Music Matters

In a rare interview conductor Bernard Haitink talks to Tom about the very earliest days of his career at Netherlands Radio and why today’s politicians must prioritise the arts. A new English translation of writings by the musique concrete composer Pierre Schaeffer is reviewed by Simon Emmerson and Rob Young, and Tom finds out about a 40,000 year old flute at the British Museum's Ice Age Art exhibition.

Tom Service talks to the Australian conductor Simone Young, reviews two new books about Arturo Toscanini, and discovers the connections between music, language and autism. Plus we mark the anniversary of the death of Wagner.

Tom Service explores new revelations about Benjamin Britten's life from Paul Kildea and Neil Powell as we look at their two fresh biographies of the composer in this centenary year. Are we facing the demise of the brass band? As bands struggle to clinch sponsorship deals, Tom investigates the future of the British institution. And film music at the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds.

Tom Service presents a special edition of Music Matters marking the centenary of the birth of Witold Lutoslawski. Born in Poland, he created much of his music - including the Concerto for Orchestra, four symphonies, and works for Mstislav Rostropovich, Anne Sophie Mutter, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Heinz Holliger - against the backdrop of the most turbulent decades in the country's history.

Presented by Tom Service, including Philip Glass' new opera exploring the life, and especially the death, of Walkt Disney; Tom travels to Edinburgh, meeting Robert Irvine, the editor of a new collection of Robert Burns' poetry and songs, and tenor Tom Walker and pianist David McGuiness, who perform Burns songs specially for the programme; Tom also talks to the composer Brian Ferneyhough as he celebrates his 70th birthday; and Suzy Klein meets the Tchaikovsky Competition winning pianist Daniil Trifonov

Presented by Tom Service John Dowland - composer, diplomat, spy and possible traitor was born 450 years ago in 1563. This week Tom explores the life and music of a man who was one of the greatest composers of Elizabethan England. He is joined by counter-tenor and Dowland fan Iestyn Davies and Dowland expert Peter Holman to explore the man and his music. Japanese-American violinist Midori has been involved in music education projects in schools and hospitals since she was in her early 20s. Now in her 40s she talks to Tom about her continuing passion for education. Critic Tim Carter and authour Howard Pollock make the case that the works of American composer, lyricist and political activist Marc Blitzstein should be better known and Tom is joined by Oliver Knussen to celebrate the life and work of composer Richard Rodney Bennett who died at Christmas.

Suzy Klein talks to Sir Nicholas Kenyon about the late pianist and writer Charles Rosen, finds out about the musical traditions of the Hanseatic League, heads to a Wiltshire pub to meet the Potterne Christmas Boys and discover more about the tradition of Mummers Plays and chooses her highlights from the Music Matters year.

Tom Service talks to the composer Julian Anderson, conductor Martyn Brabbins and the musicologist Jonathan Cross about the life and work of Jonathan Harvey who died this week. Also on the programme, Tom Service interviews conductor William Christie about his baroque group, Les Arts Florissants. The Royal Northern College in Manchester. Tom visits the college's Oxford Road site and talks to former and current students to find out what makes the RNCM so special.

Pianist Andras Schiff talks to Tom Service about Beethoven's piano sonatas. Dame Janet Baker and Michael Kennedy look though the latest volume of Benjamin Britten's letters. There's a new book focusing on photographs of Benjamin Britten, and an interview with violinist Irvine Arditti.

Tom Service talks to Roger Parker and Carolyn Abbate, authors of A History of Opera: The Last 400 Years, which tells the story of the artform from Monteverdi to John Adams, and reviews the book with tenor Ian Bostridge and historian Sarah Lenton. Tom also meets the controversial opera and theatre director Calixto Bieito during rehearsals for his production of Bizet's Carmen at English National Opera; and talks to the American composer and performer Meredith Monk as she approaches her 70th birthday.

A tribute to two towering musical figures in the 20th and 21st centuries who died recently: composers Hans Werner Henze and Elliott Carter. With the help of a wide range of archive material Tom Service explores their life, work and legacy with a panel consisting of musicologist Paul Griffiths and composers Detlev Glanert and Mark-Anthony Turnage, also including collaborations from other musicians, among them composer/conductor Pierre Boulez, pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and violinist Irvine Arditti from the Arditti Quartet.

Live from the Northern Rock Foundation Hall at the Sage, Gateshead. Tom Service is joined by a distinguished panel comprising opera director Graham Vick, journalist Paul Morley, cellist, cabaret artist and composer Zoe Martlew and Northumbrian smallpiper Kathryn Tickell to discuss the question: "Is classical music really for everyone?"

Tom Service presents. We visit two exhibitions in London marking the centenary of the birth of legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti: one at the Barbican Centre, in the company of cellist Sussane Beer and choir master David Temple, and the other one at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with John Tooley and David Syrus, at one point members of its management. Also an interview with Barry Millington, author of the new book 'Richard Wagner, The Sorcerer of Bayreuth', which is reviewed by Michael Portillo. And Tom talks to American pianist Frederic Rzewski on creating 'political and social' work, which keeps him fresh and relevant at the age of 74.

Tom Service talks to conductor Kent Nagano, marks the centenary of Schoenberg's ground-breaking piece Pierrot-Lunaire with soprano Jane Manning and conductor Daniel Harding, as well as assessing the reputation of Saint-Saens with cellist Steven Isserlis and getting to grips with an Inside Out Piano created by pianist Sarah Nicolls.

As part of the BBC Piano Season Tom Service talks to pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Noriko Kawai and Rolf Hind about the challenges of performing contemporary piano music and what the future may hold for the piano repertoire and author Stuart Isacoff tells Tom why the piano is so important to musicians from Mozart to modern jazz. Tom also talks to the director Michael Keegan-Dolan and conductor Christian Curnyn about the new English National Opera production of Handel's Julius Caesar which is a collaboration between ENO and dance company Fabulous Beast. Celebrated as a choreographer and the Artistic Director of Fabulous Beast, Keegan-Dolan's productions are known for being ground-breaking and cutting edge, and the reviewers will be on hand to tell Tom how well they think Keegan-Dolan's vision transfers to Handel and the stage of the Coliseum.