The Birth of British Music - Part 4 - Mendelssohn, The Prophet

In the final program, Charles Hazlewood looks at Mendelssohn, whose music embodies the sound of the Victorian age. Mendelssohn's overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream captured the Victorians' fondness for fairy stories, and he pioneered the use of a new conductor's tool - the baton. Hazlewood's journey includes a trip to Birmingham Town Hall, where a massed choir performs extracts from Mendelssohn's iconic work Elijah.

The Birth of British Music - Part 2 - Handel, The Conquering Hero

Conductor Charles Hazlewood explores the lives and music of four composers intimately linked with Britain: Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn.

Handel - The Conquering Hero - The second of four programs focuses on Handel, who made his home in Britain and became a celebrity and national icon in the process. In an unusual take on John Gay's 'The Beggar's Opera', Charles invites comedian Phill Jupitus to take a new approach to the music along with acclaimed folk singers Rachel and Becky Unthank, guitarist Adrian Utley from Portishead, and jazz drummer Martin France.