Main content

In it to win it

Tom Service ponders classical music competitions: are musical instinct and the competitive spirit a happy combination, and what sort of repertoire have competitions produced?

From Strictly to village f锚te vegetables, competitions are embedded in our culture. And music is no exception: think of the Pythian Games of ancient Greece, the mediaeval singing competitions which selected the Master Singers, the improvisatory keyboard face-offs of 18th-century Vienna, and the international media-driven events of our own times.

But are musical instinct and the competitive spirit uneasy bedfellows? Why do some musical tournaments consistently produce winners who go on to have spectacular careers, and others winners who sink without trace? What鈥檚 the value of music written for competitions?

On hand to help Tom Service answer these questions and throw light on the sometimes murky world of music competitions are Lisa McCormick author of Performing Civility, a study of the social aspects of music competitions, and saxophonist and 2016 大象传媒 Young Musician finalist, Jess Gillam.

David Papp (producer)

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 10 Nov 2023 16:30
大象传媒 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Hitting the High Notes

Next

The Old Testament of Music

See all episodes from The Listening Service

Music Played

  • 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra

    Strictly Come Dancing theme

    Conductor: Richard Balcombe.

  • Franz Liszt

    Sonata in B minor S.178 for piano

    Performer: Krystian Zimerman.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4779697.

  • Brian Fahey

    At the sign of the swinging cymbal

    Music Arranger: N/A. Performer: Brian Fahey and His Orchestra.
    • EMI.
    • 7243 8-27260 2 9.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor Op.23 for piano and orchestra

    Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Performer: Martha Argerich. Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • E4498162.

  • Vangelis

    Chariots of fire

    Composer: Vangelis.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 800-0202-2.

  • Chumbawamba

    Tubthumping

    Performer: Chumbawamba.
    • EMI.
    • VTDCD-154.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Concerto no. 17 in G major K.453 for piano and orchestra: 1st mvt cadenza by Mozart

    Conductor: Michael Alexander Willens. Performer: Ronald Brautigam. Performer: Die K枚lner Akademie.
    • BIS.
    • BIS1944.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Sonata no. 23 in F minor Op.57 (Appassionata) for piano

    Performer: Olga Pashchenko.
    • ALPHA.
    • ALPHA365.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto in D major Op.35 for violin and orchestra: Finale (Allegro vivacissimo)

    Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Performer: Vadim Repin. Performer: Mariinsky Orchestra.
    • philips.
    • 4733432.

  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Scherzo no. 4 in E major Op.54 for piano

    Performer: Bruce Liu.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4861555.

  • Hector Berlioz

    La Mort de Sardanapale

    Performer: Daniel Galvez Vallejo. Performer: Jean鈥怌laude Casadesus. Performer: Orchestre national de Lille.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
    • 9029561444.

  • Guillaume Balay

    Pi猫ce de Concours

    Performer: Hannes L盲ubin. Performer: Maris Lukas Kuen.
    • AUDITE.
    • AUDITE92521.

  • Michel Merlet

    Diptyque: No. 2 Eclogue

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • Marcel Dautremer

    R茅cit et Impromptu

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • Pierre Revel

    Fantasy for Clarinet & Piano

    Performer: John Flinders. Performer: Victoria Soames.
    • CLARINET CLASSICS.
    • CC0050.

  • Eug猫ne Bozza

    Ballade Op.62 for trombone and orchestra

    Performer: Fritz Walter-lindqvist. Performer: Thomas Horch.
    • AUDITE.
    • AUDITE97479.

  • Eug猫ne Bozza

    Duettino

    Performer: Amy Pollard. Performer: William Ludwig.
    • MARKS RECORDS.
    • 51281-MCD.

  • Eug猫ne Bozza

    Etudes-Caprices Op.60: No 6

    Performer: Alexander Oseichuk.
    • MELODIYA.
    • MEL CD 10 00857.

  • Paule Maurice

    Tableaux de Provence: The Bumblebee

    Conductor: Yuri Simonov. Performer: Theodore Kerkezos. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • ONYX.
    • ONYX4065.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor Op.23 for piano and orchestra: Allegro con fuoco

    Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin. Performer: Van Cliburn. Performer: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • TESTAMENT.
    • SBT1440.

  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Scherzo no. 4 in E major Op.54 for piano

    Performer: Bruce Liu.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 4861555.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 5 Nov 2023 17:00
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Fri 10 Nov 2023 16:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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 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?

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