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1. Claiming the Classics

Goldie on the two-way traffic between classical music and popular music of Black British origin: artists reaching for the orchestra, and composers reaching for the beat.

Goldie traces the ways Black British artists have engaged with classical music, from early attempts to capture its atmosphere through sampling, to commissioning orchestral musicians and creating records shaped by classical forms and ideas. Through a series of carefully chosen pairings, he reveals how composers and performers across genres have drawn inspiration from the classical tradition and transformed it into something new.

Each pairing begins with a classical work before moving to its contemporary counterpart, uncovering connections between Elgar and Goldie鈥檚 Inner City Life, Ravel and Soul II Soul, and Samuel Barber and Massive Attack. Along the way, Goldie explores how Delibes鈥檚 celebrated Flower Duet found an unexpected new life in The Rapsody's Dear Mallika. The programme concludes with G贸recki鈥檚 Symphony No. 3 and its direct influence on one of Goldie鈥檚 most personal and iconic recordings, Mother.

Music featured: Elgar, Nimrod from Enigma Variations; Goldie, Inner City Life; Ravel, Daphnis et Chlo茅; Soul II Soul, African Dance; Barber, Adagio for Strings; Massive Attack, Unfinished Sympathy; the Flower Duet from Delibes鈥檚 Lakm茅; The Rapsody featuring LL Cool J, Dear Mallika; G贸recki, Symphony No. 3; and Goldie, Mother.

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59 minutes

Last on

Sunday 21:00

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Music Played

  • Edward Elgar

    Nimrod (Enigma Variations)

    Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic. Conductor: Zubin Mehta.
  • Goldie

    Inner City Life (Baby Boy's Edit)

  • Maurice Ravel

    Pantomime (Daphnis et Chloe)

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano.
  • Soul II Soul

    African Dance

  • Samuel Barber

    Adagio for Strings

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas.
  • Massive Attack

    Unfinished Sympathy

  • L茅o Delibes

    Flower Duet (Lakme)

    Singer: Joan Sutherland. Singer: Jane Berbi茅.
  • The Rapsody

    Dear Mallika (feat. LL Cool J)

  • Henryk G贸recki

    Symphony No.3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) (2nd mvt: Lento e Largo

    Orchestra: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Donald Runnicles.
  • Goldie

    Mother

Broadcast

  • Sunday 21:00

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