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Tom Service meets American composer, and multi-media artist Laurie Anderson to find how music and language interacts in her work to create stories and define who we are which are just two of the themes running through her new book 'All the Things I Lost in the Flood', and her new album, 'Landfall', with the Kronos Quartet: projects born from her experiences of Hurricane Sandy which hit New York city in October 2012. Music writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson discusses his new book 'How Shostakovich Changed my Mind' which explores his struggles with depression and how Shostakovich's tempestuous symphonies and soulful string quartets helped him and the composer's fellow Russians in the darkest of hours. There's a report from Moscow on the news that the British Council has to cease operations in Russia, and, Tom meets one of the most exciting young artists in New York today: Tyondai Braxton. In advance of the premiere of his new work 'Telekinesis', Tyondai shares his thoughts on electronic music, deep exposure to Morton Feldman, and how Stravinsky, Varese and other 20th century composers could be better taught in colleges and universities.

Produced by Richard Denison.