In It to Win It
If the point of musical competitions is to give us the cr猫me de la cr猫me of performers and composers, why do so many winners sink without trace?
With its near-100% record for picking the quickly forgotten, did France's Prix de Rome reveal a fundamental problem with music competitions? After all, the country hardly lacked talent and it's surely telling that Berlioz and Debussy had to enter multiple times before they won; even after five attempts, Ravel never did.
Yet the number of musical contests and the seemingly insatiable appetite for them are ever increasing. So, to help pick his way through some thorny questions, Tom Service is joined by Lisa McCormick, author of 'Performing Civility: International Competitions in Classical Music', and 2016 大象传媒 Young Musician finalist, Jess Gillam.
David Papp (producer)
Why do we call it 'classical' music?
Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).
Six of the world's most extreme voices
From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?
How did the number 12 revolutionise music?
How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.
Why are we all addicted to bass?
Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.
Watch the animations
Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.
When does noise become music?
We like to think we can separate 鈥渘oise鈥� from 鈥渕usic鈥�, but is it that simple?
Podcast
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The Listening Service
An odyssey through the musical universe, presented by Tom Service
