91Èȱ¬

Olli Mustonen has a unique place in today’s music scene. Following the tradition of great masters such as Rachmaninov, Busoni and Enescu, Mustonen combines the roles of composer, pianist and conductor in an equal balance. Born in Helsinki, Mustonen began his studies in piano, harpsichord and composition at the age of five. Petroc Trelawny caught up with Mustonen earlier this week, when he was in Tallinn rehearsing the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in his composition The Old Church at Petäjävesi. Petroc asked him about the connection with his Finnish heritage, and the inspiration he draws from Russian artists - from the late pianist Emil Gilels to composer Rodion Shchedrin.ÌýÌýÌýÌý

More information:

As a composer Constant Lambert is probably best remembered for The Rio Grande but little else, and for a man who devoted the greater part of his life to the establishment of British ballet his work is largely unrecognised today. The economist John Maynard Keynes thought Lambert was potentially the most brilliant man he ever met and for Dame Nanette De Valois, who established The Royal Ballet, he was the greatest ballet conductor and advisor this country has ever had. He also had a career as a music critic and broadcaster in the early days of the 91Èȱ¬â€™s Third Programme. Petroc talks to Stephen Lloyd the author of Constant Lambert – Beyond The Rio Grande and reviews the new book with the pianist David Owen-Norris and dance critic Zoe Anderson.

More information:

Photo ©91Èȱ¬

Petroc visits the Sixth Form College in Farnborough in Hampshire, where around 350 of the college’s 3000 students are taking A-Levels in Music or Music Technology, and a further 150 students are involved in active music making, from a recent double-bill of Puccini operas to jazz and popular music. Against the backdrop of a Government consultation about the levels of funding for music education through the Education Services Grant, Petroc talks to the college’s principal Simon Jarvis, to its Director of Music Paul Bambrough and to some of the department’s students – and discovers an ambitious and thriving musical community.

More information:

Ìý

Sir Edward Heath learnt music at Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School in Kent before going on to be an organ scholar at Oxford. He considered a full time career as a professional musician before politics took over but he remained a great advocate for music throughout his life, conducting orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and co-founding the European Union Youth Orchestra.

Edward Heath’s former home, in the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral, has just reopened to the public, with his grand piano being one of the many objects on display. Are senior politicians today able to be quite as open about a love of classical music?Ìý Petroc discusses this and Heath’s legacy with ITN’s former political editor, Michael Brunson and the Economist’s Anne McElvoy.

More information:

Photo ©91Èȱ¬

Ìý