Music

2019: Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique | BBC Proms

Mathew Baynton, Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra present Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique from memory, in a speciall...

S02E01: Richard Wagner: The Ring Cycle | Art That Shook The World

Michael Portillo explores his passion for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, a monumental : and controversial : o...

S01E03: The Marriage of Figaro | Art That Shook The World

Soprano Barbara Bonney examines Mozart's celebrated opera The Marriage of Figaro, based on a banned play by Beaumar...

Scott Joplin | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Coleridge-Taylor inspired American composers to take Afro-centric ideas further, allowing pioneers like Scott Jop...

Recording the Piano on a Wax Cylinder | Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century

This clip examines early sound recording technology, showing how performa...

Gamelan's Influence on Claude Debussy | Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century

Gamelan inspired Claude Debussy to move away from the maximal style of Ri...

Minimalism | Howard Goodall's Story of Music

Influenced by African drumming and Balinese gamelan music, Steve Reich has been described as the most influential classical comp...

Triads | Howard Goodall's Story of Music

Dunstable created the ever important ''third'', and we know these as major and minor ''thirds''. Howard Goodall explains all.

2023: Final, Part 2 | BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician

From Glasgow City Halls, six finalists compete to take the prestigious title. Featuring Aidan Moodie, Sin...

2023: Final, Part 1 | BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician

From Glasgow City Halls, six finalists compete to take the prestigious title. Featuring Aidan Moodie, Sin...

S08E01: Classical Musician | Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience

Rhod tries his hand at being a classical musician.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Proms | BBC Proms 2023

Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto leads the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in a concert of works by Bee...

03: Climate of the Times | Standard Grade Art and Design

Schools programme presented by Katy Murphy, exploring the fashion, music, architecture, design, and lifestyles of th...

Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Lenny Henry and Suzy Klein celebrate black classical composers and musicians across the centuries whose stories and music have l...

Evelyn Glennie | What Do Artists Do All Day?

Dame Evelyn Glennie is one of the world's finest virtuoso percussionists. This programme reveals the story of how a girl from Ab...

Shirley Thompson | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Shirley Thompson OBE wrote a symphony for the Queens golden jubilee in 2002; she speaks of combining her two ...

Florence Price | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

As hard as it was trying to break through in to the classical music scene as a black man, Florence Price had it...

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

As slavery was being abolished, black musicians and composers didn't have to conform to western tropes...

George Bridgetower | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Bridgetower was a British musician whose fame drew attention from the likes of Beethoven who wrote a sonata...

Chevalier de Saint-Georges | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Chevalier de Saint-Georges (AKA Joseph Bologne) was a French violinist, and is credited with being ...

How Pop Songs Work

Conductor Charles Hazlewood hosts a celebration of the magic of pop music and explores the skill and musical dexterity that goes into writing, performing ...

10: Whigfield and Beyonce | Pop's Greatest Dance Crazes

Whigfield reveals why she does not join in the Saturday Night dance. Plus an interview with Beyonce's Single Ladies c...

The Hacienda - The Club That Shook Britain

The story of Manchester’s Hacienda nightclub, including interviews with famous regulars, including Noel Gallagher. This is the sto...

Flat Pack Pop: Sweden's Music Miracle

Charting Sweden's remarkable rise as a music superpower. James Ballardie explores the unique Swedish songwriting formula behind some of...

Max Martin: The Hitmaker

A celebration of the Swedish songwriter, record producer and singer for Bank Holiday Monday, presented by Scott Mills.

Episode 5 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Karlheinz Stockhausen tells Dick Witts what he thinks of the music of ambient composers Aphex Twin, Plastikman, Scanner and 17...

Episode 4 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Through the increasing use of modern technology, the rock music industry is having to re-examine the terms "composer", "produc...

Episode 3 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer.

Episode 2 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer.

Episode 1 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer. Stockhausen's experiments ...

Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon | Classic Albums

This edition looks at the legendary Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon with interviews with Roger Waters, David Gi...

Play It Again | Short Circuit

Gillian Hannah explores how recording technology has evolved-from capturing live performance to creating music in the studio. Is live music und...

The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs

Rodney P presents the untold story of Britain's second wave of pirate DJs who played a cat and mouse game with the law to create a plat...

Elton John and AI | Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Sir Elton John described the government as ''absolute losers'' and said he feels ''incredibly betrayed'' over plans to exemp...

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland | Classic Albums

In 1968, with his career at a crossroads, Jimi Hendrix went to New York to record this album. It was to be th...

Score: Cinema's Greatest Soundtracks

An insider's guide to the creative challenges and secrecy of the world's most international music genre, the film score.

''Chariots of Fire'' score | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand speaks to composer Vangelis about his famous score from ''Chariots of Fire''; used re...

Theremin in ''Spellbound'' | Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies

Neil Brand explores Rozsa's use of the theremin in the ''Spellbound'' soundtrack.

Doctor Who: Regeneration

Radio 2 celebrates the phenomenon of BBC TV's sci-fi adventure series Doctor Who, which transformed Saturday-evening viewing when it returned in Mar...

Doctor Who: A Celebration Concert

A musical odyssey through time and space with highlights and background footage from the Doctor Who - A Celebration concert at the Wales Mi...

Apocalypse Now and Sound Design | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand speaks to Walter Murch about the sound design for ''Apocalypse Now'' and its fam...

''The Birds'' soundtrack | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand explores how not a single orchestral instrument was used to soundtrack Hitchcock's terr...

Elvis (2022)

Elvis Presley's story seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry

Dolly Parton and star guests, including Lady Antebellum and Hank Williams Jr, celebrate her 50 years as the queen of country.

Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

Documentary film celebrating the big band sound and uncovering the social history behind the music that kept the nation...

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 2 | Arena

Martin Scorsese continues to explore Bob Dylan's early career. At 23, Dylan confounds expectations and finds a new musical vocab...

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 1 | Arena

The story of Bob Dylan, directed by Martin Scorsese, from a rock 'n' roll loving kid in the Midwest to his arrival as a major fo...

2014: Dolly Parton | Glastonbury

Dolly Parton performs a crowd-pleasing set including self-penned classics such as Jolene, Coat of Many Colours, 9 to 5, Islands in the Strea...

2023: Final, Part 2 | BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician

From Glasgow City Halls, six finalists compete to take the prestigious title. Featuring Aidan Moodie, Sin...

2023: Final, Part 1 | BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician

From Glasgow City Halls, six finalists compete to take the prestigious title. Featuring Aidan Moodie, Sin...

Spirituals | Songs of Praise

The Adventist Vocal Ensemble, Tessera and Jeharna South, sing classic African-American spirituals; and David Grant talks to Bonnie Greer and Rob...

2010 | Hogmanay

Jackie Bird and Phil Cunningham celebrate Hogmanay with traditional and contemporary singers and the midnight fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle.

Mockery with Monocles: The Western Brothers Revealed

Geoffrey Palmer celebrates the songs of Kenneth and George Western and reveals their place in British comedy.

Count Basie | Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

Jools plays a Count Basie song and explains why simplicity can be better then being over the top.

Bob Dylan: Verbatim | Archive on 4

The many variations of Bob Dylan's life and music told in his own words, combining rare interviews, studio outtakes, archive and musings.

Bob Dylan - In So Many Words | The Documentary

Marco Werman investigates Bob Dylan's work, weighing the evidence on whether he's a worthy Nobel Literature Prize winner.

Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom

A showcase of Bob Dylan with his band in an intimate setting as he performs songs from his extensive body of work.

Don't Look Back

DA Pennebaker's classic film about Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of Britain is an intimate portrait of the artist as a quite young and formidably intelligent man.

Bob Dylan - Trouble No More | Arena

A Bob Dylan performance of songs expressing his new-found Christianity in the late 70s, enhanced by a series of sermons between the songs...

S29: The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel | Soul Music

People who connect directly with the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel's song discuss what this masterpiece means to them.

Songs of America 1969

Programme featuring footage of Simon and Garfunkel on stage, in the studio and on tour, which also integrates video montages of key events of the turbu...

Simon & Garfunkel: The Harmony Game

Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and their collaborators look back over what is widely considered their greatest work, Bridge over Troubled Wate...

Biggie And Tupac (2002)

Nick Broomfield examines the lives and murders of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur and the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast music that...

Stormzy | Louis Theroux Interviews...

Louis Theroux meets platinum-selling rapper Stormzy for a frank and revealing conversation about his life and career.

Stormzy and Church | Louis Theroux Interviews...

Stormzy takes Louis to church to speak about its inspiration and the effect it had on him growing up.

Drake v Kendrick: The biggest rap feud of all time? | The Global Story

Over recent months rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been exchanging diss tracks in a bitter lyric...

A Stormzy Special

Trevor Nelson hosts multi-award-winning British musician Stormzy at the legendary Abbey Road Studios for a very special performance and conversation.

2019: Stormzy | Glastonbury

In June 2019, Stormzy delivered one of the all-time iconic headline performances on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, cementing his place as one of th...

Beyonce: Life is But a Dream | imagine...

Documentary, directed by and starring Beyoncé Knowles, giving an insight into the life of the 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer, ...

03: Rock Box, by Run-DMC | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

How one song tore down the barriers between rock and hip-hop, race and class on American radio and television.

02: Alright, by Kendrick Lamar | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

Making protest music in the era of Black Lives Matter, Alright becomes the unsaid anthem for hope.

Stevie Wonder: Inner Visions | Omnibus

The BBC follows Stevie Wonder on his Inner Visions tour of the USA, and witnesses his performance at the Washington Rally to celebrate...

The Motown Invasion | Legends

Documentary revealing what made Motown special in Britain through the lens of two decisive moments in 1965 - the Motown Revue UK tour and the S...

Stevie Wonder: A Musical History

Stevie Wonder fans including Martin Freeman and Trevor Nelson celebrate the man and his music by selecting their favourite songs and perform...

S01E02: Radio Producer | Hire Me: Competing for a Dream Job

The search is on for a new producer for Radio 1Xtra. The candidates are tasked with interviewing Paul C Brunson a...

01: The Foundation | Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

Public Enemy's Chuck D leads a cast of hip-hop icons as they chart the factors that led to the birth of t...

The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs

Rodney P presents the untold story of Britain's second wave of pirate DJs who played a cat and mouse game with the law to create a plat...

Jay Z: Reasonable Doubt | Classic Albums

Brooklyn-born Jay-Z is one of the most successful and creative hip-hop artists of all time. His remarkable rise to fame was heralded...

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life | Classic Albums

Already firmly established, Stevie Wonder spent over two years making this album. It was finally released in 1976 af...

Respect (2021)

A biographical drama about the life and rise to fame of American soul singer Aretha Franklin.

Drake v Kendrick Lamar: What's the beef? | What in the World

Two of the biggest names in hip-hop right now, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, are certainly not friends anymore. Thei...

06: Ladies First, by Queen Latifah | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

At the height of hip-hop's misogynistic themes, the culture bows down to their queens of rap.

Back to Black (2024)

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, following the development of her unique talent and passion as she became a singular and iconic musician.

Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley | Classic Albums

A look at the creation of Elvis Presley's eponymous debut album, which brought about his meteoric rise to superstardom in 1956....

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black | Classic Albums

Series looking at the creation of some classic rock albums looks at Amy Winehouse's second album, 2006's Back to Black.

2007: Amy Winehouse | Glastonbury

Amy Winehouse performs twice in one day at the festival in 2007, taking to the Pyramid Stage in the afternoon followed by an evening set on...

Experience of living with Jim Crow | Rick Stein Tastes the Blues

Rick heres how some of his Blues heroes grew up under the Jim Crow laws and how they defined the genre itself.

Rick Stein Tastes the Blues

Rick Stein pays homage to the Mississippi Delta's blues and to the great dishes that go hand in hand with it, from fried chicken and turnip green...

The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds | Classic Albums

This edition of the series celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of Brian Wilson's masterpiece, The Beach Boys' album Pe...

Billie Holiday | Icons

Raised in abject poverty, Holiday's unique singing technique saw her become one of the world's great recording artists before she chose to shine a lig...

S01E06: Amy Winehouse | A Life in Ten Pictures

Amy Winehouse's image is known around the world. But just a handful of iconic shots and private snaps reveal a new story: an e...

Amy Winehouse - The Day She Came to Dingle | Arena

Documentary telling the story of the day Amy Winehouse recorded a stunning acoustic performance in a church in the small I...

Amy Winehouse | Later... with Jools Holland

Jools takes a look back at one of the world's most iconic artists of the 21st century, celebrating her short yet remarkable career.

Amy Winehouse | BBC One Sessions

Another chance to see a 23-year-old Amy Winehouse at Porchester Hall where, hot from her triumph at the 2007 Brits, she gave a special one-o...

Amy Winehouse in Her Own Words

Portrait of Amy Winehouse through interviews and performances, some previously unseen. Including Glastonbury, Later...with Jools Holland and t...

Reclaiming Amy

Marking the ten-year anniversary of the death of Amy Winehouse, her closest family and friends, including mum Janis and dad Mitch, reveal the truth about the ...

Dockery Farm and Blues music | Arena

Charlie Patton is considered to be the forefather of the Delta blues and worked on a plantation known as Dockery Farm.

Yesterday (2019)

Following a road accident, struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik wakes up in an alternative reality where no-one seems to have ever heard of The Beatles. ...

Elvis (2022)

Elvis Presley's story seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

How Pop Songs Work

Conductor Charles Hazlewood hosts a celebration of the magic of pop music and explores the skill and musical dexterity that goes into writing, performing ...

Queen: A Night at the Opera | Classic Albums

A Night At The Opera, the fourth Queen album released in late 1975, is a mix of hard rock, pop, opera, music hall camp and tradi...

John Lennon | Great Britons (2002)

As part of the Great Britons series, actor and comedian Alan Davies presents the case for John Lennon. As both a member of The Beatles and...

Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon | Classic Albums

This edition looks at the legendary Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon with interviews with Roger Waters, David Gi...

Sgt Pepper's Musical Revolution with Howard Goodall

Howard Goodall explores why Sgt Pepper is still seen as so innovative, so revolutionary and so influential, with the help...

The Power of Music

Paul McCartney presents a programme about how music can aid in the treatment and development of individuals with mental disabilities, autism, and mental i...

Beyonce: Life is But a Dream | imagine...

Documentary, directed by and starring Beyoncé Knowles, giving an insight into the life of the 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer, ...

03: Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling | New Power Generation: Black Music Legends of the 1980s

Film showing how Lionel Richie achieved his dream of becoming 'as big as T...

Freddie Mercury: The Final Act

The extraordinary story of Freddie Mercury's battle with Aids and the groundbreaking tribute concert Queen staged in his memory after he died.

Episode 2 | Live Aid at 40: When Rock 'n' Roll Took on the World

Live Aid becomes the biggest global benefit concert, drawing Geldof into charity politics in Africa as he na...

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours | Classic Albums

This programme considers the significance of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

David Bowie | Icons

David Bowie landed on the London music scene and, with the help of Ziggy Stardust, transformed it at once giving rise to an army of young, previously dis...

S03E02: 1973 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

A mix of rock music from 1973 with news coverage of events from same year & other happenings.

The Beatles' Final Concert | The Documentary

How a short 'rooftop concert' on 30 January 1969 became The Beatles' last public gig.

John Lennon at the BBC | 6 Music Stories

Liza Tarbuck explores the BBC's archive of John Lennon's work, from his earliest days with The Beatles to his final interview, recor...

The Beatles: Made on Merseyside

They defined music and popular culture like no other band ever will. But how did The Beatles make the journey from Merseyside teenagers to in...

The Beatles and the BBC

A look back at some key moments that saw the BBC document The Beatles' journey, including such songs as She Loves You and All You Need Is Love.

A Hard Day's Night

Anarchic and offbeat 1960s story of 36 hours in the lives of The Beatles as they travel to a TV show in London. The film uses a variety of cinematographic...

Panjabi MC_ Bhangra Goes Mainstream | Pump Up The Bhangra: The Sound of Asian Britain

Mundian to Bach Ke is the most recognisible bhangra song. It went straight in to number...

Brinca de Vivre | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in Decembe...

The Arrival of Bob Marley on the UK Reggae Scene | Reggae Britannia

Very little was known about Jamican music in Britain before the launch of The Wailers album Catch a Fire,...

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in ...

Grazing in the Grass | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in De...

Paul Simon's Graceland - Under African Skies | imagine...

Did Paul Simon's unique collaboration with South Africa's township musicians set back the clock of South African li...

Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae | Roots, Reggae, Rebellion

Akala visits reggae artist and basist Robbie Shakespeare to find out the musical differences between ska, rocksteady an...

The First UK Reggae Number One | Reggae Britannia

Israelites' by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, was the first reggae song to reach number 1 in the UK charts.

The First Ska Hit in Britain | Reggae Britannia

Millie Small's cover of Barbie Gaye's song 'My Boy Lollipop' was the first UK ska hit, reaching number 2 in the UK singles ch...

Reggae's Influence on Punk | Reggae Britannia

A new musical aligment was taking place that would radically change reggae's impact and acceptance in Britrain, almost overnight.

Radio's Disregard of Reggae | Reggae Britannia

Jamican artists settled in Britain were met with a snobbish atitude towards their music from radio DJs.

The Birth of Bhangra in Britain | Pump Up The Bhangra: The Sound of Asian Britain

Bhangra named after a harvest dance, is claimed to have been forged in the foundries of the...

Apna Sangeet and Soho Road | Pump Up The Bhangra: The Sound of Asian Britain

Soho Road is at the heart of the Punjabi community in Birmingham and the title of one of bhangra...

Lizzy | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in December 2009, wh...

The Origins of Samba | Brasil Brasil

Samba was born on the northeastern coast of Brazil. Its famous rhythms were developed from percussion styles used in Candomble, an Afric...

Paul Simon: Graceland | Classic Albums

This edition looks at how Paul Simon's Graceland made an enormous impact with its blend of rock and African rhythms.

Anoushka Shankar | What Do Artists Do All Day?

Documentary examining the work of renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar as she composes the score to a restoration of a 1920s...

The Pioneers of Bossa Nova | Brasil Brasil

Singer Joao Gilberto, Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and the poet Vinicius de Moraes are considered to be the founders of bossa nov...

The Origins of Steel Pan_ Tamboo Bamboo | The World About Us: King Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

Tamboo bamboo is a percussion instrument from Trinidad, which is precursor...

The Invention of the Steel Pan Drum | The World About Us: King Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

The steel pan drum is geniously contrived from an industrial oil drum.