Al-Andalus: What makes music sound Spanish?
Tom Service looks for the essence of Spain in the music of later centuries. Why was so much "Spanish" music written by Russian, French or German composers, and how do we recognise a "Spanish" sound in music now?
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Music Played
-
![]()
Francisco Tárrega
Capricho arabe - serenata for guitar
Performer: Carlos Bonell.- upbeat classics.
- URCD145.
-
![]()
Sylvia
Y Viva Espana
- VIRGIN.
- VTDCD-57.
-
![]()
Omar Bashir
Maqam Flamenco
Performer: Omar Bashir.- Bahir.
- ISRC: AEA041000537.
-
![]()
Maurice Ravel
Bolero for orchestra
Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.- DG.
- 4159722.
-
![]()
Xaver Scharwenka
Spanish serenade for piano
Performer: Sir Stephen Hough.- HYPERION.
- CDA-67565.
-
![]()
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Capriccio espagnol Op.34
Music Arranger: Igor Markevitch. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.- PHILIPS.
- 4426432.
-
![]()
James Horner
Mad Dash / Zorro Unmasked
Performer: Studio Sound Orchestra.- Sony Classical.
- USSM10505501.
-
![]()
Georges Bizet
Carmen - opera in 4 acts
Performer: Marina Domashenko. Performer: Myung-Whun Chung. Performer: French Radio Orchestra.- decca.
- 475 9143.
-
![]()
Claude Debussy
Estampes for piano
Performer: Paul Crossley.- Sony.
- SK53111.
-
![]()
Maurice Ravel
Rapsodie espagnole vers. for orchestra
Conductor: Pierre Monteux. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.- Philips 464733.
- 464733.
-
![]()
Isaac Albéniz
Asturias (Leyenda) [fr 'Suite Espanola'], arr. Segovia for guitar [orig.piano]
Performer: Sharon Isbin.- VIRGIN.
- VC7911282.
-
![]()
Maurice Jarre
Lawrence of Arabia
Performer: BBC Concert Orchestra. -
![]()
Joaquín Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra
Conductor: Yannick Nézet‐Séguin. Performer: Miloš Karadaglić. Performer: London Philharmonic Orchestra.- DG.
- 4810811.
-
![]()
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
The Mexican Bandit
- Fat Boy Records.
- 01.
-
![]()
Ennio Morricone
A Fistful of Dollars
Performer: Ennio Morricone.- DISKY.
- DCD-5253.
-
![]()
Édouard Lalo
Symphonie espagnole Op.21 for violin and orchestra
Conductor: Vernon Handley. Performer: Tasmin Little. Performer: Royal Scottish National Orchestra.- EMI Eminence.
- 566119 2.
-
![]()
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
Souvenir d'une nuit d'ete a Madrid for orchestra (Spanish overture no.2)
Conductor: Vassily Sinaisky. Performer: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.- chandos.
- chan9861.
-
![]()
Isaac Albéniz
Iberia - book 1 for piano
Performer: Alicia de Larrocha.- Decca.
- 4178872.
-
![]()
Manuel de Falla
Nights in the gardens of Spain for piano and orchestra
Performer: Steven Osborne. Performer: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.- HYPERION.
- CDA68148.
-
![]()
Joaquín Rodrigo
Fantasia para un gentilhombre for guitar and orchestra
Conductor: Luis Antonio García Navarro. Performer: Narciso Yepes. Performer: English Chamber Orchestra.- DG.
- 4779197.
-
![]()
Francisco Coll
Turia
Performer: Christian Karlsen. Performer: Jacob Kellermann. Performer: Norrbotten NEO.
Broadcasts
- Sun 29 Sep 2019 17:00BBC Radio 3
- Fri 4 Oct 2019 16:30BBC Radio 3
Why do we call it 'classical' music?
Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).
Six of the world's most extreme voices
From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?
How did the number 12 revolutionise music?
How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.
Why are we all addicted to bass?
Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.
Watch the animations
Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.
When does noise become music?
We like to think we can separate “noise” from “music”, but is it that simple?
Podcast
-
![]()
The Listening Service
An odyssey through the musical universe, presented by Tom Service
