This episode follows Mustafa Alim, a musician from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, who fell in love with the accordion. Actively promoting accordion culture, he has engaged in cross-cultural exchanges through domestic and international accordion festivals and concert tours, showcasing the instrument’s role as a cultural symbol of Xinjian ... Show More
Feb 5
Galloping strings--The spirit within the bow
In this episode, the hooves are replaced by horse-hair: the Morin Khuur speaks, sighs and gallops in the hands of the soloist Morin Khuur performer Chaoke Jiletu. You’ll feel 180 nylon filaments tremble like prairie grass, and learn why the bow is called the instrument’s “two leg ... Show More
26 m
Apr 2025
Encore: Music strings a bridge cross the border
Over the past decade, Liu Yuening, a Chinese dulcimer professor with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, has committed herself to using music as a bridge to enhance intercultural communication between China and India.
She believes cultural exchanges between the two g ... Show More
28m 51s
Nov 2024
Unity and Disunity | The Diadochi Successors
<p>Hubris, an excessive pride in oneself, is a common trait among history's greatest figures. In the decades that followed the death of Alexander the Great, the <em>Diadochi</em> "successors" fought each other for control of the vast empire their leader had built. In the end, the ... Show More
17m 42s
Jun 2025
S2 Ep11: Music from Muslim Lands
Embark on a sonic journey through centuries of melody, tradition, and cross-cultural fusion! In this episode, we dive into the soundscapes of Muslim lands, featuring legendary musician Jordi Savall, renowned for reviving medieval and early music, and Fairouz Nishanova, Director o ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 2025
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancient Mesopotamian world as a warrior but also a scholar, ruling the great Assyrian empire at the height of its power.In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Assyriologist Dr Sel ... Show More
52m 11s
Sep 2025
Fall of the Sumerians
Tristan Hughes continues our special series on Great Disasters, journeying back to ancient Mesopotamia with Dr Paul Collins to explore the fall of the Sumerians.4,000 years ago, the great cities of Sumer — Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Girsu — stood as glittering centres of power, crowned wi ... Show More
1h 1m