Playing Second Fiddle (and Horn and Trumpet...)

The joys and frustrations of being the unsung heroes of the orchestral world.

• 29 mins

How to listen to... Gilbert and Sullivan

Tom Service enters the topsy-turvy world of Gilbert and Sullivan.

• 29 mins

Money Makes the Music Go Round

Tom Service explores the relationship between money and music.

• 28 mins

Themes and Variations

Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme.

• 29 mins

Fiddles and Fiddle Tunes

Tom Service explores fiddles and fiddle tunes from around the world.

• 29 mins

How to listen to... Arvo Pärt

Tom explores Arvo Pärt's music - what makes it so unique and why is it so popular?

• 29 mins

Out of Tune

Tom Service asks what it really means to be in tune? In tune with what - or who?

• 28 mins

Eat to the Beat

The many long-standing and sometimes surprising connections between food and music.

• 29 mins

The timeless power of contemporary choral music

Tom Service immerses himself in the resonant sound world of 21st-century choral music.

• 29 mins

Klezmer

Tom Service explores the connections between Klezmer and classical music.

• 29 mins

The Borrowers

Is using someone else's music in your own big and clever?

• 29 mins

How to listen to...Erik Satie

Tom Service explores the musical universe of Erik Satie.

• 29 mins

Handel's Messiah: Hallelujah!

Tom Service lifts the lid on Handel's Messiah.

• 29 mins

Playing at sight and playing from memory

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

• 29 mins

Making Overtures

Tom Service explores the rise and fall of the musical curtain-raiser.

• 29 mins

Dancing about Architecture

Is writing about music really like dancing about architecture?

• 29 mins

Recorders

Tom Service explores the music and mystery of that schooldays favourite - the recorder.

• 28 mins

Classical Crossover

Tom Service turns his ears to a musical world where classical and pop converge.

• 29 mins

John Williams - the Force of Music!

Tom Service has a close encounter with the film music of John Williams.

• 28 mins

Finishing the Hat

Tom Service explores the lyrics and legacy of musical theatre composer Stephen Sondheim.

• 29 mins

Song Cycles and Concept Albums

Tom Service explores the connections between song cycles and concept albums.

• 29 mins

What's in a Name?

Tom Service on the often baffling language of classical music naming and numbering.

• 29 mins

The Musical Recycling Plant

From composers to composters: how and why do composers re-use their own music?

• 29 mins

Can music be funny?

Tom Service on the art of classical music comedy. And it's not necessarily about timing.

• 29 mins

Royal Music

Music fit for kings, queens, princes and princesses: but what do we mean by royal music?

• 29 mins

What's the point of cadenzas?

Tom Service explores cadenzas with the American pianist Jeremy Denk at the Hay Festival.

• 28 mins

The Music of Sound

Tom Service on the mutually creative relationship between music and its surroundings.

• 29 mins

TV Themes

Tom Service explores television themes with Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley.

• 28 mins

Abracadabra

Tom Service explores the connections between music and magic.

• 28 mins

The Enchantment of Chant

Tom explores how chant has resonated across a thousand years of music.

• 29 mins