Tyshawn Sorey, Esther Abrami, Alma Deutscher, John Mauceri

Music Matters

Tom Service talks to drummer, conductor and composer Tyshawn Sorey. A musician very much in demand across both classical and jazz circles, Tyshawn discusses his continuing mission to break down boundaries in music and his recent piece ‘Monochromatic Light’, written for the 50th anniversary of Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, for which he took inspiration not just from the artwork of Mark Rothko, but the piece Morton Feldman wrote for the opening of the space in 1971.

Tom also speaks to conductor and writer John Mauceri about his new book, The War on Music: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century, in which he argues the extent to which 20th-century music was shaped by World War I, World War II and the Cold War. John tells Tom why he believes a century of cultural politics has resulted in certain composers not being sufficiently appreciated, and thus not played enough in concert halls today.

We also hear from the composer Lavender Rodriguez who tells us how they’re inspiring young people across the north west of England to become the next generation of music creators through Manchester Camerata’s Hidden Histories project; and we turn to TikTok, speaking to some of the finest young musicians and classical institutions about how they are using the hugely popular social media app to take classical music to new audiences. Tom talks to violinist Esther Abrami, composer and conductor Alma Deutscher and London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Kath Trout.