麻豆社

Tom Service talks to composer Max Richter about his latest project, 鈥楾he New Four Seasons鈥�, a new version of his critically acclaimed take on Vivaldi's piece, played this time on period instruments by Chineke! Orchestra and soloist Elena Urioste. Why period instruments and what new did he learn from the experience?

We visit Welsh National Opera, in Cardiff, to see rehearsals for the epic production of Migrations, to open this month, exploring the good and bad of both humans鈥� and birds鈥� movements across centuries - from a slave in Bristol, to NHS doctors arriving from India, to the challenges refugees face today. Tom hears from composer Will Todd and some of the 6 librettists, among them Sir David Pountney, Eric Ngalle Charles, Shreya Sen-Handley and Miles Chambers.

There鈥檚 news of a concert next month called 鈥楲ooking Forward: the Orchestral Music of Afghanistan鈥�, blending traditional folk instruments with Western instruments, featuring the Oxford Philharmonic and Afghan soloists. The repertoire includes new pieces by Afghan composers, in exile or still living in hiding. Tom talks to curators of this event, the conductor Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey and composer and conductor Arson Fahim, and also to two of the composers taking part: flute virtuoso Zalai Pakta, who's in Kabul, and Elaha Soroor, who lives in the UK.

Vera Wolkowicz talks to Tom about her book Inca Music Reimagined, published this month, examining how South America looked to the ancient past, in the early 20th-Century, to rebuild national cultural identities, in a fascinating cultural process. We learn about the opposing approaches by two composers in Per煤: Daniel Alom铆a Robles and Jos茅 Mar铆a Valle Riestra, and also how popular music appropriated this legacy.