ABC sharp

ABC# Series 1 explores eight individual pieces and four themes drawn from the world of classical music. A great variety of styles from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is presented. This ranges from the descriptive beauty of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony to the driving rhythms of Hoedown composed by Aaron Copland in 1942. The eight individual programmes feature some of the best- known pieces of classical music by Beethoven, Dukas, Mussorgsky/Ravel, Copland, Grieg, Smetana, Chabrier, and Rossini. The remaining four programmes are thematically based. The subject matter covers Countries and National Culture, The Sea, Musical Landscapes and Birds of the Air. Each of these four programmes examines the ways in which different composers have responded to their theme. The stories behind the individual pieces and themes are used as starting points on a journey of exploration. Numerous musical examples are used to show how each piece is put together. We can hear the music played by individual instruments and sections of the orchestra. These examples might be regarded as musical building blocks. We can then hear how all of this is layered together to produce the final result.