Catch up TV

This episode is currently not available.

Series 1: 3. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold



Sir Malcolm Arnold was a prolific composer of music in many genres. Over five decades his output included concertos, ballet music, dance suites, overtures and nine symphonies. He was also at home composing for the film studio, his sweeping score for David Lean’s 1957 feature film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, being perhaps his best known film soundtrack. It won him an Oscar.\n\nHere Katie Derham presents the BBC Concert Orchestra performing The Bridge on the River Kwai in full from the Watford Colosseum with conductor Christopher Seaman. Before the performance, Katie speaks to Christopher and to several members of the orchestra to learn more about the composer and the symphonic qualities he brought to the score. Understanding the instruments of the orchestra as well as Arnold did makes his music extremely satisfying to play.\n\nKatie discovers how Arnold managed to create such an iconic soundtrack in only ten days, and composer Debbie Wiseman, who herself composes prolifically for cinema, uses scenes from The Bridge on the River Kwai to demonstrate how the music is interwoven with the rest of the film’s soundtrack. We see how Arnold’s understanding of the orchestra allowed him to use the right instruments in the right registers to complement to action on screen.\n\nKatie also learns the fascinating story of Arnold’s own life - a pacifist who shot himself in the foot to get medically discharged during World War II, and a diagnosed schizophrenic who suffered with mental illness and alcoholism throughout his life. We see how he nonetheless remained an outgoing, engaging and well-loved figure, before hearing his Bridge on the River Kwai suite performed in full.\n

Source: BBC 4

Most recent episodes of Discovering...

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin

Series 1: Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (1924) is a landmark in 20th-century music. Gershwin drew upon the jazz music enveloping New York City in the 1920s to create the 'American So ...

04-08-2024

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 4. Graal Théâtre - Kaija Saariaho

Series 1: 4. Graal Théâtre - Kaija Saariaho

Tom Service presents a detailed analysis of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre followed by a performance of the work by the BBC Philharmonic Orch ...

08-01-2023

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 3. The Bridge On The River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold

Series 1: 3. The Bridge On The River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold

Sir Malcolm Arnold was a prolific composer of music in many genres. Over five decades his output included concertos, ballet music, dance suites, overtures and nine symphonies. H ...

18-12-2022

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 2. The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra - Benjamin Britten

Series 1: 2. The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra - Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (1945) is one of the most frequently performed works of any British composer. It has introduced and enli ...

04-12-2022

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Most popular episodes of Discovering...

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 3. The Bridge On The River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold

Series 1: 3. The Bridge On The River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold

Sir Malcolm Arnold was a prolific composer of music in many genres. Over five decades his output included concertos, ballet music, dance suites, overtures and nine symphonies. H ...

18-12-2022

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 2. The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra - Benjamin Britten

Series 1: 2. The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra - Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (1945) is one of the most frequently performed works of any British composer. It has introduced and enli ...

04-12-2022

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin

Series 1: Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (1924) is a landmark in 20th-century music. Gershwin drew upon the jazz music enveloping New York City in the 1920s to create the 'American So ...

04-08-2024

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

Discovering...

Discovering... - Series 1: 4. Graal Théâtre - Kaija Saariaho

Series 1: 4. Graal Théâtre - Kaija Saariaho

Tom Service presents a detailed analysis of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre followed by a performance of the work by the BBC Philharmonic Orch ...

08-01-2023

BBC 4

All episodes

BBC 4

© 2024 - Catchupplayer.co.uk