Tony Fitzpatrick, UK. blog@tonyfitz.uk

Fourth volume by conductor John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic devoted to the glorious music of British light music composer Eric Coates (1886-1957). Includes well known classics such as the 1948 Music Everywhere "Rediffusion March", (a signature tune commission from the Associated Rediffusion company) and lesser known pieces such as the 1925 Three Bears (Phantasy), supposedly a commission from Coates son, Austin, setting his favourite bedtime story to music. CD released July 2024.

The Girl Choristers of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick directed by Oliver Hancock. Organists Mark Swinton and Coilin Millington. A collection of scared music for treble voices from the 17th century to the present day. Released June 2024.

A very personal perspective on the Church of England by Church historian Richard Morris, son of a Parish Priest, and expert on church architecture and archaeology. It covers some history of the national church and a little detail on liturgy and custom, but mostly uses Morris's personal family story to illustrate how the Anglican church has evolved over the past eighty years. His father became a priest after the war, and Morris grew up in parsonages. We get some biographical information on his father's war time experiences as an RAF navigator, his long distance courtship with his Canadian mother, his journey to faith, and how the church changed during his multiple placements in parishes across the country. Well written and very accessible.

Radio play exploring the implications of an all powerful AI assistant in the home. Jordan is a bit of a pillock, but is very focused on discipline, control and self improvement. His girlfriend, Connie, besotted with him, but enjoys the odd glass of wine rather more, and would love children. Connie moves in with Jordan and his AI assistant Olivia, who steadily assumes greater control over every aspect of their lives. Connie eventually leaves, unable to cope with Jordan's controlling personality, or the level of intrusion presented by the AI. Jordan is left alone with the all powerful Olivia, who, taking control of his shopping, cleaning and much else of his life, ensures he never needs to leave the flat or meet other people ever again!

I enjoyed this, although clearly Jordan and Connie were incompatible, and his behaviour was close to psychotic. The sophistication of home AI is, and remains, nowhere near the level presented in the programme and won't be for some time to come. The danger of over reliance I suppose will, one day, become a problem. Interesting ideas though, although I find the idea of linking your home AI to a stool analyser to advise you on diet changes rather creepy! The play was amusing but a bit silly.

Cast included Tamsin Greig, Emma Wilkinson-Wright and Jude Owusu. Written by Greg Wilkinson, and produced by Sarah Lawrie. First broadcast July 2024.

da capo a cappella chamber choir directed by John Adams. A, enjoyable concert of pieces of music reflecting Shakespeare in Song with guest readers Michael Maloney and Amanda Root. Composers included Nils Lindberg, David Hamilton, Richard Allain, Robert Johnson, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Bob Chilcott, and John Rutter.

I am technically an Essex Boy. Born in London, but raised and schooled in the County. Tim Burrows is likewise, and now lives near Southend with his wife and family. This entertaining book is part history and part social commentary. It looks at how mostly South Essex developed in the early 20th century, handled the implications of London over-spill, built some very successful new towns, and led to the creation of the TOWIE phenomenon in the last few years. Entertaining, but given it's title rather over-focused on the band of towns and villages bordering the Thames from West Ham to Foulness. I enjoyed reading it, but got a little annoyed by his excessive coverage of the external (mostly media) perceptions of the County.

Published June 2023. Read on Kindle.

Well written and entertaining BBC radio adaption of Franz Kafka's most famous work, as part of their series exploring the parallels between Kafka and George Orwell. Written in 1914/15 and published posthumously in 1925, it is full of "Kafkaesque" elements - absurd situations, people who are not what they seem to be, long held beliefs and ideals that get over turned, and most importantly the complete impotence of the individual against the state. On the morning of his thirtieth birthday, Josef K is arrested. But his crime is not revealed, and in attempting to establish his innocence, he steps into a nightmarish world of institutional absurdity he can’t escape. Josef descends into self destruction leading to his death. An adaptation by award-winning dramatist Ed Harris, cast included Iwan Rheon, Phil Davis, Lee Ross, Nina Wadia, Celeste Dring, Rick Warden, Jason Barnett, Adrian Scarborough, Gwyneth Keyworth, and Mark Heap. Directed by Anne Isger. First broadcast June 2024.

Science fiction play set in the aftermath of the General Election of 2010. Psychiatrist, Liz De Souza, is summoned to a secure Government unit to interview two patients with apparent psychosis. They are seemingly identical twins both called Mal - one happy although bewildered, one furious and angry. There follows a strange tale where neither seem to have any recollection of the last few years of British political life and a lack of awareness as to the true outcome of the election. They go on the run, helped to escape by the staff of the unit, until eventually recaptured. It turns out that they have been pulled from a "parallel universe" by a malfunction of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. In one of these parallel universes Tony Blair won the 2010 election, and didn't support the invasion of Iraq. Liz tries to argue that the "happy" Mal has a benevolent effect on the people he comes into contact with, and should be spared - the powers that be disagree, and they are returned to whence they came by reversing the problem with the collider. Very silly, with some somewhat cack-handed political messages about the Blair Government, and the UK political system. Written by Martin Jameson. Cast included Amita Dhiri, Suzanna Hamilton, Jude Akuwudike, Tony Bell, David Seddon, and Christine Kavanagh. Directed by Jeremy Mortimer. First broadcast May 2010.

Interesting idea. A collection of short stories by a cohort of noted writers (including Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, R. L. Stine, and Dave Eggers) set during the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in New York City. Basically the residents of a somewhat downbeat apartment block meet every evening for two weeks on the roof of their building, suitably socially distanced, to tell each other stories, and bang their pots for the health workers risking their lives in the streets and hospitals below. The thirty eight stories vary - some are old love stories, there are tales of dysfunctional family problems, ghost tales, and even the repeated sighting of an angel in South America. The linkage is Covid, the building, the shared experience. The narrator is the building's supervisor, a somewhat hard on her luck woman, whose father is apparently in a nursing home with Covid. The twist in the tale revealed at the end is that they are all dead - this is heaven - they all died of Covid, and the occasional visit by a new person or family (and eventually the supervisors father) are merely new ghosts joining their ranks. I enjoyed it, it was clever, but it was very long, and the stories inevitably were a mixed bag.

Published February 2024. Read on Kindle. An Authors Guild Foundation collaborative project.

Tarmo Peltokoski (b. 2000) is the 24 year old "Wunderkind" Finnish conductor. This is his first recording with DG - spirited versions of Mozart’s Symphonies Nos. 35 "Haffner", 36 "Linz" and the ever popular 40 in G minor. A pianist and protege of Sakari Oramo, he has also included on this disc his piano improvisations on the three symphonies. Peltokoski was appointed the first ever Principal Guest Conductor of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in 2022. These symphonies were written when Mozart was 26, 27 and 32 respectively - just a little older than the conductor! Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Tarmo Peltokoski (piano/conductor). CD released May 2024.

A CD of "playing in threes". Basically a collection of trios - from the American composer Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947): Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano; Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): L'invitation au château, Bagatelle in D minor, Clarinet Sonata, Op. 184; Béla Bartók (1881–1945): Two Burlesques, Op. 8c, Sz. 47, Contrasts for violin, clarinet & piano, BB 116, Sz. 111; and Şerban Nichifor (b. 1954): Klezmer Dance. Reto Bieri (clarinet), Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Polina Leschenko (piano). Released January 2024.

An album of RVW choral works including the not often performed "In Windsor Forest", a cantata composed from the opera "Sir John in Love" (premiered in 1929 and also rarely performed). Five movements setting words by Shakespeare. Rare recordings of RVW's works Hymn-tune Prelude on Song 13 by Orlando Gibbons, Land of our Birth, Nothing is here for tears, Silent Noon, and also the much recorded Violin Concerto in D minor 'Concerto Accademico'. I haven't many of these before. "Nothing is here for tears," was RVW's response to King George V's death, and "Land of our birth" an homage to Britain's World War II victory. CD also includes RVW's transcription of the Bach Chorale Preludes BWV654 'Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele' and BWV680 'Wir glauben all an einen Gott' ('Giant Fugue'). London Choral Sinfonia, Michael Waldron, Jack Liebeck (violin), Andrew Staples (tenor, Thomas Carroll (cello). CD released February 2024.

This was awful. My third episode of BBC radio's adaption of tales of daring do by Simon Templar. Compared to the other stories this was much darker, with a mad professor inventing a death ray, a second rate Eastern European power trying to secure intellectual rights to the technology, and the British Police and Secret Service acting together and flaying around like keystone cops. The body count and brutality was terrible, the story overly complex, and Templar's humour and language cringeworthy. Leslie Charteris was obviously hugely worried about the prospect of war clouds forming when writing in the 1930s, and it seemed he laid much of the blame at capitalist arms manufacturers. His anger just went totally overboard with this very silly story. First published in 1930 under the title 'The Last Hero'. Dramatised by Roger Danes. Cast included Paul Rhys, Kim Thomson, Charles Simpson, John Hollis, Joshua Towb, Sandor Eles, John Baddeley, John Turner, Ross Livingstone, …. Linda Regan, Paul Jenkins, Jonathan Keeble, Stephen Critchlow, Geoffrey Whitehead, and David Timson. Directed by Matthew Walters. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1995.