Episode 2 Play On!

ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS BEING TUNED

FRANTIC VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYING

It's midnight...

and something's out there...

..but what...

..or who?

HORNS BLASTING

Listen to those whirling strings. Sounds like a storm is on the way.

For tonight's the night all things evil are coming out to play.

WHOOSHING

It's party time for witches, and demons, and little beasties...

Whee!

..and this music's tough, and hard -

so I'm not just imagining wrinkly old ladies on broomsticks!

Oh, no, the witches in my imagination

are serious bruisers, ready to swoop down out of the sky and attack you.

Can you hear that big stomping tune?

I think that's the witches circling and diving,

dancing around and around.

And they are fighting too!

Those cymbals crashing sound like swords smashing together.

What do you think would make someone write a wild,

scary piece of music like this?

Well, this piece of music starts with a story.

A story that the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky once heard.

There was a real mountain Mussorgsky knew, there were no trees on it

so everyone called it the Bare Mountain.

One night every year, so the story said,

witches flew from all over the land to celebrate on the mountain.

So, this piece of music is called A Night On The Bare Mountain.

And guess what?

Mussorgsky finished writing it in 1867, on the night of 23 June.

The very same night the story said the witches came.

CYMBALS CRASHING

MUSIC STOPS

OBOES PLAYING PRANCINGLY

The quieter and the louder music sound to me

like there's a battle going on between light and darkness.

ROARING FLAMES

As the witches are dancing the symbols are crashing,

the brass instruments are getting louder

and darkness seems, finally, to have won.

It's as if a pot of black ink has been thrown over a page

and I can see a spider drowning in paint, thrashing across the surface.

But wait...suddenly...

there's a church bell in the nearby village.

Can you hear it ring six times?

That's the sound of a new day beginning.

Time for witches and beasties to vanish.

HE GASPS

HE SIGHS

Well, the reason why I like classical music

is because it's vast and it's epic.

It reminds me of when I was very small,

when I went to the cinema for the first time

and sitting in the darkness, in the seats,

and then all of a sudden,

before even the pictures had come on the screen,

this fast soundtrack, this huge wave of sound

came towards me and already you could feel it

in the pit of your stomach.

The strings sliding in and it made you very excited about what

was about to happen on screen but you don't need a film

to appreciate a piece of classical music.

If you close your eyes and listen to a piece of orchestral music

you can see your own film inside your head because the music

will take you to places that you didn't realise existed before.

This piece, A Night On Bare Mountain, is amazingly dramatic

and it really makes me, sort of, quite nervous and scared,

to start off, but then it's like coming out of a nightmare.

When you're lying in bed, in the dark,

and terrifying things are happening all around you,

and you're squeezing up your eyes very tight,

and trying to block them out.

And then, at the end, you can really hear the rays of sunshine

coming through the window and waking you up, and making you realise that,

actually, everything's OK and it was just a dream.

FLUTES PLAYING SLOWLY

Mussorgsky takes us from darkness to complete daylight.

The witches have fled, the mountain is peaceful

and I'm just realising quite how nervous I been up until now.

It's like the calm you get after a crazy thunderstorm.

The flute and harp sound, to me, like rays of sunshine...

..but how do the wild night and the peaceful morning sound to you?

Listen to this music.

In your head, where are you right now?

Are you on a rocket about to lift off?

On a horse galloping across a field?

On a roller-coaster climbing higher and higher?

Or about to ride a superfast home-made car?

TRUMPETS PLAYING RHYTHMICALLY

What? You weren't really going to expect me to stay still

with this kind of music playing, were you?

ROCKETS WHOOSHING

ENGINE REVVING

Can you hear that pattern of sounds repeating over and over?

Yeah, that's the rhythm. I like to think of it like an engine.

You know, it keeps pushing me along. Faster! Faster!

The musical notes become like real objects in the road,

racing towards me and then "Whoosh! Bap!"

It shoots straight past my ears.

Wah-ha-ho!

RATTLING

Can you hear those big timpani drums? The cymbals?

I know the roads getting bumpy when they arrive.

ENGINE REVVING

Ha-ha, the rhythms never stop!

And now I'm picking up speed!

ENGINE REVVING

Swerving, ducking, dodging, racing!

Faster! Faster!

The orchestra are playing higher notes

and they're playing them louder.

It's like the wind's whistling through my wheels.

Everything is shaking and shuddering.

I can even hear horns, car horns. Go, get out of the way! Ha-ha-ha!

This car is out of control!

ENGINE SLOWING DOWN

STEAM HISSING

No wonder this piece of music is called

A Short Ride In A Fast Machine.

And no wonder the man who wrote it, John Adams,

said that he got the idea

when he took a ride in his friend's crazy sports car

and wished he hadn't.

You know, that's probably why Adams wanted to create that whole effect

of being on a musical ride that you just can't stop.

Hey, can you hear that simple woodblock beat

that kicks the whole piece of music off?

It's like a ticking clock that won't stop...

..and not one of the other instruments

are allowed to slow the music down.

They've all got to join in with that beat on the woodblock.

My ears are, kind of, telling me two different things at once.

I mean, Adams seems to be using notes that sound all happy,

so they get me nice and excited,

whilst the brass and the drums are, kind of, spiky and jumpy.

So, that makes me feel a bit nervous too.

It's sort of like bombing down a hill with no brakes.

It's great but it can't last for long.

And then all the volume starts to get louder.

DRILL WHIZZING

And one thing that I just love is that woodblock.

You can still hear it, right?

It's like it's forcing everybody on.

I like listening to A Short Ride In A Fast Machine

because I like the way that the music

actually takes you on a journey.

In my generation, classical music is always stereotyped

as the boring music that is for old people.

But if you take the time to find good songs by good composers,

classical music can be pretty, pretty amazing.

ENGINE REVVING

As you reach the end of this piece, it's like the brass instruments

start playing longer, more stretched out notes.

It's like you're leaving the ground behind or taking off.

I'm a big fan of music that really makes you feel something, yeah?

Whoa!

Oh-ho-ho!

You know, John Adams' music definitely has me feeling things.

Like you're racing along or speeding out of control

but you might feel something completely different

when you listen to it.

So, if you were coming up with your own title for this music,

what would it be?

MUSIC: "Dance Of The Knights" by Sergei Prokofiev

This is dance music,

music to move to.

But what kind of dance would it make YOU do?

Something happy?

Something elegant?

Or something just a little more frightening?

Just listen to those brass instruments.

I'm not hearing a dance party, more of a dance battle.

And I start breathing in time to the rhythm of those deep

double bass notes.

I want to join in with big, strong, striding steps.

I know I'm not alone.

But am I dancing with a friend...

or an enemy?

STRIDENT DRAMATIC STRING MUSIC

Can you hear that pulsating beat?

It's back.

I can't escape it.

And one wrong step could mean disaster.

You may have heard this exciting music on TV shows

like The Apprentice.

But did you know it was originally inspired

by William Shakespeare's play, Romeo And Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet are two teenagers who fall in love,

but because their two families are bitter enemies,

Romeo and Juliet's love story is soon full of rivalry, poison and death.

In the 1930s,

a Russian composer called Sergei Prokofiev

decided that Shakespeare's play would make a great ballet.

Ballets use dance to tell a story on stage,

so Prokofiev composed very dramatic music to help the ballet dancers

show emotions like love, anger, jealousy,

all through their physical movements.

PROKOFIEV SCORE CONTINUES

This piece of music called Dance Of The Knights,

plays as Juliet's family dance at a magnificent party.

Listen to that double bass.

Imagine you are Romeo, watching this dance.

How does this music make you feel about Juliet's family?

HAUNTING STRIDENT SCORE STOPS

MUTED BRASS SECTION

Can you hear the atmosphere suddenly change?

Who do you think is dancing now?

SINGLE HORN PLAYS

It's Juliet.

What kind of music does her dance make you think of?

DREAMY ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYS

I love classical and dance music,

the vast range of instruments really can explore

so many different emotions without needing any lyrics.

Music has played a massive role in my life, particularly classical music,

as that's where I first found my love for dance.

Music is a form of escapism, but also helps you relate to your true

feelings, whether they be happy or sad.

As the dance ends, Juliet's delicate and gentle music

is playing, but wait, can you hear a familiar theme on the saxophone?

It seems to be trying to take over.

I think it's the sound of Juliet's family,

sworn enemies of Romeo's family.

It's the sound of danger.

Because remember, I said this isn't just a ballet about love,

but also about death.

Listen to the music.

How do you think Romeo and Juliet's story will end?

STRINGS CRESCENDO

It's dark.

There's not a sound.

And then you hear...

music.

MUSIC: "Zadok The Priest" by George Frederic Handel

So, where are you?

Me? I'm in a tunnel.

And now colours are appearing.

RHYTHMIC STRINGS BUILD

And there's a light up ahead.

Inside, I'm nervous. Those strings are putting me on edge.

But I can feel something is going to happen

and that light's getting nearer.

What do you think it is?

VIOLIN MUSIC

Now everything changes.

More colours rush in.

I see where I am.

And I feel great.

Proud and full of energy.

OK. Firstly I might be imagining basketball,

but you could be imaging anything.

And, if it is sport, it might be football

because did you know a version of this music

is used as the theme for the UEFA Champions League?

And no wonder.

This is the type of music that makes you feel like a champion,

like a hero.

Maybe that's because way back in 1727,

it was written for the nation's top dog, the king.

The composer, George Frideric Handel, was asked to write the music

for the coronation,

the ceremony in which George II would be crowned.

Handel wasn't going to turn down a gig like that.

He dreamt up music that made sure everyone watching

knew that this event was very special and very important,

just like His Majesty.

So, it's not surprising, is it, that with music like this playing

I feel like...

..king of the basketball court.

# Zadok the priest

# And Nathan the prophet #

This choir are singing about another coronation in the Bible

where Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet

crowned Solomon as their new king.

Why do you think Handel wants everyone to think about that?

# Zadok the priest

# And Nathan the prophet... #

CHOIR CONTINUES

Now the choir becomes the king's supporters, cheering on their hero.

It's time to rejoice.

# Rejoiced

# And all the people rejoiced

# Rejoiced... #

But why do you think that Handel repeats the words

over and over again?

It sounds to me as if the voices are competing with one another

to see who can get the most excited.

And now the trumpets join in, too, celebrating with the choir.

# Rejoiced and said... #

And, of course, Handel wrote this to be sung in a huge cathedral.

He wants all his words and music to climb higher and higher

reaching the very top of the roof

and then, as if the church is a giant radio,

sent out across the whole country.

When I was growing up, classical music and choirs

were not something you admitted to you friends.

You wouldn't say,

"Oh, I was listening to George Frideric Handel today."

But what really surprised me when I got into sport

was the amount of top athletes that listened to classical music

to get themselves focused for a big game.

So, next time you're watching football with your mum and dad

why don't you tell them

it was George Frideric Handel that wrote the song in 1727.

They'll be well impressed.

# Long live the King!

# God save the King... #

This music, Zadok The Priest, was just what King George II wanted.

Handel had a hit on his hands.

And it's been performed at every coronation since.

By the end of the piece, Handel wants to blow the roof off.

It's like the roar of the crowd at a big sports game

or a cheer when I come out on to the basketball court.

The sound is so grand that I can't help but feel small,

but at the same time important

because I know something big is going to happen.

That's why Handel makes me feel strong and ready.

What about you?

# Amen

# Hallelujah, hallelujah #

CLAPPING

What's making that music?

It's you and me.

Because music is something we can all get stuck into.

I mean, we are instruments.

We can clap.

We can click.

We can pat and we can stamp.

Anyone can have a go at making this body percussion.

Have you ever tried beatboxing?

It's a way of making percussion noises using your mouth and voice.

-HE BEATBOXES:

-Ba-da-da-duh

Pft-pft-pft-pft

Whoo-tt-tt-tt

Bah-ba-bow-bow

Bow ba-duh-duh

WHISTLING NOISE

Whoo-bow-bow

Tt-tt

Bow-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba

Bow-bow.

ALL SOUNDS COMBINE

Who'd have thought you could make so much music just using your own body?

Well, this lot for a start.

GROUP CLAPPING

The whole orchestra putting down their flutes, tubas,

clarinets, drums, everything

and using their body parts to create a world of sound.

You're probably used to clapping at the end of music,

but with this piece you can join in right from the start.

CLAPPING

That rhythm sounds to me like hundreds of teeth

chomping down on crisps

or giant buildings shooting up out of the ground brick by brick.

This is Anna Merideth.

She composed this amazing piece of music.

Can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

So, this piece is commissioned from the National Youth Orchestra,

which is made up entirely of teenagers aged between 12 and 18.

They wanted a piece of music that would explore all the other

kinds musicianship they could do.

Basically everything apart from the instruments.

How did you come up with the name?

I guess the words Handsfree implies that you've got your hands spare.

They put down their instruments and do other stuff -

movement, body percussion, which is all using their hands.

If you think that orchestral music is just abut violins

and trombones, then think again.

The music that orchestras make is always changing

and always full of surprises, like this.

HUMMING

Without the body percussion,

suddenly I feel like I'm floating in the night.

But our voices are incredible things. Suddenly it's all change.

VOICES GET LOUDER

VOICES FADE AND RISE

NOTE IS HELD

ALL: Boom-tss-pah-ch-ch!

What does this remind you of?

ALL: Boom-tss-pah-ch-ch!

To me the whole orchestra sounds like an engine now.

The orchestra even starts to look like a machine.

Can you see the incredible shapes the music is making?

So I can hear biting and breathing and tapping and all sorts.

Was that the intention?

The idea for this piece is that you can hear whatever you want in it.

Your ears are your own and you can take your own journey through it.

Why is it important to listen to classical music?

There's something really special about the sounds of these instruments

which have developed over hundreds of years.

They make unique sounds when you watch them being played.

Also, just to be able to have music that's been written today

by real live composers is exciting,

because it's this brand-new fresh music, written by people who

are living in the same world as you. That's really exciting.

How did you get into classical music?

I didn't know composers existed.

I knew that traditionally Beethoven and Mozart was composers

but I didn't know it was something people did as a current job.

I got into music by playing recorder and clarinet

and drums while I was at school, and gradually

I wanted to get more involved and started to make music

as well as play other people's and it started from there.

BODY PERCUSSION PIECE PLAYS

Handsfree reminds me that,

even though there's a lot of music out there

with all sorts of names - dance, classical, pop -

in the end, all music has one thing in common.

It comes from inside us, which means nothing can stop you from making it.

So, why not get started right now?

ALL: YEAH, YEAH!

CLAPPING AND CHANTING "YEAH"

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd