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Donald Trump鈥檚 victory in the US presidential election is being cast as a revolutionary moment in politics. Viewed as a hero by his supporters, and a disaster by his detractors, Trump is one of the most divisive figures to occupy the Oval Office. So will his presidency spark a new era of creative protest 鈥� or support - among artists and musicians?

鈥淭o my knowledge he鈥檚 never contributed a dime to a cultural institution鈥�. The veteran US cultural critic, John Rockwell, gives Tom Service his views on what a Trump presidency might mean for arts and culture. While the president-elect has referenced Steve Reich鈥檚 work in one of his books, he has never appeared to be part of the philanthropic gala circuit that donates large sums to the arts in America.

Drawing on decades of experience as a cultural observer, Rockwell outlines how he believes pop music will respond rapidly to Trump as his promises become policy 鈥� with experimental and classical music registering their own protests at a more 鈥済lacial鈥� pace.

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Following his production of Shostakovich鈥檚 The Nose at Covent Garden, the controversial Australian opera director describes how shock tactics and radical ideas are helping opera to flourish 鈥� and how he fears a new cultural conservatism could hold the art form back.

鈥淭he more idiosyncratic and iconoclastic and opera house can be, and the more it can link up in a unique way with its local audience, the more successful it is,鈥� says Kosky, who is Artistic Director at the Komische Oper in Berlin. In a robust defence of his approach to his work, he points to the 700,000 tickets sold every year by the opera houses in the German capital 鈥� and rejects assertions that opera is in crisis.

Kosky insists that creative musicians, directors and producers must have freedom to interpret works, and challenges critics who demand that operas be staged as historical artefacts. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 want to be surprised鈥� with a piece of music you know, then stay at home,鈥� Kosky suggests. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to create something that鈥檚 living.鈥�

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Two of the top voices in Indian classical music, Shubha Mudgal and Aruna Shairam, reveal how their different traditions 鈥� the northern Hindustani and southern Carnatic 鈥� overlap, diverge, and share common roots.

Music Matters turns its attention to Indian classical styles following the 70th anniversary of the launch of Radio 3, which helped introduce the music to a wider audience in the UK.

Joined by the Hindustani tabla master Aneesh Pradhan during their visit to London to appear at the Darbar festival, the musicians guide Tom through ragas, rhythm and the improvisational elements that distinguish their respective traditions, offering a window onto their music, its history and its contemporary performance practice.

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