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PODCAST by SARAH SHANNON
Joanna & The Maestro
If you think that Joanna Lumley has a wonderful voice, wait until you hear the sonorous tones of her husband, the conductor Stephen Barlow. Listening to this pair in conversation is a bit like sinking into a warm bath of sound, they could be talking about how to unblock a drain and it would still be utterly gorgeous.
As luck would have it, the subject matter is interesting too. Lumley wants to know more about her husband’s world of classical music and to ‘de-toff’ it along the way. She asks him questions such as, why does Schoenberg remind her of a fingernail dragged down a blackboard? Barlow explains by drawing a parallel between modernist music and modern art and persuades her to embrace its kaleidoscope of sound. Other episodes delve into how a musical and an opera differ and why some composers choose to use a baton, and some don’t. The episodes are short and if you don’t enjoy the classical chat just tune in for those (absolutely) fabulous voices.
Billions (SKY ATLANTIC) The fabulous high-stakes financial crime drama returns for a seventh and final season. Damian Lewis reprises his role as the corrupt Bobby Axelrod having missed series six following the death of his wife, Helen McCrory.