The BBC has unveiled a list of ten pieces that will act as a starting point for children to learn about classical music.
The list includes Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King as well as some more modern works like John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Anna Meredith’s Connect It.
The Ten Pieces scheme will be launched in primary schools this October. Starting with the screening of a film about the ten pieces in cinemas across the country, it will encourage schools to set their pupils tasks responding to the film throughout the autumn term.
BBC Radio 3 controller and Proms director Roger Wright says, ‘Ten Pieces marks the biggest commitment the BBC has ever made to music education in the country and it’s a great example of the kind of ground-breaking initiative we can achieve through harnessing the knowledge and passion of the musicians, learning teams and classical music experts across the BBC.’
The initiative is being led by BBC Learning, BBC Orchestras and the BBC Singers. Players from the BBC Concert Orchestra will perform a medley of the pieces on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune at 4:30pm today.
Executive producer of BBC Learning Katy Jones said: ‘Music has the power to transform lives, and we are hoping that this project will be a catalyst for all kinds of creativity in primary schools across the country, as well as providing an inspirational way in to classical music.’
Musicians Nicola Benedetti, Alison Balsom, Catrin Finch, Julian Joseph, Cerys Matthews and Laura Mvula will all act as ambassadors for the project.
‘I am so hugely honoured to be involved in the BBC Ten Pieces project,’ Benedetti said. ‘This effort is extraordinary in many ways, but two aspects of the project stand out for me - the first is the sheer size … The second is the quality with which classical music will be presented to the children, many of them probably for the very first time … This is something you cannot miss!’
More than 150 Ten Pieces Champions – music services, hubs and clubs across the country – will work closely with the BBC to help children explore classical music further while working towards special Ten Pieces concerts in 2015.
The ten pieces
John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (1st movement)
Britten: 'Storm' interlude from Peter Grimes
Grieg: ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ from Peer Gynt
Handel: Zadok the Priest
Holst: ‘Mars’ from The Planets
Anna Meredith: Connect It
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 (3rd movement)
Mussorgsky: A Night on the Bare Mountain
Stravinsky: The Firebird - suite (Finale)
The list was unveiled at the launch of BBC Music, which took place earlier today. Visit www.bbc.co.uk/tenpieces to find out more.
Photo: © BBC