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Night Music

Novelist Yiyun Li, musician and Radio 3 Unwind host Niall Breslin and music historian Stacy Jarvis discuss the history and the revival of interest in nocturnes.

New research into the Dubliner who ended up in St Petersburg and helped popularise the piano. Stacy Jarvis has been studying John Field (1782-1837), the prodigy who first coined the term "nocturne" to describe his compositions. His life story has inspired the latest novel from award winning writer Yiyun Li, Music Against the Night. Niall Breslin hosts the 3-hour compilation Classical Wind Down on Radio 3 Unwind, including an episode themed around nocturnes. The feature is presented by Robyn Arkle, a music historian at Kings College and one of the New Generation Thinkers on the scheme run by the BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share research on the radio.

Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Release date:

14 minutes

On radio

Sun 22 Nov 202619:30

Broadcast

  • Sun 22 Nov 202619:30

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