Press Releases

BBC Radio 3 announces a new series of The Lebrecht Interview, a series of eight 45-minute one-to-one conversations between writer, broadcaster and critic, Norman Lebrecht, and some of the biggest names in classical music.

Interviewees in the 2009 season include William Christie, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Hilary Hahn, Christian Thielemann and Michael Kaiser.

Previous seasons have featured conversations with Kurt Masur, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Stephen Sondheim, Lang Lang, Steve Reich and Brigitte Fassbaender.

The first programme of the new series will be on 20 July at 8.45pm on Radio 3 when Norman Lebrecht talks to harpsichordist and conductor William Christie.

Founder of the early music ensemble, Les Arts Florissants, Christie is averse to personal stardom, and has preserved much of his mystique.

Little is known of him outside the circles of classical performance, yet, in a frank conversation, Christie talks about being perhaps one of the most influential American musicians in Paris and reveals how the Vietnam War was one of the contributing factors that caused him to leave his homeland.

He reflects on the bullying he suffered from his teacher, the renowned Scarlatti scholar, Ralph Kirkpatrick, and he discusses the difficult working relationship he had with director Peter Sellars whilst creating the acclaimed 1996 Glyndebourne production of Theodora.

It was at that point in his career he suffered a mild heart attack which he describes as a warning about nervousness, overworking, stress and anxiety.

Christie is conducting the Glyndebourne production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen at the BBC Proms (broadcast live on Radio 3), and Norman Lebrecht caught up with him in rehearsal in Sussex.

Notes to Editors

To request an advance CD of the programme please get in touch with Radio 3 Publicity.

The Lebrecht Interview is part of the BBC Proms related programming featured on Radio 3 this summer.

In 2009, the BBC Proms continue to reach the widest possible audience via radio, TV and online. Each programme is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Two brings Proms on Saturday nights throughout the season with many others shown live or via deferred relay on BBC Four.

BBC iPlayer offers audiences the opportunity to listen live and again for seven days after broadcast at bbc.co.uk/proms.

Radio 3 provides further context around the festival's 76 concerts with related programming featured across the schedule: interviews and performance by many the artists performing this season; Proms Chamber Music concerts; Composer Portraits; Proms Plus events and highlights from the Proms Literature Festival are broadcast on the station and regular updates from presenters and listeners are included daily in Breakfast.

Radio 3 Publicity