Sir John Akomfrah joins us from the British Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale where he is representing the UK, with his exhibition, Listening All Night To The Rain.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paul Waters

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