Add
Private Notes
The live celebrations continue as Robbie Williams performs more of his biggest hits to welcome in the new year.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra perform their traditional New Year's Day concert
The first of the four music dramas in Richard Wagner's monumental Ring cycle, in a radically stripped-back, critically acclaimed production by Opera North. Filmed during live performances in 2016, this is total immersion in a unique, all-encompassing music drama.
Set in a world populated by dwarfs and giants, gods and river-maidens, Das Rheingold establishes the cycle in thrilling fashion, beginning with music that evokes the very dawn of time.
The dwarf Alberich renounces love and steals the Rhinegold, a priceless treasure, from the River Rhine. He uses it to forge a magic ring which confers wealth and power on its owner, drawing the attention of Wotan, king of the gods. In need of gold to pay for his new fortress Valhalla, Wotan takes the ring from Alberich, setting in motion an epic conflict between love and power.
The second of the four music dramas in Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle, in a radically stripped-back, critically acclaimed production by Opera North. Filmed during live performances in 2016, this is total immersion in a unique, all-encompassing music drama.
In Die Walküre, it is human emotion that takes centre stage, with musical highlights including ‘Winterstürme’ and the Ride of the Valkyries.
Wotan, king of the gods, strives to undo the curse placed on the ring by the dwarf Alberich, by fathering a mortal hero to reclaim it. But when his son Siegmund falls in love with his estranged twin sister, defying the laws of incest, Wotan sends his favourite daughter, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, to ensure Siegmund’s death. Yet her defiance will mean that Wotan has to say a final goodbye to her too.
The third of the four music dramas in Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle, in a radically stripped-back, critically acclaimed production by Opera North. Filmed during live performances in 2016, this is total immersion in a unique, all-encompassing music drama.
Wagner’s unparalleled orchestral scene-painting reaches new heights as we meet the daring hero Siegfried, the grandson of Wotan, king of the gods.
Siegfried has been raised by the dwarf Mime in the forest, where he has never learned fear. When he learns of his parents’ deaths, he forges an unbreakable sword from the shards of the weapon that belonged to his father Siegmund, kills the dragon, Fafner, and claims the magic ring.
Fearless and free, Siegfried braves the fire surrounding the sleeping Brünnhilde, now a mortal woman, whom he innocently awakens, only to discover an all-consuming, passionate love.
The last of the four music dramas in Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle, in a radically stripped-back, critically acclaimed production by Opera North. Filmed during live performances in 2016, this is total immersion in a unique, all-encompassing music drama.
The musical and dramatic power of Götterdämmerung is awe-inspiring, as the epic cycle concludes with the end of the old world of the gods, and the dawn of a new era.
The hero Siegfried leaves Brünnhilde to journey down the Rhine, seeking new adventures. Arriving at the hall of the Gibichungs, Siegfried is tricked into Brünnhilde’s betrayal, and killed by Hagan, son of the dwarf Alberich, who is plotting to gain control of the ring. But a devastated Brünnhilde finds a way to return the ring to the Rhine, and, finally, to redeem its curse.
Tom Waits is one of the most original musicians of the last five decades. Renowned for his gravelly voice and dazzling mix of musical styles, he's also one of modern music's most enigmatic and influential artists.
His songs have been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Norah Jones, among many others. But Waits has always pursued his own creative vision, with little concern for musical fashion.
In a long career of restless reinvention, from the barfly poet of his early albums to the junkyard ringmaster of Swordfishtrombones, his songs chronicle lives from the margins of American society - drifters, dreamers, hobos and hoodlums - and his music draws on a rich mix of influences, including the blues, jazz, Weimar cabaret and film noir.
Using rare archive, audio recordings and interviews, this film is a bewitching after-hours trip through the surreal, moonlit world of Waits' music - a portrait of a pioneering musician and his unique, alternative American songbook.
On Wednesday 5th April 2017 the cream of the Folk, Acoustic and Roots music world unites for the Radio 2 Folk Awards, returning to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall for a third time.
Now in their 18th year, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards continue to celebrate a year of outstanding achievement in the world of folk music, with previous award recipients including Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, Billy Bragg, Shirley Collins, Bellowhead, Martin Carthy and Seth Lakeman.
This year, the Radio 2 Folk Awards will welcome an array of star guests and will see performances from the likes of Billy Bragg, Afro Celt Sound System and Al Stewart. This website will be broadcasting the show live from 7.30pm-10pm, with highlights and on demand performances available after the event.
It's 2017 and synth giants Depeche Mode are back with their 14th studio album Spirit, the band's "timeliest work yet". As the rave reviews fly in, here is a look back at the journey of one of the UK's longest-lasting and most successful bands who emerged from the UK's post-punk scene over three decades ago by featuring clips from various BBC programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Synth Britannia, The OZone, Def II and The Whistle Test.
From their first appearance on Top of the Pops in 1981 and the tales of how they got there, to performing on Later...with Jools Holland in 2009, the programme shares archive testimony and recent interviews from core members Dave Gahan, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher. New Life, Just Can't Get Enough, Blasphemous Rumours and Personal Jesus are among some of the classic tracks performed.
Sharon Osbourne presents the story of pop deals through the decades. From Little Richard's half a cent a record to Robbie Williams's £80m deal via notorious bad deals for The Beatles, The Small Faces, The Animals and NWA and great deals for Led Zep, The Police and Moby, Sharon gets the inside story from those still chasing royalties and those who took on the music biz and won.
With The Small Faces, Eric Burdon, The Police, Moby, NWA, Charles Connor (Little Richard's drummer), Art Rupe (aged 99, who signed Little Richard), Pamela Des Barres, Tim Clark (Robbie Williams's manager).
Fifty years ago this week, on 1 June, 1967, an album was released that changed music history - The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In this film, composer Howard Goodall explores just why this album is still seen as so innovative, so revolutionary and so influential. With the help of outtakes and studio conversations between the band, never heard before outside of Abbey Road, Howard gets under the bonnet of Sgt Pepper. He takes the music apart and reassembles it, to show us how it works - and makes surprising connections with the music of the last 1,000 years to do so.
Sgt Pepper came about as a result of a watershed in The Beatles' career. In August 1966, sick of the screaming mayhem of live shows, they'd taken what was then seen as the career-ending decision to stop touring altogether. Instead, beginning that December, they immersed themselves in Abbey Road with their creative partner, producer George Martin, for an unprecedented five months. What they produced didn't need to be recreated live on stage. The Beatles took full advantage of this freedom, turning the studio from a place where a band went to capture its live sound, as quickly as possible, into an audio laboratory, a creative launch-pad. As Howard shows, they and George Martin and his team constructed the album sound by sound, layer by layer - a formula that became the norm for just about every rock act who followed.
In June 1967, after what amounted to a press blackout about what they'd been up to, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. It was a sensation, immediately becoming the soundtrack to the Summer of Love - and one of the best-selling, most critically lauded albums of all time. It confirmed that a 'pop music' album could be an art form, not just a collection of three-minute singles. It's regularly been voted one of the most important and influential records ever released.
In this film, Howard Goodall shows that it is the sheer ambition of Sgt Pepper - in its c
He was lanky, he wore glasses and he sang as if permanently battling hiccups. Aesthetically, Buddy Holly might have been the most unlikely looking rock 'n' roll star of the 1950s. But he was, after Elvis Presley, unquestionably the most influential. It was an all-too-brief career that lasted barely 18 months from That'll Be The Day topping the Billboard charts to the plane crash in February 1959 in Iowa that took Holly's life. That day was immortalised in Don McLean's 1971 song American Pie, and has become known as 'the day the music died'.
This film tells the story of Buddy Holly's tragically short life and career through interviews with those who knew him and worked with him. This combined with contributions from music fans paints a picture of an artist who changed music. Rock 'n' roll started with Elvis, but pop music started with Buddy Holly and The Crickets.
In 1987, two brothers from Auctermuchty in Fife released an album called 'This Is the Story'. Featuring songs such as 'Letter From America', the album propelled The Proclaimers and the Scottish accent into the charts.
Superfan David Tennant talks to Craig and Charlie Reid about 30 years in the business which has taken them from playing small pubs and clubs across Scotland to become one of the nation's most iconic bands.
Film shining a spotlight on the untold story of The Sidemen, the musicians behind some of the greatest artists of all time. The Sidemen are the forgotten 'guns for hire' that changed musical history. Featuring interviews with Mick Jagger, Billy Joel and Keith Richards, this film takes viewers from the 1960s to today, via global stars such as Prince, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Beyoncé.
HAIM perform their current track 'Want You Back' and cover 'Bad Liar' by Selena Gomez, with some DIY percussion.
Scott Mills and Ana Matronic present a special event celebrating 50 years of sexual freedom.
I Feel Love is a special concert, held in the City of Hull which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, a piece of legislation that would transform the lives of millions, give birth to an explosion of music, poetry, writing, art - and love.
Performers include Will Young, Alison Moyet, Marc Almond, Bright Light Bright Light, Noah Stewart, Tom Robinson and West Yorkshire's LGBT choir 'Gay Abandon'.
The concert features live performances of ground-breaking gay songs, plus readings ranging from Oscar Wilde to Alan Hollingshurst.
Foo Fighters kick off Live Lounge month in LA. They join Clara to perform their new single 'The Sky Is A Neighborhood', classic track 'Best Of You' and cover 'Let There Be Rock' by AC/DC to celebrate 50 years of Radio 1.
Highlights from a soulful set of original songs co-written with pianist Euan Stevenson.
A spangly celebration of the outburst of far-out pop and fuzz-filled rock that lit up the British charts in the early 1970s. Top of the Pops is our primary arena and its gloriously gaudy visual effects are used here aplenty! The compilation also utilises footage from a selection of BBC concerts as well as from Crackerjack and Cilla. It features classic BBC TV performances from T. Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper, Suzi Quatro, Slade, The Sweet, Elton John, Queen, Sparks and many more.
Van Morrison and his band perform live at Cornwall’s Eden Project on 1st July 2017. The all time Belfast born music legend Sir Van Morrison played against the world famous Eden biomes to a sold out arena. Van Morrison’s performance was a highlight of the sixteenth year of the Eden Sessions where he played many of his best-known hits including Have I Told You Lately, Here Comes the Night, Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl.
Sir Van Morrison is one of the most revered and decorated musicians, was knighted last year and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has won six Grammys, a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution and the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement. He released his 36th studio album Keep Me Singing in September 2016 to critical acclaim and a top ten spot in both the UK and US album charts.
This intimate biography, narrated in Marc Bolan's own words, marks the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 40th of his death. The film traces Bolan's remarkable journey from Hackney's own 'king of the mods' to Tyrannosaurus Rex, as he evolved into the artist known as 'the hippie with a knife up his sleeve'.
With the dawn of the '70s and the breakup of The Beatles, Bolan became the gender-bending glam rocker whose band T. Rex revitalised the British music scene. But director Jeremy Marre - incorporating unseen movies shot by record producer Tony Visconti and Marc Bolan himself - reveals a far more complex and driven figure whose life was tragically cut short, aged 29.
Featuring those who were closest to Marc, his friends, colleagues, family, partner Gloria Jones and producer Tony Visconti.
In the 1980s a new generation of pirate radio stations exploded on to Britain's FM airwaves. Unlike their seafaring swinging 60s forerunners, these pirates broadcast from London's estates and tower blocks to create a platform for black music in an era when it was shut out by legal radio and ignored by the mainstream music industry.
In the ensuing game of cat and mouse which played out on the rooftops of inner-city London across a whole decade, these rebel DJs used legal loopholes and technical trickery to stay one step ahead of the DTI enforcers who were tasked with bringing them down. And as their popularity grew they spearheaded a cultural movement bringing Britain's first multicultural generation together under the banner of black music and club culture.
Presented by Rodney P, whose own career as a rapper would not have been possible without the lifeblood of pirate radio airplay, this film also presents an alternative history of Britain in the 1980s - a time of entrepreneurialism and social upheaval - with archive and music that celebrates a very different side of Thatcher's Britain.
Featuring interviews with DJs, station owners and DTI enforcers - as well as some of the engineers who were the secret weapon in the pirate arsenal - this is the untold story of how Britain's greatest generation of pirate radio broadcasters changed the soundtrack of modern Britain forever.
Jonas Kaufmann makes his role debut in a new production of Otello. Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Verdi's masterpiece, based on Shakespeare's tragedy.
Tom Jones and his band perform live at Cornwall's Eden Project in June 2016, his first performance in the county for more than 30 years, and a highlight of the 15th year of the Eden Sessions. Featuring iconics hits including Tower of Song, Unusual, Kiss and more.
The Eden Sessions began in 2002 and are renowned for the stature of the artists they attract and the unique setting of the Eden arena against the backdrop of the biomes.
Only recently re-discovered, a performance of Dvorak's Cello Concerto filmed in August 1968 by Jacqueline du Pre at the very height of her musical powers. The Dvorak Cello Concerto is a work du Pre particularly loved, and this rare recording, which was believed to have been lost, hasn't been seen in over 30 years.
The hastily organised concert at London's Royal Albert Hall was staged and conducted by du Pre's husband Daniel Barenboim, in tribute to the people of Czechoslovakia, just a few days after the country had been invaded by the Soviet Union.
Texas join forces with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in the iconic Barrowland in Glasgow for a special collaboration for BBC Music Day.
Expect to see unique versions of classic tracks including Summer Son, I Don't Want a Lover and Black Eyed Boy. Sharleen Spiteri says "It's always a magical moment to play with an orchestra, even more so in your home town".
Composer Brett Dean's opera based on Shakespeare's best-known tragedy.
Act I
Elsinore, Denmark. King Hamlet has died, mourned by his son, Prince Hamlet of Denmark. The king's funeral is followed fast upon by the marriage of his widow Gertrude to his brother Claudius. Hamlet is deeply disturbed by his father's untimely death and his mother's 'o'er hasty marriage', a state aggravated by the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost, informing Hamlet that he was in fact murdered by his brother, now husband to Gertrude and king of Denmark. The dead king asks that his son revenge his death by killing Claudius.
Unsure as to what to do whilst adopting erratic behaviour, Hamlet rejects his soul-mate and lover Ophelia, and dismisses his former classmates, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, summoned by Claudius to Elsinore to help discover the cause of Hamlet's apparent madness. A group of players arrive in Elsinore. Hamlet asks them to perform a scene mimicking the murder of King Hamlet by his brother. Claudius reacts violently to the performance, proof in Hamlet's eyes of his stepfather's guilt. Called to his mother's chamber to explain his actions, Hamlet comes upon Claudius deep in prayer, yet finds himself unable to kill him. Discovering Polonius, Ophelia's father, spying on him in his mother's chamber, Hamlet kills him, proceeding then to berate his mother for her shamelessness and debauchery. His father's ghost appears, reminding Hamlet of his initial mission to revenge his death.
Act II
Laertes, Polonius's son, returns to Elsinore to avenge his father's death, threatening Claudius and his kingship. Claudius manages to allay Laertes' violence by convincing him that Hamlet is the guilty one: together, Claudius and Laertes conspire to kill him. Ophelia appears, apparently driven mad by Hamlet's rejection and the death of her father. This only serves to harden Laertes' resolve for
vengeance, as does, moments later, Ophelia's death - she has drowned in a nearby stream.
H
Behind-the-scenes archive documentary following Queen's Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon as they record their sixth album News of the World and embark on a groundbreaking tour of North America.
By 1977, Queen had become a major headlining act in the UK, releasing chart-topping albums and singles as well as playing sell-out concerts in all the country's major venues. However, they were facing an increasingly hostile music press, who had a new favourite in punk and had turned against the elaborate, multi-layered recording techniques that had become the hallmark of the band's previous albums.
But an unfazed Queen had their sights set on greater things. As the band announced plans to record their next album, the expectation was it would be another production extravaganza, but Freddie, Brian, Roger and John already had other ideas. News of the World showcased them at their most raw, simple and best, returning to their roots as a live act. With a self-imposed limit on studio time and produced entirely on their own for the first time, this stripped-back album took the fans and press by surprise and demonstrated Queen's ability to transcend fashions. It was to prove a seminal moment in the band's history.
At the time, BBC music presenter Bob Harris was given exclusive and extensive access to the band to cover this period. Conducting insightful interviews with all four band members as well as filming them at work in the studio as they were planning and rehearsing their forthcoming North American Tour, and then following them as they performed across the US, Bob captured a band attempting to replicate their huge domestic success on the global stage. Curiously, the documentary he set out to make was never completed, and the footage lay unused in the archive until now.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the News of the World album, the footage has now been carefully restored and revisited to compile this hour-long portrait of a grou
In a BBC Music exclusive, Harry Styles performs new tracks from his number one debut album as a solo artist, alongside covers of classic songs. He's accompanied by his band and performs in front of a live studio audience. Nick Grimshaw talks to Harry about his extraordinary career in music to date, his future ambitions and his debut acting role in Dunkirk. Harry and Grimmy also have some fun with some very special friends as they take time away from the studio to spend a day out in Manchester.
Former Pink Floyd member David Gilmour performs at the Pompeii Amphitheatre - the first public performance at the venue since 79AD.
Solo show-stoppers from the world's greatest musicians in a journey through fifty years of BBC Music. From guitarist John Williams and cellist Jacqueline du Pre to trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and violinist Nigel Kennedy, this is a treasure trove of musical treats and dazzling virtuosity.
Whether it's James Galway's Flight of the Bumblebee performed at superhuman speed, Ravi Shankar's mesmerising Raag Bihag or Dudley Moore's brilliant Colonel Bogey March, every performance has its own star quality and unique appeal. Parkinson, Later with Jools Holland, The Les Dawson Show, Music at Night and Wogan are among the programmes featuring instruments ranging from marimba and kora to harp and flamenco guitar.
Sit back and enjoy.
Mike Peters rocks the stage at Venue Cymru in Llandudno as The Alarm celebrate 25 years of their homecoming festival, The Gathering. The set includes some of the best-known tracks from his long career in the music business, including the iconic 68 Guns.
Sam Smith performs tracks from his latest album alongside some of his biggest hits, including Stay With Me and the Oscar-winning Writing's on the Wall, accompanied by his band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Host Fearne Cotton chats with Sam about his incredible career and life to date. There are some fun moments with his fans backstage, and Sam gives one special couple the surprise of a lifetime on their wedding day.
Jo Whiley opens the doors of BBC's Radio Theatre for a Radio 2 In Concert with the king of swagger, Liam Gallagher. After being in the spotlight for over 25 years, he releases his debut solo album As You Were.
Liam Gallagher became the embodiment of the rock 'n' roll dream, with his brother Noel, by creating Britpop band Oasis, a band who would go on to create a string of anthems to a generation of the 90s.
After a spectacular comeback at Glastonbury, the former Oasis frontman performs some new tracks, along with selection of classic tracks.
Jo Whiley presents a Radio 2 In Concert as Paloma Faith takes to the stage for a unique and intimate performance.
The double-platinum singer-songwriter performs songs from her new album The Architect, along with some old favourites. Paloma is one of only two British female artists this decade to have their last three albums go double-platinum in the UK.
Jo Whiley presents the last BBC Radio 2 In Concert of 2017 with one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world, Deep Purple.
After forming in Hertford in 1968, they went on to sell over 100 million albums worldwide, and have inspired a generation of musicians for over 40 decades. Their back catalogue of seminal hits include Smoke On The Water, Child In Time and Highway Star.
They take to the stage to play classic tracks along with some new material from their latest album Infinite to an intimate crowd at the BBC's Radio Theatre in London.
Jo Whiley welcomes an intimate audience to the BBC Radio Theatre for a new series of Radio 2 In Concert. Tears For Fears, Deep Purple, Paloma Faith, Liam Gallagher and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers will all take to the stage to perform live at the BBC's iconic venue for the Red Button and BBC Radio 2.
To kick off the season, synth pop greats Tears for Fears are back to celebrate their reunion following a sold-out summer arena tour highlighted by their triumphant UK return in front of 65,000-plus fans as special guests of The Killers during British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park. Tears For Fears - Roland Orzabal [vocals, guitar, keyboards] and Curt Smith [vocals, bass, keyboards] - close out 2017 with the release of their first career-spanning greatest hits album - Rule The World
The group from Bath, formed over 35 years ago, have sold over 30 million records and were one of the most defining groups of the 1980s. They play all the hits from their back catalogue.
Jo Whiley welcomes Grammy-winning Nile Rodgers and his multi-platinum selling band Chic, performing live at the iconic Radio Theatre for BBC Radio 2 In Concert.
Bringing their seminal songs, sound and groove, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers will take to the stage to not only celebrate the release of their new album, It's About Time, but also to rejoice in their 40-year career, which has provided a string of influential and ground-breaking tracks like Freak, I Want Your Love, Good Times and Everybody Dance - all hits that have stood the test of time!
The American disco legends perform a selection of those much-loved hits along with new music to an intimate crowd.
As one of the UK's best-loved and most successful groups, Take That started life as a 5-piece back in 1990. Since then this boy-band turned trio have gone on to have an incredible 37 number one albums around the world, 56 international number one singles and sales of over 45 million records. They are this year's headliners for Festival in a Day and are introduced on stage by Radio 2's breakfast show host, Chris Evans.
Pioneers of the early new-wave and punk scenes in the 70s, Blondie went from the underground to top of the pops by the early 80s. Well known for mixing disco, pop, rap and reggae into their sound - it was a formula that earned them massive success, going on to sell more than 40 million albums around the world. They were the first act to have UK Number 1 singles in the 70s, 80s and 90s - with six chart topping tracks. Inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, they are the next act to take to the Hyde Park stage, introduced by Jo Whiley and Tony Blackburn.
Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain was born in Ontario, Canada, and fought her way to the top of the Country music world to become one of the best-selling artists of all time. A multi-award winning singer, songwriter and producer with an unmistakable voice she has no less than 5 Grammys under her belt, as well as an incredible 90 million albums sold worldwide - including the best-selling studio album by a female artist of all time. Radio 2's 'King of Country' Bob Harris introduces Shania Twain onto the Hyde Park stage, for her first UK appearance in 13 years.
James Blunt's breakthrough success happened in 2005 with his number one single 'You're Beautiful' from his debut album 'Back to Bedlam'. Since then, this former British Army officer has sold more than 20 million albums and 13 million singles around the world. Before he heads back on the road to tour his fifth studio album, he takes to the stage in Hyde Park.
Emeli Sande made her musical debut in 2009 on a track by rapper, Chipmunk. She released her first solo single in 2011, has had three number 1s and has won a string of awards including 4 Brits and 2 Ivor Novellos. She's sung for President Obama, and gave memorable performances at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics. Jeremy Vine joins Jo Whiley to introduce Emeli onto the Hyde Park stage.
Rick Astley started his career as Pete Waterman's tea-boy... learning how to make pop-hits in the studios of PWL. His debut single, Never Gonna Give you Up, spent 5 weeks at the top of the UK chart, made number 1 in 25 countries and became the best selling track of 1987. 30 years on he's recently celebrated yet another number one album and takes to the Hyde Park stage as part of Radio 2's Festival in a Day.
Devon-born Seth has won two Radio 2 Folk Awards for his solo work, as well as gaining a Mercury Nomination for his 2005 album Kitty Jay. He is joined by fellow West country musicians Wildwood Kin, who were nominated for the Radio 2 Young Folk award in 2015, and have since established themselves as a highlight of the festival scene. Jo Whiley and folk fan Simon Mayo introduce them onto stage.
Radio 2's Festival in a day returns to Hyde Park. Host Jo Whiley is joined on stage by Michael Ball to introduce the opening act. Welsh rock band Stereophonics are celebrating the 20 year anniversary of their debut album Word Gets Around, which was released in August 1997 and charted at number 6 in the UK. They kick off today's main stage line up at Hyde Park.
Claudia Winkleman and Clara Amfo look back at 2017's musical highlights - featuring the best albums, biggest artists and most unforgettable performances. Plus the winners of the prestigious 2017 BBC Music Awards are revealed.
The show includes interviews with Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, Stormzy, Nile Rodgers, Rag'n'Bone Man, Dua Lipa, Nick Grimshaw, Mistajam and Jo Whiley, as well as an exclusive performance by Rag'n'Bone Man.
Roy Orbison died 29 years ago but he's hardly forgotten. As one of rock 'n roll's pioneers he achieved superstar status in the 1960s, writing and releasing a series of smash singles such as Oh, Pretty Woman, Only the Lonely, In Dreams and Crying. But while his professional life was full of triumph, Roy suffered terrible misfortune in his personal life, losing his wife and two of his children in successive tragedies, rebuilding his life by relying on his music to distract him from desolation.
Roy's legacy as a beloved rock legend and a devoted father is revealed through intimate interviews with Roy's three surviving sons, featuring previously unseen home videos as Alex, Roy Jnr and Wesley Orbison discuss the immense talent and fierce determination that provided the driving force behind their father's incredible success and the dedication to Roy's family that helped create a strong spiritual base to escape the pressures of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.
This is the personal story of the relationship between three children and their father; a father who died when they were young, and who they have re-connected with and come to understand through embracing his life's work. It is not often that one gets to understand the person who is the music phenomenon, but in this film about relationships, family, love, loss and affirmation, we get to see the man behind the ever-present dark sunglasses and brooding loner persona, witnessing his struggle with personal demons, and ultimately redemption and acknowledgement from his peers.
Thrilling concert film that documents Jeff Lynne's ELO playing their triumphant concert for a massive audience at Wembley Stadium on 24 June 2017. This visually and musically impressive film gives viewers a remarkable evening in the life of recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lynne - one of the most successful recording artists, songwriters and producers of all-time. Having spent much of his recent life in America working in the studio and producing other musical greats, Lynne returns home for this unbelievable stadium show.
In Wembley or Bust, Lynne and his remarkable musical ensemble fill Wembley Stadium with one of the greatest rock & roll spectacles of all time, complete with bells, whistles and spaceships, and most importantly, many of the most-beloved songs, from vintage ELO classics like Mr Blue Sky, Livin' Thing and Evil Woman to Do Ya from his days with The Move, Handle With Care, which he recorded with the Traveling Wilburys, right through to When I Was A Boy from his latest ELO masterpiece, Alone In The Universe.
Directed by Paul Dugdale, music lovers All Over The World can now see Jeff Lynne bringing all of his magnificent rock & roll dreams to life in a giant soccer stadium and winning big in every way.
Gospel Christmas returns from the heart of Cardiff to celebrate a special evening of music and spiritual cheer with Sir Tom Jones and Beverley Knight. The blend of traditional gospel, carols and songs of spiritual intent from modern greats like Prince and Bob Dylan are performed by choirs and a house band from the British gospel scene, and will add up to the freshest of winter warmers.
Sir Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House, conducts a new production of Puccini's popular masterpiece, La Bohème - a tale of friends and fellowship, love and loss, set in 19th-century Paris. A stellar cast of young singers, including Michael Fabiano, Nicole Car and Mariusz Kwiecien, comes together for this unforgettable story about a group of aspiring artists living in a freezing Parisian garret. Into their world comes a young seamstress, battling with a terrible disease.
Ever since its premiere in Turin in 1896, La Bohème has been a huge hit with audiences across the world, clocking up over 500 performances at Covent Garden. This is the first new production at the Royal Opera House in over 40 years, created by the acclaimed British theatre director Richard Jones, with designs by Stewart Laing. It is a period production, which pits the poverty of the Bohemians against the shopping arcades and restaurants of Paris, described by one reviewer as 'fresh, beautiful and intelligent' (Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph).
The widely accepted Elvis narrative is that the Vegas period was the nadir of his career, but this film argues that Elvis reached his peak both as a singer and performer in the first few years of his Vegas period. He became, in those short years, the greatest performer on earth. The film tracks this five-year renaissance with some of his key musical and artistic collaborators of the period, including the creator of his most memorable jumpsuits, to celebrate the greatest pop reinvention of all time.
Bruno Mars is in Harlem, New York, to fulfil a lifelong dream of performing at one of the most iconic music venues in the world, the Apollo Theatre. Bruno and his band, The Hooligans, take to the streets, singing and entertaining the locals, and giving out tickets to the big show. Featuring never-before-seen performances including Uptown Funk, 24k Magic and an electrifying rooftop performance on the Apollo's marquee, Bruno Mars thrills the crowd with his first ever TV special.
Beò à Slèite, san Eilean Sgìtheanach le aoighean, cèol agus craic gu leòr! Cuide ri Cathy NicDhòmhnaill agus Niall Iain Dòmhnallach.
A host of well kent Gaelic musicians and singers bring in the bells with Cathy MacDonald and Niall Iain MacDonald live from Sleat on the Isle of Skye.
There was nothing predictable about David Bowie - everything was designed to intrigue, to challenge, to defy all expectations. But perhaps no period in David Bowie’s extraordinary career raised more fascination, more surprise, and more questions, than the last five years. This film - to be broadcast on the night before what would have been Bowie’s 70th birthday - is an intimate portrait of one of the defining artists of our time, told by the people who knew him best: his friends and artistic collaborators. It follows the widely acclaimed film David Bowie: Five Years, first broadcast on BBC Two in 2013. It takes a detailed look at Bowie’s last albums The Next Day and Blackstar, and his play Lazarus. Through the prism of this last work the film shows how, in his final five years, Bowie not only began producing music again but returned to the core and defining themes of his career. These were artistic rebirth, a shedding of skins, a quest for a different palette to express the same big ideas - dissonance, alienation, otherness - the human condition. The film explores how Bowie was a far more consistent artist than many interpretations of his career would have us believe, by tracing the core themes from his final works through his incredible back catalogue. Viewers will see Major Tom reflected in Blackstar; Diamond Dogs in the play Lazarus; and Fame in the song The Stars (Are Out Tonight). Bowie’s urge to communicate feelings of spirituality, alienation and fame underpin his greatest works, from the 1960s to 2016. This is what lies at the heart of his success and appeal, music that deals with what it means to be human in a way that goes far beyond the normal palette of a rock star. This film is not a comprehensive overview of his entire career, but an in-depth exploration of its pivotal moments and a look at how the themes, the narrative, the approach are consistent - it is simply the palette that changes. It features every key member of the Next Day band, the B
A chronology of clips from the BBC archive giving an overview of David Bowie's extraordinary career from 1964 to 2016. Blending interviews and performances from music programmes, documentaries, news outlets and chat shows, this portrait of Bowie both at his most thoughtful and his most opportunistically promotional is a series of snapshots into a rapidly evolving career across music, films and the theatre. From a 17-year-old David Jones interviewed by Cliff Michelmore in 1964, on to 1973 when in Ziggy mode Bowie, Ronson and co gave their seminal Top of the Pops performance of Starman. Then to 2000 when Bowie reimagined himself as the cover of Hunky Dory to storm Glastonbury, this is a journey through many Bowies. The programme includes other classic Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later... with Jools' performances and looks at Bowie the actor with interviews about his roles in The Elephant Man, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and Labyrinth. Bowie at the BBC gives an insight into the many ways Bowie chose to present himself at different moments in time, revealing how innovative, funny, surprising and influential he always was.
Evolutionary biologist Professor Armand Leroi believes data science can transform the pop world. He gathers a team of scientists and researchers to analyse over 50 years of UK chart music. Can algorithms find the secret to pop success? When the results are in, Armand teams up with hit producer Trevor Horn. Using machine-learning techniques, Armand and Trevor try to take a song by unsigned artist Nike Jemiyo and turn it into a potential chart-topper. Armand also takes a scientific look at pop evolution. He hunts for the major revolutions in his historic chart data, looking for those artists who transformed the musical landscape. The outcomes are fascinating and surprising, though fans of the Fab Four may not be pleased with the results. As Armand puts it, the hallmark of The Beatles is 'average.' Finally, by teaming up with BBC research and development, Armand finds out if his algorithms can discover the stars of the future. Can he predict which of thousands of demo tracks uploaded to BBC Introducing is most likely to be a hit without listening to a note? This is a clash of science and culture and a unique experiment with no guarantee of success. How will the artists react to the scientist intruding on their turf? And will Armand succeed in finding a secret science of pop?
Dazzling duets from four decades of BBC entertainment, from Parkinson to the Proms. Whether it's pianos or banjos, violins or voices, kora, erhu or harmonica, this is a journey full of striking partnerships and extraordinary combinations. Oscar Peterson, Larry Adler, Ballake Sissoko, Kiri Te Kanawa, Nigel Kennedy and Bela Fleck are just some of the featured artists bringing us a musical feast, full of fun and surprises.
Clemency Burton-Hill celebrates the rich and ravishing world of the string quartet in a journey through 50 years of BBC archive. Some of the world's greatest ensembles including the Amadeus, Chilingirian, Borodin and Kronos quartets perform in myriad styles and settings, from stately homes to helicopters. Music ranges from Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert to Steve Reich, Elvis Costello and Pete Townshend, in a tradition which stretches back to Haydn in the 18th century.
Jacqueline du Pre was one of the most excellent performing musicians that Britain has ever produced. She stopped playing cello at the age of 28, a victim of multiple sclerosis, and she died at 42 on 19 October 1987. This film, compiled by Christopher Nupen from the five prize-winning films he made during her lifetime, pays tribute to her on the 30th anniversary of her death. I am that the video of this concert still exists. Jacqueline du Pre had a very, very special relationship with the Dvorak Cello Concerto, and just adored playing it.".
John Travolta and Barry Gibb star in Saturday Night Fever - The Ultimate Disco Movie, with Bruno Tonioli. This documentary celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1977 blockbuster dance movie, and sees Strictly Come Dancing's Bruno, who was a young dancer in New York in 1977, walk us through the steps that made the movie legendary. He also revisit the streets of New York where the film was shot and looks back at the success of a film that gave everyone disco fever.
Travolta, Gibb and other members of the cast and crew give gripping accounts of supreme success against a backdrop of setbacks and unexpected twists and turns. Bruno unpacks the skill, athleticism and dedication of Travolta, whose incandescent performance prompted a disco dance craze. We also hear about the potent influence of impresario Robert Stigwood, whose faith in Travolta, and a group who had hit a glitch in their career - The BeeGees, proved visionary.
With clips from the original movie, as well as astonishing access to those involved and rarely seen on-location archive, this programme retells the nail-biting evolution of a groundbreaking US film that originated in the work of a British journalist, saw a director fired, suffered mafia threats, filmed guerrilla style on the streets of Brooklyn, had a newcomer cast, benefited from disco hits written in a weekend and delivered a white suit and a performance from the man who wore it that have gone down in history.
Other interviewees include actors Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pesco, Joseph Cali and Paul Pape, producer Kevin McCormick, former head of RSO records Bill Oakes, writer Nik Cohn, director John Badham, dance instructor Denney Terrio, costume designer Patricia von Brandenstein and location manager Lloyd Kaufman
Katie Derham introduces the 2017 open-air concert from the magnificent gardens of the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, given by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Fairy tale and myth influence all of the evening's music, with highlights from classical favourites such as Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, John Williams's Hedwig's Theme from the Harry Potter films and the Prologue to Humperdink's opera Hansel and Gretel. They are joined by American soprano Renee Fleming performing some of her favourite songs and arias, including Russalka's Song to the Moon.
Gregory Porter introduces a selection of performances on BBC programmes by popular singers.
Big Gold Dream is the everyday story of how a group of disaffected youth in search of the only fun in town went on to change the world. High on theory and with only cheek, cheek bones and cheap guitars to get them through between dole cheques, they took a set of hand-me-down reference points plundered from books, TV and subtitled films, created a scene and transformed it into art.
As was typical of the times, entryism was in and subversion was from within, but like all great movements, it was never going to last. Except everything you hear today, tomorrow and knocked into the middle of next week started here. Indie-Disco, Art-Rock and Difficult Fun are all in the mix. Big Gold Dream is as much about now as then. Featuring contributions from Bob Last, Alan McGee, Peter Hook, Eugene Kelly, Norman Blake, Martyn Ware, Malcom Ross, Douglas Hart and Davey Henderson.
Backstage Pass follows rock royalty Kasabian as they return with their sixth studio album, For Crying Out Loud.
This episode follows the band as they make their way to The Forum, London for the third and final night of sold out shows to mark the release of their latest album.
Since forming in 1997, Kasabian have headlined Glastonbury, won a BRIT and seven NME Awards, as well as releasing four number one albums.
After three years, the release of For Crying Out Loud marks a much-anticipated return. With a string of UK dates before headlining Reading and Leeds Festival this summer, Backstage Pass gives fans an intimate insight into how the band prepares before playing live.
Backstage Pass follows multi-talented singer Olly Murs as he comes off stage at Wembley Stadium and travels to his home county of Essex to play in front of a sold-out audience of fans at Colchester United FC.
Olly is supported by fellow X Factor and Essex girl Louisa Johnson, who also joins Olly on stage to perform their new single Unpredictable.
Since being the runner up on The X Factor in 2009, Olly has gone on to have huge success as both a singer and a television presenter, with four number one albums and eight top ten singles.
Backstage Pass follows Olly as he prepares to take to the stage, catches up with friends and family and meets his fans.
Backstage Pass follows Liam Gallagher, one of music’s most iconic frontmen, as he travels to Paris to play the first ever Lollapalooza to be held in the city.
Accompanied by his new band and with new material Liam prepares to play tracks from his forthcoming debut solo album plus some Oasis classics.
Liam and his brother Noel burst onto the British music scene in 1994 with Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe. At the time it was the fastest selling debut UK album of all time. In 2009, after seven albums and a lot of tabloid column inches the band broke up. Liam continued as Beady Eye, with fellow Oasis members, until 2014. Now he’s back, as entertaining as ever, with his first solo album.
Once voted the greatest frontman of all time, Backstage Pass follows Liam as he prepares to take to the stage, chats to the press and hangs out with family and friends.
Former Spice Girl Geri Horner looks back on the 1990s and reflects on her own incredible journey from working-class Watford girl to international superstar. She describes it as a decade of hope and opportunity that gave young people the freedom to be themselves and break down barriers. Set against a backdrop of great political and social change, the 1990s was also a decade which saw a homegrown cultural revolution. The music and art scenes exploded, and suddenly Britain was the place to be. Britpop and girl power conquered the charts, and Geri herself became the iconic face of Cool Britannia in her famous Union Jack dress. But fame didn't arrive until the mid-1990s for Geri, and she reflects on the key events that shaped her life before becoming part of one of the most successful girl bands of all time. She talks movingly about her close friendship with her pop idol pin-up George Michael and recalls how supportive he was when she left the Spice Girls and embarked on her solo career.
Documentary following the rise of The Shires, the first British country group to have a top ten album in the pop charts, and the band to have spearheaded today's interest in country music in the UK. The programme follows Ben and Crissie both as they launch their second album My Universe and on a working trip to Nashville, where they are signed by leading country label Big Machine. They play the Bluebird, the legendary club where the performances from the TV series Nashville are filmed, and meet with Scott Borchetta, who discovered Taylor Swift. Interviews include Scott Borchetta, Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes of The Shires, sisters Catherine and Lizzy of Ward Thomas and Thomas Rhett, a rising star of American country music who mixes country with funk, pop and rock
Supersonic, the award-winning feature documentary, tells the phenomenal story of iconic band Oasis - in their own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive, the film charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving account shines a light on one of the most genre- and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed, and features footage of new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother and members of the band and road crew.
