FEBRUARY TV CHOICE Our Classical Century
The year-long pan-bbc season returns this month for its second instalment, with three BBC Four documentaries exploring great musical moments between 1936 and 1953.
BBC News world affairs editor John Simpson
(see p22) joins Suzy Klein to examine the role of classical music in maintaining the UK’S resilience during the Second World War, and the impact it had in the years that followed.
This month’s discovery concert is presented by Katie Derham and features the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performing Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, composed in postwar Britain. We learn about the history of the piece, commissioned for a Ministry of Education film which aimed to rally Britons after the war.
Another programme to look out for this month is a documentary following the 12-month production process of the English National Opera’s operatic adaptation of Britten’s War Requiem, culminating in its debut performance.
BBC Four; date and time TBC