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Episode details

Radio Ulster,06 Sep 2026,117 mins

Available for 21 days

John Toal explores the stories behind a rich and varied selection of music on Classical Connections. From Handel's Water Music, Vivaldi's Spring and Mozart's La clemenza di Tito to Elgar's Cello Concerto, Gershwin favourites and John Williams's soaring music from E.T., the programme journeys through centuries of musical inspiration. There are encounters with the natural world in Saint-Saëns's The Swan and Thomas Adès's O Albion, alongside contemporary voices including South African cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe. John also catches up with Irish cellist Clíodhna Ní Aodáin, who has performed in forests across Ireland, Switzerland and the United States. She discusses her new album For the Love of Trees, inspired by her connection to nature and an environmental initiative that has helped plant more than 8,000 trees across Ireland.

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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    Water Music Suite No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349: II. Alla Hornpipe
    Water Music Suite No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349: II. Alla Hornpipe
    George Frideric Handel
  3. 2.
    Ladies in Lavender
    Ladies in Lavender
    Nigel Hess
  4. 3.
    Sorcerer's Apprentice
    Sorcerer's Apprentice
    Paul Dukas