Photographer turned film-maker David Bailey’s unique portrait of his wife includes a stunning range of images of her as model, mother and a person totally at ease with herself. It even includes footage of her in various stages of pregnancy and childbirth. The programme is narrated by novelist Fay Weldon in conversation with Catherine, who talks about issues and events which have been important to her as a woman.
Classic Widows
Classic Widows features four extraordinary women who are championing the music of their late composer-husbands: Susana Walton, globetrotting widow of William Walton; Bertha Stevens, whose husband, a contemporary of Walton’s, died in relative obscurity; Xenia Frankel, who was left £50,000 in debt on the death of her husband Benjamin; and Humphrey Searle’s widow. The programme features specially chosen selections from all the composers’ works, performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox.
Aldous Huxley
The author of Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) is one of the best-known twentieth-century novelists. Filmed in California – where Huxley spent most of his life –, Maryland and the UK, and featuring numerous extracts from the writer’s major works, this documentary re-evaluates his writing and reveals the thoughts, concerns and passions of this fascinating man. Along with contributions from family and friends, it includes archive interviews with Huxley himself.
Ruslan and Lyudmila
From the Maryinsky Theatre St. Petersburg 1995
This live recording from the Kirov Opera provides a rare opportunity to see Glinka’s magical masterpiece in its entirety, in a magnificent production which brought together the formidable talents of conductor Valéry Gergiev, producer Lotfi Mansouri and stage designer Thierry Bosquet. The staging, though new, is in fact a meticulous recreation of an historic original, a spectacular piece of stagecraft from the height of Russia’s pre-Revolutionary Golden Age. The cast features some of Russia’s finest singers, including Anna Netrebko in one of her first major parts, Galina Gorchakova and Larissa Diadkova. The ballet contained in the opera is performed by the internationally-acclaimed Kirov Ballet. (Sung in Russian)
The Palace
This recording features the world premiere of Aulis Sallinen fifth opera: The Palace.
The opera is based on the libretto by the distinguished writers Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Irene Dische. Inspired by Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail and Ryszard Kapuscinski’s The Emperor, they created a satirical story of the collapse of a thoroughly corrupt court. It shows how absurd an autocrat can get in the setting of ludicrous ceremonies and bizarre rules of precedence.
Sallinen’s music is like a kaleidoscope: rich, multi-coloured and many faceted. It is instantly appreciable and approachable. The production by Kalle Holmberg earned thunderous ovations from audience and critics alike.
Lionel Bart
Composer and lyricist Lionel Bart, who died in 1999, had a remarkable, if chequered, career. He first found success writing hit records in the 1950s and went on to pen a string of musicals – including the ever-popular Oliver! – which brought him enormous fame and riches. A big spender whose generosity was exploited by others, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. Failure, bankruptcy and obscurity followed. In the 1990s, the inimitable Bart bounced back. Seen working on a revival of Oliver! in London’s West End, he tells his story in a lively documentary filled with his music.
Alan Ayckbourn
After Shakespeare, Alan Ayckbourn is the world’s most frequently performed English language playwright. This programme gives a unique insight into the genius of this consummate theatre practitioner, recording a lively and amusing workshop in comedy writing and construction he gave to an invited audience.
Nora Ephron
Writer/director Nora Ephron is one of the most successful women in Hollywood. Her film Sleepless in Seattle, a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, was a top box office hit. Her credits also include the scripts for Silkwood and When Harry Met Sally. This programme centres on Ephron herself, a woman famed for her anecdotal wit and brutal honesty. Clips from her movies and contributions from colleagues are also included.
O Fortuna
No other piece of twentieth-century music has enjoyed such popular acclaim as Orff’s Carmina Burana. But, apart from this composition, his work – operas, ballets, cantatas – is largely ignored. Why? Tony Palmer’s search for the real Carl Orff (1895-1982) looks at the whole range of his music, his educational work and his difficult relationship with the Nazi Party. Interviews with the three wives who survived him and his only child are included. An extraordinary, dark story emerges – of betrayal, disappointment, lies and personal tragedy.