Episodes
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UK-based Syrian qanun player and composer Maya Youssef and concert pianist Keelan Carew put the finishing touches to the current playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye.
The final leg of the journey takes us from Wagner's famous water nymphs to a massive Beyoncé hit from this year, via France, Sicily and Lebanon.
Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 with a new series on 24th May
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
"Weia! Waga! Woge du Welle!" from Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner Mouvement de Sicilienne by Charles KoechlinThe Magic Number by De La SoulYa Nassim Alrouh by Toufic Farroukh Texas Hold ‘Em by Beyoncé
Other music in this episode:
Bye, Bye Boozoo by BeauSoleilDollar Wine by Colin LucasMoney by Pink FloydMoney, Money, Money by ABBAPrice Tag by Jessie JGreenback Dollar by Woody GuthrieI Need a Dollar by Aloe BlaccIndependent Women, Pt.1 by Destiny's ChildThe Boxer by Simon & GarfunkelDiamonds are Forever by Shirley BasseyPrelude to Das Rheingold by Richard WagnerThree is the Magic Number by Bob DoroughAmen Brother by The WinstonsBrimful of Asha by Cornershop
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Fiddler and folk musician Eliza Carthy and choral conductor Tim Rhys-Evans join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks.
Starting at a famous masked ball in Vienna, they then head for the Genoa docks, rounding off with a cheeky Soca hip-thrusting classic. In the penultimate episode of the current series, recorder player and baroque flautist Heidi Fardell demonstrates some of her collection of early instruments.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
'Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir!' From Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss IILa Partenza (The Parting) by Trallaleri of Genoa Gagliarda by Giorgio Mainerio, performed by Il Giardino ArmonicoHow High The Moon by Nancy Hamilton and Morgan Lewis, sung by Ella FitzgeraldDollar Wine by Colin Lucas Other music in this episode:
Hotel California by The EaglesThe Flower Duet from the opera Lakmé by Léo DelibesEye of the Tiger by SurvivorBattalia a 10 by Heinrich Ignaz Franz BiberDie Katz (The Cat) by Heinrich Ignaz Franz BiberMack the Knife by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, sung by Ella Fitzgerald
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Composer, producer and arranger Anne Dudley and concert violinist Emily Sun add five more tracks to the playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye. The journey takes them from a dark tale of deceit and entrapment to a hotel you can never leave. Irish pipes and whistle player John McSherry also calls in to tell us about his live recording of traditional jigs.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Babooshka by Kate Bush Piano Concerto in A Minor (1st mvt) by Edvard Grieg Theme from Mission: Impossible by Lalo Schifrin The Roaring Promenade by John McSherry, Brendán Quinn & Francis McIlduffHotel California by The Eagles
Other music in this episode:
The Look of Love Pt 4 by ABCPoison Arrow by ABCThe Pink Panther Theme by Henry ManciniPiano Concerto in A minor by Robert SchumannPiano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Sergei RachmaninoffCanon in D major by Johann Pachelbel
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Anna Meredith - composer, producer and performer of both acoustic and electronic music - and singer, songwriter and pianist Joe Stilgoe join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks. The journey takes them from Hugh Masekela's South Africa to a masked ball in Brazil, and ending up at arguably the most famous notes ever played on the saxophone.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Grazing in the Grass by Hugh MasekelaYou Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon My End is My Beginning by Guillaume de MachautBaile De Máscaras by Bala DesejoThe Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini
Other music in this episode:
Titanium by David Guetta feat. SiaNautilus by Anna MeredithLazarus by David BowieMr Bull No. 4 by Freddie GumbiIn My Solitude by Branford MarsalisOld Landmark by Aretha FranklinPadam Padam by Kylie Minogue
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Composer, conductor and bassoonist Leo Geyer, and The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore, join Jeffrey Boakye and saxophonist Jess Gillam - standing in for Cerys Matthews - as they head from a famous Bach well-tempered classic, via Taiwan, to David Bowie's parting gesture. British-Chinese flautist Daniel Shao explains the intricacies of a traditional Taiwanese flute tune.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Jess Gillam
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude in C Major by BachBad Romance by Lady GagaA Tayal Folk Song by Ming Flute EnsembleSymphony No.9 in D Major (1st movement) by Gustav MahlerLazarus by David Bowie
Other music in this episode:
Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace JonesIn the Mood by Glenn MillerAve Maria by Charles GounodDon't Cry For Me Argentina by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim RiceFugue No 24 in B Minor by BachSymphony No.6: 'Pathétique' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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Bassoonist Amy Harman and Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman are today's studio guests, as Linton Stephens sits in for Cerys Matthews alongside Jeffrey Boakye. This episode takes us from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Glenn Miller's wartime smash hit.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Linton Stephens
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Nonet, Op.2 ‘Gradus ad Parnassum’: 1st movement by Samuel Coleridge-TaylorNobody Knows (Ladas Road) by Loyle Carner Adagio from Piano Sonata in G minor by Clara Schumann If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia KeysIn the Mood by Glenn Miller
Other music in this episode:
Top Hat, White Tie and Tails by Irving BerlinMoondance by Van MorrisonSymphony No. 6 in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyNobody Knows by Pastor T L Barrett & The Youth for Christ ChoirTar Paper Stomp by Wingy Manone
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Organist Anna Lapwood MBE and Bavarian baritone Benjamin Appl join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye on a trans-continental journey as they explore the music of dance in different cultures, from the beer tents in Munich to Transylvania.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus by The Bavarian Oompah Band‘Burlesque Overture’ Suite in B-flat Major by Georg Philipp Telemann Fast Dance + Romanian Folk Dances by Béla BartókIl est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille by Jacques Dutronc Moondance by Van Morrison
Other music in this episode:
Jumpin' at the Woodside by Count Basie and Duke EllingtonSet Fire to the Rain by AdeleSakura Sakura by Tadaaki Misago and the Tokyo Cuban Boys
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It's the start of a new playlist, and to get things going, singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae and the Scottish operatic tenor Nicky Spence join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the first five tracks.
As well as discussing the five compositions, the four are outnumbered by the London Bulgarian Choir who give a special live performance in the Add to Playlist studio. Also, producer Fraser T Smith sends a message about the recording of one of Adele's biggest hits.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Povela E Yova / Dilmano Dilbero by The London Bulgarian ChoirConfrontation and Rescue from Satyagraha by Philip GlassBad Guy by Billie EilishMeditation (Meditação) by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Frank SinatraSet Fire to the Rain by Adele
Other music in this episode:
A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
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Composer, silent film music specialist and musician, Neil Brand, and violinist and composer Anna Phoebe, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye for the final episode of the current series.
From Ma Rainey's loud and proud blues to a singalong classic from 1981, via an 8'25" digitally-manipulated track that could split the room, the current musical journey is making its last stop.
Add to Playlist returns on 9th Feb 2024
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Prove It On Me Blues by Ma Rainey O Superman by Laurie Anderson Yo Soy Cubano by The ChakachasFinale from The Firebird by Igor StravinskyLay All Your Love On Me by ABBA
Other music in this episode:
Peter Gunn Theme from The Blues Brothers, written by Henry ManciniBelieve by CherBackseat Freestyle by Kendrick LamarCrazy Frog by Axel FMagic Carpet Ride '07 by Mighty Dub KatzTheme from Stingray by Barry Gray
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Pianist, singer and songwriter Natalie Duncan and Martin Phipps, composer of TV's The Crown and Ridley Scott's new film Napoleon, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they travel from Senegal to a massive Cher hit from 1998.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
El hadji n'fa djigui Diabaté by Salimata DiabatéMute Heart by Matt CalvertJingle Bells by Dean Shostak Il Dolce Suono by Gaetano DonizettiBelieve by Cher
Other music in this episode:
Insomnia 2021 by Faithless (Maceo Plex Epic Remix)Sabre Dance by Aram KhachaturianWild Signals from Close Encounters of the Third Kind by John WilliamsSo Doggone Lonesome by Ernest TubbAdagio in C for Glass Harmonica, K356 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Composer Debbie Wiseman and the writer and multi-instrumentalist Rhodri Marsden join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add five more tracks, taking us from a Drifters' classic hit to one of Beethoven's most famous compositions.
For Add to Playlist, the Chinese pianist Lang Lang reflects on playing Beethoven, and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen is on hand to talk us through the finer elements of the popular instrument, the güiro.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters Für Elise: Bagatelle No 25 in A Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Tchintchirote by Cesária Évora Golden Birdies by Captain Beefheart & His Magic BandSabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian
Other music in this episode:
Carmina Burana by Carl OrffOye Como Va by Eliane EliasButt music from Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly DelightsSupersonic by OasisGimme Shelter by The Rolling StonesDon't You Worry 'bout a Thing by Stevie WonderHands Up by Cherry Bullet
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Fraser T Smith - producer, musician and collaborator with artists including Adele, Stormzy, Dave and Sam Smith - and Welsh jazz harpist Amanda Whiting, add the next five tracks to the growing playlist. With Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye they go from a Snoop Dogg 1994 hit to Brazil via some serious jazz piano.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Gin and Juice by Snoop DoggPassion Dance by McCoy Tyner Deacon Blues by Steely Dan String Quartet No 2 in A Minor: II Andante Cantabile by Florence Price Oye Como Va by Eliane Elias
Other music in this episode:
Higher Ground by Stevie WonderI Got the... by Labi SiffreBlinded by Your Grace Pt 2 by StormzySet Fire to the Rain by AdeleBlack by DaveI Know You by Craig David Feat. BastilleFallin' by Alicia KeysI'd Rather Go Blind by Etta JamesHe's Got the Whole World In His Hands by Wanda JacksonThe Banana Boat Song by Harry BelafonteOye Como Va by Tito PuenteChanchullo by Arcaño y sus MaravillasOye Como Va by Santana
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Baritone and composer Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike - the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year at the time in 2002, aged just 12 - join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist.
The musical choices take us from one of the most famous tunes in the UK (composer unknown) to a Labi Siffre hit famously sampled by Eminem, via arguably the most recognisable film theme of all time. Labi Siffre makes an appearance to look back on his 1975 classic.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
God Save the Queen (from 1888 and 1898)In Flanders Fields by Charles Ives and John McCraeJaws – Main Title by John Williams Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major: III Perpetuum mobile by Maurice RavelI Got the... by Labi Siffre
Other music in this episode:
Yeke Yeke by Mory KanteLet’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary PoppinsGod Save the King, performed by Roderick Williams and Le Concert SpirituelHen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) - the National Anthem of WalesDer Vogelfänger bin ich ja from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartVespers of 1610: Deus in adiutorium meum intende by Claudio MonteverdiOpening of La Valse by Maurice RavelTo Those Who Pass the Borough from Peter Grimes by Benjamin BrittenFlight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovMy Name Is by Eminem
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Trumpet player Matilda Lloyd and gold steel pan player Leon Foster Thomas bring their instruments to the studio as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist, each chosen for its musical connections with the previous one.
In this episode the journey takes us from Mozart via a classic jazz trio to a 1964 kite-flying Disney singalong hit.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Molto allegro from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor by MozartEasy Does It by Oscar Peterson TrioI Will Always Love You by Whitney HoustonKwa Heri Mafisadi by Mwana CotideLet’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
Other music in this episode:
Bliss by Leon Foster ThomasTarantella Napoletana played by Matilda LloydHands Up by Cherry BulletI Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
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21-year-old saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz, finalist of BBC Young Musician 2022, and conductor Ben Gernon add five more tracks to the playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye. The musical links take them from a Langston Hughes poem set to jazz to a seventies Spanish disco classic via the dusty plains of Argentina.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Life is Fine by Langston Hughes Estancia/Danzas del Ballet: IV by Alberto Ginastera Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by BaccaraSomething to Believe In by Madison CunninghamHands Up by Cherry Bullet
Other music in this episode:
Phlox by Emma RawiczThe A-Team TV theme by Mike Post and Pete CarpenterGangnam Style by Psy
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Bassoonist Amy Harman and pianist Keelan Carew are today's guests in the studio with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.
From a gentle nursery rhyme, the musical links take us to a Russian dance, a celebration of the Earth's origins in Estonia, and a testosterone-fuelled TV theme with helicopters and machine guns.
Dr Peter J Bentley discusses the increasing use - and challenges - of Artificial Intelligence in music, and the singer/songwriter Mari Kalkun tells us about the origins of her track Kui Kivid Olid Veel Pehmed.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Mary Had a Little Lamb by Ramona SinghWhat a Fool Believes by The Doobie BrothersRussian Dance from Petrushka by Igor StravinskyKui Kivid Olid Veel Pehmed by Mari Kalkun The A-Team TV theme by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
Other music in this episode:
I wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free (Live) by Nina SimoneThe Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, performed at the BBC Proms by the Aurora OrchestraFingertips pt 2: Live by Stevie WonderGymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie Theme from The Rockford Files by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
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Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and musician and silent movie score composer Neil Brand launch a new playlist. With presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye, they choose the first five tracks which take us from a celebratory anthem chanted in football stadiums to a live, mischievous performance by a 12-year-old Stevie Wonder.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Freed from Desire by GalaPiano Concerto in F Major: 3rd Movement by George GershwinBohemian Rhapsody by Queen Piano Quartet in A minor by Gustav Mahler Fingertips pt 2: Live by Stevie Wonder
Other music in this episode:
Welcome to My World by Ezra CollectivePiano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev
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Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and baritone Roderick Williams join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add the final five tracks to the current series, bringing the playlist up to 40. And the joy of rounds, or canons, with singer, composer and producer Esbe, and one in particular that she sings which goes back to the 13th century.
From lovesick individuals to the arrival of spring and with a dramatic finale, the serendipity continues...
This episode was first broadcast in March this year. Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 on 13th October
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Lovesick (ft ASAP Rocky) by Mura MasaZefiro torna e di soavi accenti by Claudio MonteverdiSumer Is Icumen In by Esbe A Long Time Ago by David Byrne Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf
Other music in this episode:
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake by Ethel Merman and Ray BolgerHuashca de Corales by Biluka y los CanibalesHot Stuff by Donna SummerOye Cómo Va by Tito Puente
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Downton Abbey composer John Lunn and saxophonist Jess Gillam join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye on a journey from the snowy landscape of northern Finland to the warmth of Ecuador as they add the next five tracks, exploring unusual instruments and effects, including the theremin and the tremolo.
Guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, talks us through one of the most ambitious uses of tremolo, and guitarist Adam Goldsmith demonstrates a few other tricks guitarists have up their sleeve.
This episode was first broadcast in March this year.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Kilisee, Kilisee Kulkunen by Tapiola Choir Snowflake by Kate Bush How Soon is Now? by The SmithsClair de Lune, Arr. for Theremin and Voice by Carolina Eyck - by Claude DebussyHuashca de Corales by Biluka y los Canibales
Other music in this episode:
(Love is Like a) Heatwave by Martha & the VandellasMany Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff
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Musician and composer Anne Dudley and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen embark on a musical journey across continents, centuries and styles as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also find out from specialist Simon Heighes about the background to a popular work by Bach, famously used in those old cigar adverts.
This episode was first broadcast in March this year.
Producer Jerome WeatheraldPresented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Infinity by Imamyar HasanovMehter Vuruyor by Mehter She’s Gone by Darryl Hall & John Oates Air from Orchestral Suite No 3 in D major by J S Bach Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff
Other music in this episode:
8 Dogs 8 Banjos by Old Crow Medicine ShowMakhloogh by Googoosh7 Heures du Matin by Jacqueline TaïebA Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol HarumVietnam by Jimmy Cliff
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