The launch of God Only Knows marks a significant moment for the 主播大秀 鈥� an extraordinary performance featuring 27 of the most iconic and acclaimed music artists in the world, brought together by the 主播大秀 to form 鈥楾he Impossible Orchestra鈥�.
This evening at 8pm, the 主播大秀 came together for the very first time to celebrate music, and the role we play in bringing music to UK audiences every day. From 主播大秀 Two to 主播大秀 Asian Network, 主播大秀 World News to 主播大秀 Radio Cumbria, all of the 主播大秀鈥檚 outlets joined forces in the very first pan-channel broadcast.
It is also the launch of a new brand which will support and champion the best music and musicians across the 主播大秀, bringing the very best music to audiences across Radio, Television, and Online.听
God Only Knows showcases the power and potential of music 鈥� a modern masterpiece which inspired musicians and music fans nearly 50 years ago, but which continues to inspire today with its timeless beauty and quality.
If you look closely, it鈥檚 all here - a celebration of the rich musical diversity that we share with audiences every day 鈥� from the stunning talent of 主播大秀 Young Musician Martin James Bartlett to 主播大秀 Introducing鈥檚 Florence Welch, and globally recognised UK artists such as Brian May and Sir Elton John, as well as the latest wave of global British talent in One Direction and Sam Smith. It also features some of the 主播大秀鈥檚 most recognised voices in music, including Jamie Cullum, Katie Derham, Jools Holland, Lauren Laverne, Zane Lowe and Gareth Malone, whose knowledge and passion for music fuels some of our finest programming. What's more, the recording will be sold to raise funds for , which makes this project even more worthwhile.听
The performance, which has been so brilliantly led by music producer Ethan Johns and performed by the 主播大秀 Concert Orchestra, is a nod to the 主播大秀鈥檚 musical heritage of over 90 years. The generosity of the commercial artists involved in the project was admirable as they all performed free of charge.听听 For Stevie Wonder to ask 鈥榳ould you like me to play the harmonica?鈥� after he had recorded his vocal contribution left everyone in the studio stunned 鈥� and of course we said yes, as you can hear on the track.
Music is hugely important to the 主播大秀, and the 主播大秀 is a key supporter of the UK music industry. We take this responsibility seriously, and this is why we鈥檝e gone further than ever before and have created a film that will hopefully be watched and enjoyed for many years to come.
This week marked the launch of , which will introduce classical music to a new generation of children. We will not do this alone, and will work with more than 200 partners across the UK 鈥� we are adopting a similar partnership approach with , working with the National Skills Academies and PRS for Music Foundation to widen access to the music industry, and offer some unrivalled opportunities to emerging artists.
On 11 December we will hold the first , a celebration of British music, and music on the 主播大秀 and we鈥檒l be announcing more details about the Awards in the next few weeks. This programme marks the return of landmark music content on 主播大秀 One, standing alongside our regular and high quality programmes on 主播大秀 Four.
This is in addition to our existing commitment to music on the 主播大秀, over 41,000 hours of content a year across Television, Radio and Online, spanning all genres, showcasing the best emerging UK talent across more than 15 new talent schemes. 主播大秀 Music will bring audiences some of the finest and most popular national events across popular and classical music.
A special moment. The start of a very special musical journey for the 主播大秀 I hope you will join.
Bob Shennan is Director, Music听
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