Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein - Season 1

Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein - Season 1

Season 1

Network
Episodes3
Datesoct. 2, 2017 - oct. 16, 2017

Episodes

Revolution
Season 1Episode 160 min

Revolution

In the first episode of a series exploring the politics of music, Suzy Klein takes us back to the volatile years following the Russian Revolution and World War I, when music was seen as a tool to change society. Suzy explores the gender-bending cabarets of 1920s Berlin and smashes a piano in the spirit of the Bolshevik revolution. She also reveals why one orchestra decided to work without a conductor, uncovers the dark politics behind Mack the Knife and probes the satirical songs which tried to puncture the rise of the Nazis. Suzy's musical stories are brought to life with the help of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and its Chorus, as well as solo performers. This was a golden age for music, and its jazz, popular songs, experimental symphonies and classics like Rachmaninoff all provoke debate - what kind of culture do we want? Is music for the elite or for the people? Was this a new age of liberal freedom to be relished - or were we hurtling towards the apocalypse?

oct. 2, 2017
Dictatorship
Season 1Episode 260 min

Dictatorship

In the second episode of this fascinating series exploring the politics of music, Suzy Klein reaches the 1930s, when the totalitarian dictators sought to use and abuse music for ideological ends.

This time the lives of the composers are in the spotlight - and we're in the company of the greats: Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, who produced some of the 20th Century's best-loved music whilst navigating the precarious tightrope of working for perhaps the most terrifying music-lovers ever: Hitler and Stalin.

oct. 9, 2017
World War
Season 1Episode 360 min

World War

Suzy Klein explores the use, abuse and manipulation of music in the Second World War - from swinging jazz to film soundtracks and from ballads to ballets. The war, she demonstrates, wasn't just a military fight but an ideological battle where both sides used music as a weapon to secure their vision for civilisation. Suzy reveals how the forces' sweetheart Vera Lynn was taken off air by the BBC for fear her sentimental songs undermined the British war effort. She reveals the war work of two British composers. Walton's Spitfire Prelude became the archetype for a particularly British form of patriotic music. By contrast, Tippett was sent to prison for being a conscientious objector, but his anti-war oratorio A Child of Our Time was showcased at the Royal Albert Hall. Suzy examines Olivier Messiaen's haunting Quartet for the End of Time, written in a POW camp. At Auschwitz, Suzy reveals how music was co-opted to serve the Nazis' evil purposes.

oct. 16, 2017

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Special Forces: World's Toughest Test
Running

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test

Household names endure some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process. There are no votes, and no eliminations – just survival. These celebrities, who are so used to being in the spotlight, quickly learn the meaning of "no guts, no glory" – and no glam.

Moonshiners
Running

Moonshiners

The secret and illegal world of moonshining stretches all across Appalachia raking in a pretty penny for those who choose to shine. Moonshiners will go to unprecedented extremes in their efforts to hide their still sites and cloak their distribution networks, some can hide in plain sight. With new styles of shine being tested and sold there is a king's ransom waiting for those bold enough to grab it. But those who enforce the law are wise to shiner deceptions and more determined than ever to catch them red handed and in the act of making Moonshine. The day of reckoning may be around the corner, but don't sell the Moonshiners short. Each has a keen understanding of how to stay one step ahead of the law in their region, and in this ongoing cat and mouse game you never know who will end up in the trap.

Wild Cards
Running

Wild Cards

Wild Cards follows the unlikely duo of a gruff, sardonic cop and a spirited, clever con woman. Ellis, a demoted detective, has unfortunately spent the last year on the maritime unit, while Max has been living a transient life elaborately scamming everyone she meets. But when Max gets arrested and ends up helping Ellis solve a local crime, the two are offered the opportunity to redeem themselves, with Ellis going back to detective and Max staying out of jail. The catch? They have to work together, with each using their unique skills to solve crimes. For Ellis, that means hard-boiled shoe leather police work; for Max, it means accents, schemes and generally befriending everyone in sight, while driving Ellis absolutely nuts. Against the backdrop of beautiful Vancouver — with all its unique, charming, and even contradictory neighbourhoods and subcultures — the two will have to learn what it means to trust another person and maybe actually become partners.

Wipeout
Running

Wipeout

The re-imagined series will feature new twists and elements that will push contestants' athleticism, approach, and determination to even greater extremes, all while delivering some wildly epic fails! Each game is three rounds with each round featuring a jaw-dropping, multi-stage obstacle course with numerous strategy and decision points designed to further challenge the stamina of the competitors and deliver even more hilarious and surprising wipeouts! And of course, the iconic staple of the show - the big balls! - are returning with a vengeance.

GenreComedy
Casualty
Running

Casualty

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.