Conductor Pierre Monteux (1875 - 1964) had an extraordinary musical life. In this episode, Laurence Lewis concentrates on the years he worked as conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Playing Time: 12.20 mins.

In which Laurence Lewis enters the drug filled world of Hector Berlioz to highlight five very different versions of his Symphonie Fantastique. NOTE: This is not a record review! Playing Time: 11.09 mins.

Soprano, Lucia Popp, lit up the operatic world with her performances as Mozart's Queen of the NIght. In 1993 she died aged 54. Laurence Lewis remembers her with recordings of Mozart, Dvorak, Puccini, Lehar and more. Playing Time: 15.15 mins.

Laurence Lewis explores the early years of legendary Classical recordings producer, John Culshaw. Featuring music by Grace Williams, Aaron Copland, Ernest Bloch, Verdi, and highlighting musicians Kathleen Ferrier and Georg Solti. Playing Time: 15.46 mins.

Laurence Lewis asks the question "Who Was Dinu Lipatti" the legendary pianist who died in 1950, and whose small recorded legacy has never been out of the record catalogues. Includes music by Chopin, Ravel and Bach. Playing Time: 20.17 mins.

In a conducting career spanning more than sixty years, Sir Adrian Boult not only conducted the premiere, but made at least five commercial recordings of
Gustav Holst's suite The Planets. Laurence Lewis looks back at these, placing them in the context of Boult's recorded legacy. Playting Time: 15.02 mins.

From the dawn of the LP and Hi-Fi, Laurence Lewis revisits 1951 and two recordings of Ravel's orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition conducted by Rafael Kubelik and Guido Cantelli. Total P.laying Time: 17.18 mins.

Episode 1 of our new series continues an interrupted celebration of composer Bedrich Smetana's bi-centenary and his association with conductor Rafael Kubelik. Playing Time: 6.06 mins.