Music television

First Love: Carl Cox
The successful Ibiza DJ returns to play Keyboards, for a sunset gig in Ibiza alongside the Brand New Heavies, on a rendition of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish". He also revisits his childhome home in Carshalton, and recounts the sad fate of his parents returning to the West Indies, leaving he and his sisters to make their own fate, in Brighton. He gets advice from FatBoy Slim along the way, but is pressed for practice time, and struggles to get used to playing again. But happily, it's alright on the night, and he even manages the improv sections like a pro. So, another pleasant show.

How to Be a World Music Star: Buena Vista, Bhundu Boys and beyond
A pretty impressive rundown of the "world" music genre, inasmuch as it's an umbrella term that covers music from Bulgaria, Cuba, parts of Africa etc. The stories of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Tinariwen, Mariza and Les Voix De Bulgares were just some of the diverse and surprising heroes to emerge. Andy Kershaw predictably cropped up, being one of the most associated figures in British radio.

The A to Z of World Music
In association with the above, a lengthy look around the sounds and styles that are counted within this field. The likes of Miriam Makeba, Ali Farka Toure, Cheb Khaled, Severa Nazarkhan and King Sunny Ade were amongst the featured faces, as it became clear that the diversity is a double-edged sword, and many such acts deserve fairer comparison with more mainstream styles.

Flamenco: Gypsy Soul
An hour in the South of Spain, as the Duende was explained in a journey from Malaga to Cadiz. There are three pillars, apparently: Song, Guitar and Dance. Maybe the music tells the story better in this case.

BBC Four Sessions: Youssou N'Dour
From the Union Chapel, Islington, YND ran through a mix of material including crowd fave Immigres, and ending of New Africa. A pleasant show.

Behind the Music: Heart
Nancy & Ann Wilson, the unlikely pioneers of the Seattle scene, whose relationship tangles echoed Fleetwood Mac, and whose career zenith around 1987-8 is seen as an artistic nadir by the ladies themselves.

First Love: Shaun Ryder
The idiosyncratic Happy Mondays frontman tries to learn the saxophone. Early attempts go badly, but meeting a proper teacher sees him learning chords by numbers, which improves his playing. Tasked with learning 'Tuxedo Junction' to perform alongside Jools Holland's Orchestra, the actual performance appears to be troubled by Ryder's stage fright, but his mentor, Soweto Kinch, applauds his effort and encourages him to join them all for the encore, which he does. Jools, happily, is a fan of him as a person, and audience and band feedback appears positive, though Shaun is harsh on himself for his initial performance. Certainly, an emotional journey.

Michael Flatley: Lord of the Dance
Back to the Point, Dublin, for a Homecoming performance, Flatley having been away from the show for over a decade. A generally entertaining way to pass an hour and a half, some of the dance/action scenes are particularly well choreographed. I can see why it had done so well.

Here's A Piano I Prepared Earlier
Experimental music, from Mozart's random way to write a waltz, through the efforts of Stockhausen, Cardew, Cage, Riley, Reich, Bryars, Bedford, even Yoko Ono. The Portsmouth Sinfonia seemed more of a fun bunch that might have otherwise seemed the case. A refreshingly-told tale from 2004.

Segovia at Los Olivos
A chat from 1969 with the legend of the Spanish Guitar, in his retirement in Granada. Amusingly, he okayed the plans for his new home without realising how enormous his house would be. He talked of his formative years, how he had encouraged the growth of a new repertoire of material, and seemed sanguine about his future. Certainly, his English was superb. He died in 1987, aged 94.

Pasadena Roof Orchestra: Live in London
To celebrate their 40th anniversary at the Cadogan Hall. A fun run-through of 20s/30s/40s material, mostly vocal, some instrumental. Gentle dance-band sit-down stuff, with some 'star' guests in the 2nd half. A fine couple of hours.

Behind the Music: Judas Priest
From the West Midlands, escaping via Heavy Metal to American success, before a court case causes trouble, and Halford finds himself out of the band. His replacement, Ripper Owens, suffices for a while, but after his own projects run into the ground, Halford rejoins and the magic rolls on, at least at the time of this 2009 doc. Always a fine story, and some rocking music.

Shut Up and Play The Hits
LCD Soundsystem wind down to a final gig at Madison Square Garden, as a camera team follow frontman James Murphy as he reflects on the past of the band, and whether it will be a mistake to give it up. And with some footage of the concert into the bargain. No 'Daft Punk is Playing at my House' alas, but perhaps that's as well.

First Love: Alistair Campbell
Journalist-turned-spin doctor picks up the bagpipes once more, ahead of a spot at a St Andrew's Night concert at the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. His father was a keen piper, and one of the 4 tunes he had to perform had been written in tribute to his father. Campbell revisited his roots and family in Tiree, reflected on some of the difficult times in his past, and did well at the gig. The bagpipes seem to suit him.

Arctic Monkeys: iTunes Festival Special
As their 5th album tops the UK charts, a runthrough of material from all their career. They remain beloved of the music press, but keep coming up with the goods, so why not? Can't see what would stop them delivering another 5, and more.

Celebrate Gershwin
From 2011, a gig at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, given by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, and with guest pianist Herbie Hancock, no less. After almost an hour, they finished with a 20 minute version of 'Rhapsody in Blue', with Hancock in full effect.

Duets: The Andy Williams Show
Compilation of footage of the many, many guests whom he duetted with on his show. From Sammy Davis Jr and Ella Fitzgerald, to Johnny Cash and Bing Crosby, the fledgling Osmonds and even Simon & Garfunkel. The highlight was a routine with Johnny Mathis, choreographed around gym equipment and an astonishing physical and mental feat.

Solo: The Andy Williams Show
Inevitably, a companion piece of the man himself, not just the obvious 'Moon River' or 'Almost There', but the intriguing 'Days of Wine and Roses', and closing on 'May Each Day'.

Live From Wigmore Hall: Flow My Tears - Songs For Lute, Viol and Voice
From July this year, at least all the numbers were captioned beforehand, not that it really made much difference to my enjoyment. Included was the World Premiere performance of Nico Muhly's 'Old Bones', a piece about the recent discovery of King Richard III's corpse. It was that kind of show.

Rewind The Tube
Legendary 80s UK music show filmed in Newcastle, remembered fondly. The furore over Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the window for hip-hop, the genesis of Band Aid, the political attitudes, and the slow downfall were all covered. Talking heads managed to include Holly Johnson, Afrika Bambaataa, Bob Geldof, Don Letts, Billy Bragg, and Jools Holland.

Modest Mussorgski - Pictures at an Exhibition
Not a piece of music I've been too fond of, but undeniably famous. Here, Vladimir Ashkenazy put the work in context, before conducting an orchestral performance of it, and then performing it himself solo on the piano. All this whilst bearing resemblance to a clean-shaven Alan Rickman. Mussorgski's sad destiny, and his tribute to a friend were made all the more powerful.

Andy Williams: Moon River and Me
You'd think there was little left to say or hear, but no... here, Andy intro'd many of his favourite songs, some of which were less obvious. It made a change to hear 'Shadow of Your Smile', 'Dear Heart', the moving 'Abraham, Martin & John', 'What are you doing, New Years' Eve?', and he closed inevitably with 'Moon River'. Well-paced, too.

Gil Scott-Heron and the Midnight Band: Black Wax
A special biopic/concert show in which his on-stage performances were spliced with on-the-streets performance. Much of this material revolved around a song about Washington DC, and a trip to the Wax Museum Nightclub where he could compare Ronald Reagan with John Wayne. His material was entertaining, his stagecraft commendable, and his power undeniable.

Live from Wigmore Hall: O Sacred Banquet - William Byrd and the Feast of Corpus Christi
Some light relief to balance out the rest   Stile Antico, a vocal band, and Fretwork, a music band, combined to perform several religious songs, all named on screen, none of which rang any bells with me. Pleasant show, though.

Adapting Carmen: Re-imagining a Classic
Three ways to perform/update Bizet's classic. The Royal Opera House gave a broadly faithful rendition. Whereas Bollywood Carmen was more updated and with modern songs, as well as changing the toreador to something more appropriate. And the South African remake changed the toreador also, and sung in Xhosa. I was intrigued by the first 2 ideas the most.

Miriam Makeba plays Avo Session
Basel again, this time from 2006, as the legendary African songstress belted out several songs I didn't know.

Live from Wigmore Hall: The British Schubert
I enjoyed this the most of the 3 editions I've seen, the vocal performances were strong, and subtitled, whilst pianist Graham Johnson held the show together.

Vladimir Ashkenazy - Frederic Chopin - 24 Preludes Op.28
A straight performance at the piano from 1980, as the great conductor leant his brilliance to another classic piece of music.

Andres Segovia: The Song of the Guitar
From 1976, mostly performance, with Segovia also relating his own story, how he was inspired by a flamenco guitarist, drawn by melancholy and the tonal variety of the guitar. He even made his signature resemble a guitar. He ran through 10 tunes, one of which I recognised (Bach's 'Gavotte').

Ennio Morricone in Venice
Almost 2 hour concert performance in San Marco Square, as Morricone conducted the Roma Sinfonietta through a selection of film scores, which were captioned in introduction, not that it helped a lot. Footage of Venice with accompanying text provided a visual background for the music.

4music meets Kings of Leon
A run-through the career of the cool American rockers with a new album out, interviews with the 4 band members and most if not all of their videos. There's a sense the new album is meant as a return to form after their last, not that it makes much difference.

Mark Lawson Talks To Bob Geldof
The Irish loudmouth tries to be modest about 'access' to the great and the good, is keen on his forthcoming trip into space, proud of his children, and stoic about the tragedies in his life, and how he feels at going back on the road. Always an opinionated experience.

The Boomtown Rats: Sight & Sound in Concert
A repeat from 1984 to go with the above chat, here was an hour from Chippenham, a mix of material I knew and others I didn't. They did 'Looking After No.1' as an impromptu encore.

Northern Soul - Keep The Faith
BBC economics wonk Paul Mason reflects on his youth enjoying the Wigan Casino scene, to promote a forthcoming movie on the subject. The social background to the rise of Northern Soul was illuminating, with brief chats from Ian Levine and John Cooper Clarke. Although the Casino closed down in 1981, the spirit lives on with a new young generation and all-nighters every weekend somewhere around the land.

Sergei Rachmaninoff - Variations on a Theme of Corelli
It's that man Ashkenazy again, here from 1985, spending half the time on introduction, before a piano recital before an audience in Lugano, Switzerland. Nice effort, but I wasn't won over by it.

Glasvegas Stripped: Live in Glasgow
From the Adelaide Church, no less, this very short show promoted their latest album and served as a sort of homecoming. The songs sounded good, but I can also sense why they've not really made it big.

Elegies for the Deaths of Three Spanish Poets
Cristobal Halffter introduces and conducts a performance of pieces written for Antonio Machado, Miguel Hernandez and Federico Garcia Lorca, who illustrated "three ways to rob a man of his freedom": Exile, Prison and Murder. A moving effort, anyway.

Faure: Requiem - Paavo Jarvi et L'Orchestre de Paris
From Feb 10, 2011, at La Salle Pleyel, this started with 'Pavanne', which probably most people know, and then got less interesting, but still impressive.

Leonard Bernstein's New York
From 1996, a bunch of actors, including Mandy Patinkin (!) enthuse about LB's 3 shows about NY; 'On The Town', 'Wonderful Town' and 'West Side Story'. They sang many of the songs, some in NY locations for better effect. Quite a fun hour.

Barockstar - George Frederic Handel
A straight documentary about how the German childhood prodigy overcame parental disfavour to find success under Italian patronage, before heading to London and finding more fame and success under a new patron, and creating his famous masterpiece, the 'Messiah' oratorio.

Ma Vlast
From the Smetana Hall in Prague, a performance of the six-part epic from Bedrich Smetana, by the Prague Conservatory Orchestra and conducted by Jiri Belohlavek, on April 16, 2010. The most famous section is the 2nd, Die Moldau. This and Mussorgski's Pictures at an Exhibition have dogged me for years, so I'm glad to finally feel more comfortable with them both.

Tubular Bells: The Story of Mike Oldfield
Something of a tragic epic, as Mike's mother ailed, and Mike put his pain into his prodigious creativity, and a one-of-a-kind epic 2-sided masterpiece album which rapidly grew into a multi-million-selling classic that launched Richard Branson's Virgin Music empire. Oldfield experienced a rebirthing ceremony which made him a happier person for a while, and he seems quite normal these days. His involvement with the 2012 Olympics brought the story almost full circle.

Showcase - Mike Oldfield and Friends
A half-hour performance of 'Tubular Bells' in a studio, a bravura performance of the indubitable sonic triumph.

Opening Concert of the Salzburg Festival, 2009
This time, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. They did one piece by Schubert, 3 by Strauss, then a final one by Schubert. All pleasant enough. Oddly, Harnoncourt is the same bloke who did the Smetana gig mentioned above, so maybe there were other faults in the crediting with that one.

Rockpalast: Echo and the Bunnymen
A solid runthrough of songs, all intro'd & captioned anyway, before technical troubles sent them off. They came back for 3 encores of 1 song each before not coming back at all. Despite a scheduled running time of 2.5 hours, the last 45 minutes were just a repeat of earlier parts of the gig. Apart from that, a good show and a chance to hear songs I was less familiar with.

ABC at Rewind 2013
The annual 80s revival weekend from Henley. Martin Fry & the gang did their 5 biggest & best, and the crowd were happy. As was I.

Masters of American Music: Ray Charles - The Genius of Soul
A good hour or less, from 1991, as Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Dr John, Quincy Jones, Billy Preston and Dizzy Gillespie (!) paid their tributes, and Ray himself told his tale. Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler repped the record company - Ertegun always strikes me as wise as Clive Davis is awful.

Big Sing - UK Top 10 Hymns
Michael Ball, Andrea Begley and Russell Watson joined the throning masses in the Royal Albert Hall to count down the result of a recent nationwide poll. The list went:
10. The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Has Ended
9. Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace
8. Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer
7. Abide With Me
6. And Can It Be
5. Here I Am, Lord
4. Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
3. Be Still, For The Presence Of The Lord
2. In Christ Alone
1. How Great Thou Art
Curiously, I'm not sure any of these numbered the hymns I remember having to sing as a child. Oh well, I'll stick to carols.

Ray Charles - Live in France 1961
Two shows from July at the Antibes Jazz Festival on the Cote d'Azur. These ranged from songs I knew, to songs I could guess, to songs I'd no idea about. But a worthwhile performance.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 1
A short & straight performance by the Marinsky Theatre Orchestra at La Salle Pleyel in Paris, conducted by Valery Gergiev, of "No 1 In G Minor Op.13".

A Time There Was... A profile of Benjamin Britten
Nearly 2 hours about the famous British composer whose centenary will be on November 22, 1913. This must have come from a few years ago, as Britten's long-time collaborator Peter Pears was one of the many talking heads, along with many of Britten's family members. His formative years were probably the more interesting for being less familiar.

Schumann - Symphony #2 in C Major
The Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, conducted by David Zinman, from 2004. Quite pleasant.

Requiem
Shown on Remembrance Day, this looked at the many composers who have turned their hands to this most difficult pieces of music. Some have made more famous versions than others (Verdi, for instance). Cherubini got the credit for the earliest attempt, and Faure is another who's is well thought of. Mention of Britten's one ties it in with the other shows connected with his centenary, such as...

Benjamin Britten On Camera
How the BBC brought this British composer to the screen, even if it meant going to the village where he lived, and even staging productions in his big house. Interestingly, there was a big tribute paid on his 50th birthday, including the performance of his 'War Requiem' on the day itself - which was also the day of the assassination of JFK. Conductors, composers and other performers came together to eulogise the great man.

Imagine: Broadway Musicals - A Jewish Legacy
Rather than give time to the individual success story struggles of folk like Gershwin etc, this was an hour and a half to remember fondly quite how many Broadway shows proved a smash as a result of their creators happening to be Jewish. Eric Idle's song on the subject in 'Spamalot!' seems to have caught the mood.

Adventures in Listening: Kurt Masur
A former conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, this film showed him teaching students about conducting, and visiting his old hometown of Brzeg - a German town when he was born in 1927, but nowadays a Polish town. He had wanted to be a pianist, but suffered a medical problem with his hands. He went on to start up the 'Festival of Understanding', and was on hand as the Berlin Wall came down. He came across as a likeable, clever, happy guy in this 2009 film.

The Red Priest: Don Antonio Vivaldi - A Rediscovery
The story of how he became a brilliant violinist and composer, who wowed the ladies, but didn't stay a priest long because of his health. He became a shrewd impresario of sorts. After his death, much of his work was obscured, though with an Institute in Venice, this picture has now changed, though there are no authentic portraits of him, nor is there any monument to show his closeness to Dresden.

Bach: A Passionate Life
Another virtuoso composer, who kept moving about, was part of a very musical family, and had a lot of children himself. He spent a very long time in Leipzig, produced scores of cantatas, and a couple of Passions too, but no operas. He was also prone not to take blame for his own failings.

Vivaldi's Gloria
A mix of performances from Oxford, both vocal and instrumental, from 2009.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 4 in F Minor
As with #1, this was from Paris in 2010 with the same orchestra and location. Quite good.

Leonard Bernstein: Reflections
Made his name by conducting at Carnegie Hall, wowing the crowds with his great talent and youth. He toured the world, enjoyed composing, he preferred 'tonality'. This 1978 film featured the man himself in rehearsals, and chatting to camera about his story. He leaned towards the theatrical context and foresaw a tonal future.

Batons, Bows and Bruises
From 2010, the story of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, how its claimed patronage was ensured by Sir Thomas Beecham, but led to later funding rows under varying adminstrations. The roll-call of relevant contributors was impressive: Menuhin, Previn, Ashkenazy, Gatti, Maxwell-Davies, Zukerman, Slatkin and even Nigel Kennedy. It continues to go from strength to strength.

James Levine: America's Maestro
Made in 2011 to coincide with his 40 years with the Met, Levine grew up in Cincinatti, and was another who made a great impression from a young age. His rehearsals look formidable, a study in perfectionism, and encouragement. Placido Domingo was a big-name collaborator. Levine started the Young Artist Development idea in 1980, and appeared to be a great teacher, and a talented man.

Evgeny Kissin at the Choregies d'Orange Theatre Antique
A piano recital of pieces by Bach and Schumann, from 2002. Certainly a gifted performance.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 5 in E Minor
Same set-up with #1 and #4 , from Paris in 2010 with the same orchestra and location. Quite good, as far as I can judge.

Lionel Bart: Reviewing The Situation
Amusing hour from 2012 on the great theatre lyricist who put heart & soul into his first great hit, 'Oliver!', but was brought back down to Earth with the flop 'Twang!', and later found the high life too good to turn his back on, to his own cost. He finally sobered up and got his act together during the 1980's, but died in 1999.

Evgeny Kissin at the Choregies d'Orange Theatre Antique
This time performing Mussorgski's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and a few others from Verdi, Scriabin and even 'Flight of the Bumblebee'.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 6
The usual suspects are still at it.

Schumann - Symphony #4 in D Minor
The Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, conducted by David Zinman, from 2004 - again. Good stuff.

Schumann - Symphony #3 in E Major - Op.97
The usual suspects once again, very good once again.

The Lindsays Play Haydn
String Quartet in C Major, op 33.3, from 2004, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. Some chatter amidst the performance. A nice little half-hour.

Lou Reed - Remembered
In a change from the usual form, this featured a dozen guests interviewed one after another about their connection to the late, great man. Holly Woodlawn, Boy George, Mick Rock and Thurston Moore were included. Lou himself also contributed through archive stuff along the way. A good tribute.

Live at the Artist's Den: Squeeze
An hour-plus from Southwest Porch, Bryant Park, NYC, from Jul 15, 2010. They ran through a wide selection of material, opening with 'Take Me, I'm Yours' and finishing up by 'Pulling Mussels From A Shell'. The crowd seemed happy, which maybe surprised me the most.

Video Games Live
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra performed music from a large assortment of video games old and new, hosted by Tommy Tallarico, in 2010. Though most of it was unknown to me, it was still a fun musical exercise, though the suggestion that it legitimised the music composed for video games was wishful thinking.

JS Bach - Christmas Oratory
At the Chapel of St Francis, Bethlehem, the Zurich Opera House Orchestra, with the Dresden Chamber Choir, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, in 2009. Mostly instrumental works, some vocal. Also plenty of impressive footage of local landmarks. A nice little show.

California Dreamin': The Songs of the Mamas and the Papas
C.2005, but with interviews taken from assorted years, thus including John, Michelle & Chynna Phillips, Denny Doherty, Lou Adler, John Sebastian and Barry McGuire. The story of the band was pretty interesting, and the stories behind the songs were in many cases quite fascinating. Certainly they earned their place in the halls of fame.

Earth, Wind & Fire - In Concert
From Oakland, California, 1981, this was an hour's run-through of many of their hits. Alas, no captions, leaving me generally at a loss to identify what I was listening to. But they sang & played well, so maybe that's the main thing.

Boyzone @ 20: No Matter What
A mix of chat and performance, as the reformed Irish answer to Take That! tried to justify their continued existence when they don't have the strength in depth of Take That! or indeed even most current boybands. Their most recent single reached the dizzy height of #39. I can't see them getting to celebrate 25 years, much less 30.

Perry Como's Christmas Show
From 1974, with guest sketchery from Rich Little, and musical accompaniment from fellow easy-listening icons The Carpenters. A nice little curio.

BBC Proms: John Wilson's Hollywood Rhapsody
A concert from the John Wilson Orchestra, from last summer's event, performing assorted big screen tunes from Pyscho, Casablanca, Ben Hur and The Big Country. A diverting effort.

Riverdance: The Ten Years
The story of the Eurovision interval act that went on to amaze the world and regenerate the image of Ireland and irish dancing. With dozens of talking heads, and intro'd by Gabriel Byrne. The short run of Michael Flatley got the show off to a boom start, and his exit didn't harm it one bit.

The Boomtown Rats at Isle of Wight 2013
From Seaclose Park, a burst of 4 songs. Geldof seems happy in his natural environment.

Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2013
From Oslo, with Mary J Blige, James Blunt, Jake Bugg, Zara Larsson, Envy, and surprisingly Morrissey. Though only an hour was shown, the credits listed enough material to suggest the proper concert was much longer. Good all the same.

Kylie Minogue: Showgirl - Live at Earl's Court
From 2005, a thrilling show with several set & costume changes, as the Aussie superstar belted out hits from across her career, starting with 'Better the Devil You Know' and ending with 'Love at First Sight'. Good stuff.