In the spotlight
With the help of cyclist Victoria Pendleton and pianist Paul Lewis, sports journalist Eleanor Oldroyd explores the connections between classical music and sport.
With the help of virtuoso soloists, charismatic conductors, world champions and famous athletes, presenter Eleanor Oldroyd invites sporting stars and big names in the classical world to share their experiences and draw comparisons between their professions on the stage or in a stadium. The guests introduce music that inspires them, and Eleanor chooses pieces with a sporting theme which have meant something to her in her in her time covering 13 Summer and Winter Olympic Games for the 蜜芽传媒.
Focussed on those who take centre stage, the opera singers, virtuoso soloists, tennis players or athletes. Is it a lonely existence? How do you deal with the pressure of all eyes being on you? Do you have to be more selfish than the team player or ensemble musician? Pianist Paul Lewis describes the moments of preparation leading up to stepping out on stage before a concerto - how do they compare with cyclist Victoria Pendleton鈥檚 routine in the call room at the Olympic velodrome in London just before she entered the area on a mission to win a gold medal? Both have suffered injuries in their careers; how do they cope with the mental strain of being away from the concert hall or cycling track? Paul and Victoria discuss the hours of training and rehearsal, honing their individual skills for the moment when they have to perform at their peak. And after the applause and acclaim has died down, do they suffer from post-performance blues? Featuring Paul playing Beethoven's 'Emperor' piano concerto, and music with an Olympic theme, including Chariots of Fire by Vangelis, and works by some of the most famous composers who drew inspiration whilst out on two wheels.
Producer: Ben Collingwood.
Last on
More episodes
Music Played
-
![]()
Freddie Mercury
Barcelona
Composer: Michael Moran. Singer: Freddie Mercury. Singer: Montserrat Caball茅. -
![]()
Antonio Vivaldi
L'Olimpiade (Overture)
Orchestra: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. -
![]()
Josef Strauss
Velocipede Polka
Orchestra: Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester. Conductor: Alfred Eschw茅. -
![]()
Franz Schubert
Sonata in B flat major D.960 for piano (Scherzo and trio)
Performer: Paul Lewis. -
![]()
Edward Elgar
Nimrod
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle. -
![]()
Maurice Ravel
Bolero
Music Arranger: Michael Reed. Orchestra: Michael Reed Orchestra. -
![]()
Hans Zimmer
Inception (Time)
-
![]()
Vangelis
Chariots of Fire
Performer: Rowan Atkinson. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle. -
![]()
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto no 5, Emperor (Finale)
Performer: Paul Lewis. Orchestra: 蜜芽传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Ji艡铆 B臎lohl谩vek. -
![]()
Edward Elgar
Lux Aeterna (Nimrod)
Music Arranger: John Cameron. Choir: VOCES8.- Twenty.
- voces 8.
- 7.
Broadcast
- Today 13:00蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
Knock on wood 鈥� six stunning wooden concert halls around the world
Steel and concrete can't beat good old wood to produce the best sounds for music.
The evolution of video game music
Tom Service traces the rise of an exciting new genre, from bleeps to responsive scores.
Why music can literally make us lose track of time
Try our psychoacoustic experiment to see how tempo can affect your timekeeping abilities.
Podcast
-
![]()
Music Matters
The stories that matter, the people that matter, the music that matters
