BBC iplayer Archives
As well as new broadcasts, BBC iplayer has an entire back catalogue of concert recordings featuring some of the last century’s great musical heroes, which you can watch now. In a broadcast from 1964, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears host a recital of English songs for an audience of friends, while Marin Alsop leads a musical tribute to composer Philip Glass in 2001 with three UK premieres.
Britten makes appearances elsewhere in the archives too, conducting his iconic War Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall. We see another great composer at the podium, as Pierre Boulez leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in his 80th birthday concert at the Barbican in 2005.
Also in the archives, composer John Adams discusses his career with conductor Charles Hazlewood ahead of the world premiere of his opera El Niño in 2000. Plus, guitarist Julian Bream presents a series of masterclasses, focusing on works by Bach, Britten, Villa-lobos and Albéniz.