Front Row Folgen

Dr Ahmad Sarmast, founder and director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music tells John Wilson of his fears and hopes for music-making as his country falls under the control of the Taliban.Some things can only be expressed in song. That’s the idea behind The Song Project at the Royal Court Theatre where five of our foremost female playwrights - E.V. Crowe, Sabrina Mahfouz, Somalia Nonyé Seaton, Stef Smith and Debris Stevenson - collaborate with composer Isobel Waller-Bridge, choreographer Imogen Knight, designer Chloe Lamford and the Dutch singer Wende, who will be performing the songs. These explore the hopes and anxieties women face, diving into the messiness of birth, death, rage, grace, friendship, motherhood, mothers, loss and ageing. So, the whole of life and its end, then. Chloe Lamford and Wende talk to John Wilson about the project and Wende, accompanied by Nils Davidse sings, live, one of the songs.The Manchester Collective are making their debut at the Proms tomorrow. Founder Adam Szabo explains the ethos behind the group, why music genre shouldn’t get in the way of programming, and bringing little-known composers to light.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May Studio Manager: Sue Maillot Production Co-ordinator: Hilary Buchanan

Last year, Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson was Front Row's artist-in-residence from Reykjavik. Finally this week, he's able to join John Wilson in the studio, where he talks playing at the Proms and how great it is to be back performing in front of live audiences. He shares stories from his new Mozart album (including a childhood tantrum against the child prodigy), and plays Mozart and Cimarosa live in the studio.A storm has blown up over poet Kate Clanchy’s recent reaction to a review on GoodReads of her book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. The reviewer pointed out racist and ableist tropes in the book. Clanchy has now apologised for getting things wrong but initially accused the reviewer of lies. John is joined by Amy Baxter, founder of Bad Form, which describes itself as ‘a literary review celebrating black, Asian and racialised community writers’. Amy also works as an Editorial Assistant at publishers Hachette, and with her is the poet Anthony Anaxagorou. They consider what the story reveals about the publishing industry and the critical voice. Who is employed and who is listened to, and what lessons can be learned? We hear from the second of the five museums and galleries shortlisted for the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021. This year’s prize will reflect the resilience and imagination of museums during the pandemic, and today we hear from Nat Edwards at The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds.Main image: John Wilson and Vikingur OlafssonPresenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May

In 1962 the USA and USSR engaged in one of the most terrifying acts of brinksmanship the world has seen. But few people know of the role played by an ordinary British businessman in bringing the Cuban Missile Crisis to an end. New film The Courier, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, tells the true story of Greville Wynne, recruited by MI6 to penetrate the Soviet nuclear programme. Director Dominic Cooke talks to Tom about creating this Cold War spy thriller.Deceit is a new four-part drama on Channel 4 documenting the investigation launched by the police in the wake of the Rachel Nickell murder on Wimbledon Common in 1992. It stars Niamh Algar as an undercover officer who tried to reel in the man the police believed was guilty, Colin Stagg. The writer and creator, Emilia di Girolamo, joins Front Row to talk about sexism, classism and how access to hours of original interview recordings helped her craft the script.Lily Allen is making her West End debut in 2.22 A Ghost Story, in which she plays Jenny, a mother convinced a ghost is haunting her baby daughter’s room. But her cocky husband, Sam, is resolute in his refusal to believe her. An old friend of Sam’s and her far less dismissive boyfriend come to dinner. They drink – encountering a lot of spirits there - and debate, until 2.22 in the morning, the hour when, Jenny says, the ghost walks. The play is by Danny Robins, creator of the hit podcast The Battersea Poltergeist. Susannah Clapp, reviews the show and she and Tom Sutcliffe discuss the way ghosts are manifest in plays.And actress Una Stubbs has died aged 84. Matthew Sweet pays tribute to a career which spanned six decades from Rita in Til Death Do Us Part to Mrs Hudson in SherlockPresenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Hilary Dunn