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Playing at sight and playing from memory

Tom Service flexes his musical memory muscles whilst also improving his sight reading.

Tom Service on two of the most astounding musical skills, which the majority of professional classical musicians have in abundance - the ability to play from memory, and the ability to play at sight, without study or much in the way of rehearsal. How and why do they do it?

With pianist and teacher Richard Sisson, and violinist Eva Thorarinsdottir, of the Aurora Orchestra, whose members are unusual in that they often play from memory as an ensemble.

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 1 Sep 2023 16:30
BBC Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Partita no. 3 in E major BWV.1006 for violin solo

    Performer: Viktoria Mullova.
    • ONYX.
    • 40-40.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony No 9_BBC National Orchestra of Wales

    Orchestra: BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Thomas Søndergård.

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Concerto no. 4 in G minor Op.40 for piano and orchestra

    Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano.
    • EMI CLASSICS.
    • 6405162.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Prelude and fugue from Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, bk.2 no. 16 in G minor BWV.885

    Performer: Sir András Schiff.
    • DECCA.
    • 417 236-2-.

  • Ludwig August Lebrun

    Concerto no. 2 in G minor for oboe and orchestra

    Performer: Albrecht Mayer. Performer: Potsdam Chamber Academy.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 479 2942.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Waltz in E minor Op.posth. for piano [B.56]

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • London.
    • 443 7382.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Concerto in D major Op.61 for violin and orchestra

    Performer: Anne‐Sophie Mutter. Performer: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Kurt Masur.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 471 349-2.

  • William Walton

    Touch her soft lips and part from "Henry V", arr. Richard Rodney Bennett

    Performer: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: William Walton.
    • EMI.
    • CDM 5 650072.

  • Franz Liszt

    6 Grandes etudes de Paganini S.141 for piano

    Performer: Daniil Trifonov.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 479 5529.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Ballade no. 3 in A flat major Op.47 for piano

    Performer: Emanuel Ax.
    • RCA RED SEAL.
    • 82876 72554 2.

  • George Enescu

    Impressions d'enfance Op.28 for violin and piano

    Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
    • Naive.
    • V 5193.

  • Franz Schubert

    Fantasy in C major D.760 (Wandererfantasie) for piano

    Performer: Sviatoslav Richter.
    • EMI.
    • 631 8102.

  • Igor Stravinsky

    The Firebird - suite

    Performer: Aurora Orchestra. Conductor: Nicholas Collon.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Moscow Cheryomushki - musical comedy Op.105

    Performer: Residentie Orkest. Conductor: Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky.
    • CHANDOS.
    • CHAN-9591.

  • Claude Debussy

    Children's corner for piano

    Performer: Pascal Rogé.
    • DECCA.
    • 417-792-2.

  • François Couperin

    Les Baricades misterieuses [from ordre no.6], arr. Thomas Ades for ensemble

    Performer: Aurora Orchestra. Conductor: Nicholas Collon.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 0825646082230.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 16 Jan 2022 17:00
    BBC Radio 3
  • Fri 21 Jan 2022 16:30
    BBC Radio 3
  • Sun 27 Aug 2023 17:00
    BBC Radio 3
  • Fri 1 Sep 2023 16:30
    BBC Radio 3

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