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Contents

AUGUST 2020

125th ANNIVERSARY

FEATURES 26 Cover: The people of the Proms Michael White on the men and women who have shaped the festival over its 125 years, from musicians and broadcasters to controllers and industrialists 40 Chineke! Orchestra Richard Morrison on the exceptional BME ensemble that’s changing our musical landscape 44 Curious concertos Forget the piano or the violin – it’s time to explore the virtuosic works for trautonium and harmonica… 48 Scheherazade Stephen Johnson explores why so many western composers were drawn to the exotic Middle East 52 Alexandre Desplat Michael Beek talks to the composer of the soundtracks to L i t t l e Wo m e n, The King’s Speech and many more

EVERY MONTH 8 Letters 12 The Full Score The latest news from around the classical music world 25 Richard Morrison 36 The BBC Music Magazine Interview Theremin player Carolina Eyck talks to Kate Molleson 54 Musical Destinations Clive Paget surveys the riches of Sydney, Australia 56 Composer of the Month Chris de Souza profiles Czerny, the early Romantic who provided the link between Beethoven and Liszt 60 Building a Library

Natasha Loges tells the story of Brahms’s masterpiece A German Requiem a n d c h o o s e s t h e b e s t r e c o r d i n g s 94 Radio & TV listings 96 Crossword and Quiz 98 Music that Changed Me Conductor Dalia Stasevska

26 People that made The Proms (John Wilson)

E A L O V E G A

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I D G E M A N

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Subscriptions £64.87 (UK); £65 (Europe); £74 (Rest of World) ABC Reg No. 3122 EDITORIAL Plus an unusual concerto that has caught some of the editorial team’s attention… Editor Oliver Condy Andy Akiho’s Ricochet (ping-pong) Deputy editor Jeremy Pound Jon Lord’s Durham Concerto (Northumbrian pipes and Hammond organ) Managing editor Rebecca Franks Reviews editor Michael Beek Michael Daugherty’s Raise the Roof (timpani) Editorial assistant Freya Parr Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry (didgeridoo)

Cover CD editor Alice Pearson Listings editor Paul Riley Art editor Dav Ludford Designer Liam McAuley Picture editor Sarah Kennett Thanks to Daniel Jaffé; Sarah Greenhalgh; Joe Jones MARKETING Subscriptions director Jacky Perales-Morris Direct marketing executive Kellie Lane ADVERTISING Advertising sales director Mark Reen +44 (0)117 300 8810 Group advertisement manager Tom Drew +4 4 (0)117 300 8806 Sales and partnership manager Rebecca O’Connell +44 (0)117 300 8814 Senior account manager

4 BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE