To mark their thirtieth anniversary, the Medici String Quartet asked composer George Fenton and writer Alan Bennett to collaborate on a piece for performance at the Harrogate International Festival. The result was 'Hymn', a meditative piece, in which Bennett looks at the part which music played in his childhood. George Fenton's score, which accompanies Bennett's words, draws on a range of musical references including Elgar, Delius and many well-known hymns.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning author chronicles the history of the arts. Painting, sculpture, architecture, theology, philosophy, history, poetry, drama, literature, dance, music and film are all explored as well as biographies of important figures such as Homer and Stravinsky.

Jack Cardiff tells the story of his life in films, first as a cameraman and then as a director. He records the development of colour cinematography in Britain and he also provides a humorous account of his days on the music-hall circuit during the 1920s and 30s, and anecdotes about his experiences photographing actresses such as Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe. With a foreword by Martin Scorsese.

In 1909, actress Sybil Thorndike wed Welsh-born actor/director Lewis Casson. This is the story of their great theatre partnership as told by their son John.

An audiobook containing renditions of such classics as 'My Way', 'Danny Boy' and 'The Last Rose of Summer', together with Cookson's own composition, 'Falling Leaves'. Interspersed are personal stories from Catherine Cookson's past, which give the listener an insight into her philosophy of life

This is the story of the legendary band leader, Billy Cotton, and his namesake son, Bill Cotton Jnr, who became Managing Director of BBC Television. Bill Cotton not only looks back on the BBC's golden years, but also on his relationship with his father.

A selection of the songs and sayings of Noel Coward, chosen and directed by actress Maria Aitken and performed by Polly Adams, Michael Cochrane, Clive Francis, Jane Horrocks, Belinda Lang and Paul Rhys.

One of the most acclaimed British jazz musicians of all time, John Dankworth worked with and befriended many of the all-time greats, including Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Benny Goodman and Nat King Cole. His story gives a fascinating insight into the talented figures who left an indelible mark on jazz's first century.

Since her death in 1987, Jacqueline du Pre's brother and sister have long felt that her life story has never been properly told. This is an often painful account of what happens when a prodigy is born into a family and how the driving force of Jacqueline's talent controlled not only her life, but theirs.

Robert Powell narrates the history of over 1000 years of Western classical music, from Gregorian chant to Henryk Gorecki. Many musical expressions and musical forms are explained and illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years.

Featuring over 120 musical examples, this audiobook traces the musical from its origins in classical music, (Gay's 'The Beggar's Opera', Offenbach's operettas and Gilbert and Sullivan) through to its flowering in America with 'Showboat', 'Anything Goes', 'High Society', 'Guys and Dolls', 'Oklahoma', 'West Side Story', 'The Sound of Music', 'Oliver', 'Cabaret', 'A Little Night Music', 'The Rocky Horror Show' and 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Composers from Gershwin to Lloyd Webber, as well as performers such as Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Howard Keel and Julie Andrews are all discussed, as well as the often tempestuous creative background to the productions themselves.

A history of opera from its beginnings in the 16th century through to to present day, with examples from Monteverdi to Wagner.

Sir John Gielgud's classic memoir of growing up and taking to the stage is a memorable picture of life in the theatre during the 1920s and 1930s. Sir John's mother was a member of the Terrys, the notable theatrical family, and it was the desire to describe their remarkable personalities which led to this book. Witty and engaging, 'Early Stages' gives us a glimpse of many theatre legends including Noel Coward, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Mrs Patrick Campbell, Sybil Thorndike and Edith Evans.

The memoirs of the actor Sir Alec Guinness. The book includes portraits of such characters as Ralph Richardson, Sybil Thorndike and John Gielgud, as well as accounts of Guinness's film career, religious beliefs and wartime experiences.

Having filled roles in films as varied as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Star Wars', Guinness is one of the most distinguished and beloved movie actors of his generation. His charmingly sincere diary entries offer a glimpse of the private side of his often very public life. What makes Guinness a fine and versatile actor is precisely what also makes him a good diarist: an ironically observant eye.

Having filled roles in films as varied as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Star Wars', Guinness is one of the most distinguished and beloved movie actors of his generation. His charmingly sincere diary entries offer a glimpse of the private side of his often very public life. What makes Guinness a fine and versatile actor is precisely what also makes him a good diarist: an ironically observant eye.

In 'Acting Strangely', Martin Jarvis, the genial stage, television and radio actor, assumes many different guises and voices as we follow the humorous, though sometimes harrowing, twists and turns of a highly successful career.

The Danny Kaye Show was known as `one of the funniest comedy shows of all time', as this extraordinary comedian, singer, musician and mimic became known as `the man of a million characters'. With special guest star Judy Garland.

The story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, illustrated with examples of his music. This biography tells of Mozart's childhood travelling the courts of Europe, and of how, after a brief period of fame in Vienna, his fortunes declined until his early death and his last resting place in a pauper's grave. This title features over 70 excerpts from Mozart's operas, symphonies, chamber music and choral works, including 'The Requiem'.

What was Leonardo da Vinci's snack of choice while he painted Mona Lisa's mysterious smile? Why did Georgia O'Keeffe find bones so appealing and who called Diego Rivera `frog face'? Find out all about twenty of the world's most famous artists, the humour, tragedy, and mystery of their lives, and the gossip inspired by their peculiar lifestyles.The featured artists are Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bruegel, Anguissola, Rembrandt, Hokusai, Cassatt, Van Gogh, Kollwitz, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Duchamp, O'Keeffe, Johnson, Dali, Noguchi, Rivera & Kahlo and Warhol.

Did you know that Gershwin banged the keys so hard when he was playing `Rhapsody in Blue' that his fingers bled? This book gives you the lowdown on twenty composers and contains obscure facts and great stories as well as autobiographical details about when they were born and what they wrote. The featured composers are Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Verdi, Schumann, Foster, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Gilbert & Sullivan, Satie, Joplin, Ives, Stravinsky, Boulanger, Prokofiev, Gershwin and Guthrie.

Join the genial Groucho Marx in this quickfire collection of wise-cracks, laughter and comedy, as he stars alongside Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers and Bing Crosby among others.

The vivid autobiography of Arthur Miller, which follows his life from boyhood in New York to lauded playwright and, with Marilyn Monroe, one of the twentieth century's most famous couples. It includes numerous frank accounts, such as the first staging of 'Death of a Salesman' and his life with Marilyn.

Actor Ralph Richardson was a contradictory genius whose presence dominated stage and screen for over 50 years. John Miller reveals Richardson in all his complexity and examines the inner drive which took him to the heights of public and critical acclaim.

Although widely thought of as the greatest composer who ever lived, Johann Sebastian Bach was best known in his lifetime as an organist, and was eclipsed in fame, as a composer, by two of his 20 children. This portrait includes many examples of his immortal music.

This audiobook examines the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven and includes many examples of his work. The author illustrates how Beethoven's music developed throughout his life, and how he coped with his increasing deafness.

Brahms is one of the best-loved yet most controversial of the Romantic composers. Profoundly emotional yet governed by an iron discipline, Brahms was consumed by a sense of destiny, and his inner life, coloured by his adoration and fear of women, found expression in his music.

This audiobook examines the life and music of one of the key figures in Romantic music, pianist-composer Frederic Chopin, and includes many examples of his work. Regarded as one of the most mesmerising performers of his day, Chopin created waltzes, mazurkas, etudes, preludes, nocturnes, three piano sonatas, two piano concertos and much more. Here is the story of his life, from his birth in Poland, his famous affair with the French writer George Sand, to his death at the age of thirty-nine in Paris.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the most astonishing child prodigy in the history of music. Dominated by a highly intelligent and ambitious father, his story traces the development of a unique genius, from precocious childhood to his tragically early death. Mozart's story is accompanied by his music, with examples taken from as early as his fifth year.

Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular composers of all time. Like his music, the man himself was well-loved, but his inner life was fraught with suffering and a deep vein of self-doubt. The drama of his emotional life is vividly reflected in his music, letters and diaries, all of which play a major part in this intimate portrait.

Among the frenzied outbursts of his `bobby sox' fans, Frank Sinatra plays host to a glittering line up of stars from his own dazzling radio show that brought this great entertainer into the homes of countless millions. Also starring Gene Kelly and Nat King Cole in this radio variety compilation.

The actor Derek Jacobi guides the listener through the story of the Theatre from Ancient Greece up to present day. This audiobook traces the development of dramatic art through the miracle plays, the great Shakespearean period, Moliere and Racine in France, Goethe in Germany, through the 19th century and the main movements in the 20th century.

It was the radio that made 'Ol' Blue eyes' a superstar and this is a collection of the classic radio shows that boasted arguably 'the greatest male vocalist in the history of popular music'. Frank Sinatra is joined here by radio's top stars including Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and many more.

This audiobook contains the following titles: 'New Arts for Old - Medieval Music 1100-1480', 'From the Cave to the Cavern - The History of Percussion Instruments', 'Instruments Around the World', 'Islands in the Sun - The Story of Reggae and Calypso', 'Reaction & Revolution - Music of the Modern Period' and 'Approaches to Popular Music 1960-1980'. All contain musical examples.

This collection of the letters from great composers is set against the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner and Tchaikovsky. The letters reveal insight into their hopes and fears, their loves, their sadness and their struggles.

A carefully structured program that includes clear, concise explanations of how musical form and structure have endured over the past 400 years. Examples are taken from the works of major composers from the Baroque period, Classicism, Romanticism and the contemporary era.

Two episodes each of the 'Bing Crosby Variety Show' and 'The All Stars Variety Show' - featuring Bob Hope, Al Jolson, Dean Martin, Jack Benny and The Andrew Sisters.

'The Lives of the Artists' was the first truly comprehensive history of art. Originally published in 1550, it remains our greatest source of information about that explosion of artistic creativity in 16th century Italy, the Renaissance. Vasari, himself a painter and architect of renown, was a personal friend of such major figures as Michelangelo and Titian, and his accounts of the lives of his contemporaries have an authenticity and immediacy which is unique. In this selection, 40 of the greatest artists of the period are featured.

Presenting advice on how to act and what acting is, and using specific examples from her development of celebrated roles, Harriet Walter writes with an insider's intelligence and passion about the mysterious and charismatic art of acting.

Timothy West has become a household name during his long career encompassing stage, radio, television and film. He has played roles as diverse as Falstaff and Uncle Vanya, Stalin and Churchill. But, as he tells it, it all seemed to happen a bit by accident, a bit by surprise. Now in his sixties, this is a modest, humorous account of his life and career.

The story of an uneducated girl from wartime Coventry, who, without ever really wanting to be an actress, became one of Laurence Olivier's leading ladies and the muse of Samuel Beckett. Billie Whitelaw tells of working as a child actress, early fame as the first of Britain's TV kitchen sink heroines and triumphing in New York. She writes about her mentors and colleagues including Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Albert Finney. CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.