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Alistair McGowan on playing the Piano

Episode 1 of 5

Impressionist, writer and actor Alistair McGowan describes his attempts to relearn the piano and why short pieces mean so much to him.

As part of the 麻豆社 Music Get Playing, supporting amateur music making around the UK, 5 leading writers and artists contribute an Essay in this series, in which they talk about their little-known passions for playing an instrument.

In the first programme, the impressionist, actor and writer Alistair McGowan describes his attempts to relearn the piano. He started learning as a child but gave it up to play football instead. He tried it again in his 30s but stopped when his TV series "The Big Impression" took over. Then, later on, after a midnight piano lesson on a cruise ship, he began in earnest again and discovered a new world of music-making.

Alistair is fascinated by short pieces in particular. His special favourites are the pieces he heard his mother play and also ones he has discovered on piano courses and through hearing them on the radio. A tiny nugget of Satie, Mompou or John Field carries for him all the weight of human experience and channels a musical history into one small but perfect form.

more info visit bbc.co.uk/getplaying

Producer: Emma Kingsley.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Tue 18 Jul 2017 22:45

Broadcasts

  • Mon 6 Jun 2016 22:45
  • Tue 18 Jul 2017 22:45

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