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Alastair Shuttleworth's Night at the Opera

Alastair Shuttleworth brings you an hour of opera, as interpreted by avant-garde heroes such as Laurie Anderson, Robert Ashley and The Knife.

To celebrate the start of Proms season and 50 years of Philip Glass’ mind-bending, five-hour-long opera ‘Einstein On The Beach’, writer and broadcaster Alastair Shuttleworth explores how modern experimental music warped the opera world. From audience-baffling works in the early-1900s to bizarre, beautiful creations by Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk and The Knife, Alastair tells the century-long story of how operas went from offering normal, popular nights out to presenting some of the weirdest shows on Earth.

28 days left to listen

1 hour

Last on

Yesterday 00:00
BBC Radio 6 Music

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Music Played

  • Philip Glass Ensemble

    Einstein On The Beach: Act II, Scene 2 - Night Train

    • Sony Classical.

  • Arnold Schoenberg, Pierre Boulez, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Ensemble intercontemporain

    Die Glückliche Hand, Op.8: Scene IV, Musstest Du's Wieder Erleben

    • CBS Masterworks.

  • Alban Berg

    Wozzeck, Op.7: Act I, Scene 5: Geh' Einmal Vor Dich Hin

    Orchestra: Les Musiciens de l’Opéra, Paris. Choir: Chœurs de l’Orchestre National de Paris.
    • CBS.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    The Nose, Op. 15, Act I: Interlude

    • Мелодия.

  • Laurie Anderson

    Three Songs For Paper, Film And Video (For Tape Bow Violin)

    • Warner Bros. Records.

  • Robert Ashley

    Perfect Lives: The Park (Privacy Rules)

    • Lovely Music Ltd..

  • Meredith Monk

    Atlas: Pt. 3, Invisible Light, Out Of Body 2

    • ECM Records.

  • Alice Shields

    Apocalypse: Here

    • NEW WORLD.

  • Maurice Ravel, Orchestre national de Lyon & Leonard Slatkin

    L'enfant Et Les Sortilèges: M. 71, Pt 2, Il Est Bon, L'Enfant, Il Est Sage

    • Naxos.

  • Roberto De Simone & Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare

    2 Coro Delle Lavandaie

    • EMI.

  • Olga Neuwirth

    Lost Highway (2002/2003): Scene 12

    • Kairos.

  • Tan Dun & Kronos Quartet

    Act IV. Metal and Stone (Extract)

    • Nonesuch.

  • Pan Daijing

    Tissues (Extract)

    • PAN.

  • Kaija Saariaho, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Tapiolan Kamarikuoro

    La Passion De Simone: Station 5, Travailler De Tes Mains, Simone?

    • Ondine.

  • The Knife, Mount Sims & Planningtorock

    The Height Of Summer

    • Rabid Records.

  • Philip Glass & Robert Wilson

    Knee 5

    • Elektra Nonesuch.

Broadcast

  • Yesterday 00:00
    BBC Radio 6 Music