Iconic arts series with films, plays, literature and music from around the world
World Service,·2413 episodes
Pierre Rosenberg, president-director of the Louvre, takes listeners on a guided tour
When was the Western idea of beauty overturned – and why don't we believe in it anymore?
Martin Amis and Lisa Appignanesi explore the process of memoir writing
Life and work of Guy de Maupassant, the 19th-century French writer
Could beauty make a come-back in contemporary art?
Royal succession was a real concern for the first audiences of Shakespeare's Henry IV
Three of the new generation of novelists discuss their work
David Hare talks about his career, from politically-driven protester to feted playwright
Exploring the process of writing radio plays
Interview with author Martin Amis about why he felt he need to write his memoir Experience
Amitav Ghosh talks about his latest novel, The Glass Palace, a 20th-century family saga
How writers have conveyed the injustices and truths of the lives of slaves in America
Why is the work of contentious philiosopher Friedrich Nietzsche still relevant?
A close examination of the Rhenish, the last symphony composed by Schumann
How slaves fought for their own emancipation
The life and work of JS Bach, from 1708 when he moved to Weimar
The life and work of composer J S Bach, from 1703 when he was an organist at Arnstadt
A profile of the American choreographer and co-founder of New York City Ballet
A profile of the composer's prodigious talent, influences and early life.
The life and work of the leading dancer, choregrapher and stage director
Frank McGuinness' version of three plays by the Spanish playwright Ramón del Valle-Inclán
An examination and comparison of two symphonies written 150 years apart
The life and work of JS Bach, from 1717 when he worked for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen
An examination of Strauss' tone poem based on the character created by Miguel de Cervantes
The South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist introduces his favourite prose
A close examination of the Norwegian composer's Piano Concerto
How the video game industry is threatening traditional entertainment such as cinema and TV
A profile of the first great poet to write in English, 600 years after his death
The tenor and his soprano wife talk about their chemistry on and off stage
How a handful of educated slaves expressed their ideas
