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Back up to: The Essay

1. 2:5. Forgetting Salieri

   Startling counterfactual short story. How dark arts destroyed Antonio Salieri’s legacy.

   Next on

   Fri 20 Feb 2026 21:45

   Â鶹Éç Radio 3
2. 2:4. Sounds and Scents Swirl through the Evening Air

   Short story. How Claude Debussy’s music ‘took off’ following a chance meeting with a yogi.

   Next on

   Thu 19 Feb 2026 21:45

   Â鶹Éç Radio 3
3. 2:3. The Royal Privilege

   Startling counterfactual story. How Jean-Baptiste Lully’s death was brought on by vanity.

   Next on

   Wed 18 Feb 2026 21:45

   Â鶹Éç Radio 3
4. 2:2. A Souvenir from Staffa

   Startling counterfactual story. How Felix Mendelssohn was blessed and blighted by a curse.

   Next on

   Tue 17 Feb 2026 21:45

   Â鶹Éç Radio 3
5. 2:1. The Mewing of Cats

   Counterfactual story. How Maurice Ravel silenced his critics with the help of his ‘family’

   Next on

   Next Monday 21:45

   Â鶹Éç Radio 3
6. 1:5. Satie's Aleph

   Five startling counterfactual histories of the lives of much-loved composers.
7. 1:4. Must It Be So?

   Five startling counterfactual histories of the lives of much-loved composers.
8. 1:3. Stravinsky Goes Pop

   Five startling counterfactual histories of the lives of much-loved composers.
9. 1:2. The Sibelius Report

   Five startling counterfactual histories of the lives of much-loved composers.
10. 1:1. The Sensible Thing Was to Kill Him

    Five startling counterfactual histories of the lives of much-loved composers.