About Music – The Art of Listening with Brian Sundowner Programme 46

Think you know what a tuba sounds like? Think again. In music4tubas, the biggest and lowest member of the brass family shows a very different side of its personality. Hear four tubas sing together, a single tuba dance through Grieg, tackle Vivaldi's Winter and race through the dazzling Carnival of…

This time, the trombone speaks for itself. It welcomes us, romances us and reveals its darker colours before the light returns. And if you thought an instrument with a long slide couldn’t dazzle with breathtaking virtuosity — think again! Ten short pieces reveal a trombone that can sing, dance, mourn,…

This time we forget the hunting calls and heroic fanfares that the horn is so good at for a while. This time, we simply allow the horn to sing. Saint-Saëns, Glazunov, Franz and Richard Strauss, Glière and Schumann reveal the instrument at its warmest and most lyrical. Poulenc takes us…

The trumpet is often associated with brilliance, ceremony and virtuosity, but it has a much wider expressive voice. In this programme we move away from the concerto to discover the instrument in more intimate and varied settings. Dazzling technical display gives way to lyricism, tenderness, reflection and humour, while different…

Entertainment from the Brass Band Tradition The British brass band is one of the world's great musical traditions. Born in mining villages and industrial towns, these ensembles combined astonishing technical standards with a deep commitment to making music for their communities. Today's programme reveals every side of the brass band—from…