A shimmering orchestral tone poem evoking a faun's hazy, daydream on a summer afternoon, Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) is considered the birth of musical Impressionism, moving away from traditional structure into a more fluid, chromatic, relaxing mood built around one of the most iconic flute solos in the repertoire.

Based on the 1876 poem of the same name by Stéphane Mallarmé.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCphwVnD_hM&list=RDaCphwVnD_hM&start_radio=1

It is a three-movement work for piano and orchestra that evokes the sensory atmosphere of Andalusian gardens at night through impressionistic textures, modal harmonies, and the rhythms of Spanish folk music. Despite the prominent solo piano part, Falla insisted it was not a concerto but rather a set of "symphonic impressions," with the piano acting as one colour among many rather than a virtuosic soloist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXTCI4qzAZA&list=RDwXTCI4qzAZA&start_radio=1

Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor (1919) is a work in four movements, widely regarded as his farewell to the Romantic era and a personal elegy shaped by the trauma of World War One, plus his own declining health. It is considered one of the great cello concertos, inseparably associated with Jacqueline du Pré's legendary 1965 recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5ZufViB8j4&list=RDB5ZufViB8j4&start_radio=1

Why not take your seat on a bench watching the cricket and listen to Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No 2, Op 55. The 2nd movement, Adagio, is from a short four-movement work composed when Saint-Saëns was in his early twenties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXT1U2pccAc&list=RDEXT1U2pccAc&start_radio=1

Or, 'Go Down Moses' was published in 1861. An African American spiritual drawing on the Biblical story of Moses and an expression of hope for freedom during the era of American enslavement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C6xPxroH1c&list=RD5C6xPxroH1c&start_radio=1

For calmness, have a listen to Gerald Finzi's 'A Servern Rhapsody', Op. 3 - a short, quietly atmospheric orchestral piece evoking the English countryside around the River Severn with the pastoral warmth characteristic of his style. It sits within the English pastoral tradition alongside Vaughan Williams and Butterworth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opZbMapBnzM&list=RDopZbMapBnzM&start_radio=1

Alternatively, Pink Floyd's 'The dark side of the moon' was first performed live as a complete work at the Dome in Brighton in January 1972, over a year before the studio album was released in March 1973. The live premiere was reportedly rough around the edges, with the band still refining the material, but it already contained the essential shape of what would become one of the best-selling albums in history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ynZnEBtvw&list=RDk9ynZnEBtvw&start_radio=1

Click on the links and enjoy!

2007 was a transitional year in Popular music, sitting between the CD era and the coming streaming revolution, with iTunes and digital downloads reshaping how music was consumed. It was the year Rihanna released "Umbrella" to become a global superstar, and Amy Winehouse's Back to Black reached its commercial peak with "Rehab" dominating the airwaves. The year also saw the rise of artists like Adele, who released her debut single "Hometown Glory," while Radiohead made headlines by releasing "In Rainbows" on a pay-what-you-want basis — a landmark moment in the music industry's digital reckoning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPtrQpx9VDw&list=RDEPtrQpx9VDw&start_radio=1

in 2015, Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson released "Uptown Funk" - surely a pick me up tune! A catchy funk and soul homage that became one of the best-selling singles of all time, which draws on the sound of James Brown, Prince, and the Minneapolis funk scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FUmkw3a4U&list=RDW8FUmkw3a4U&start_radio=1

Debussy's Rêverie is a gentle, introspective piano piece from 1890, flowing and impressionistic in character, with a dreamy, unhurried quality. It remains one of his most accessible and widely loved pieces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRjllL-MP0U&list=RDQRjllL-MP0U&start_radio=1

So many hits to choose from in Popular Music. Try Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGGo8LFmbjs&list=RDFGGo8LFmbjs&start_radio=1

If you'd prefer something even more relaxed, try the first movement of Violin Concerto in D: Rhapsody composed by the famous jazz trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis.

The concerto is a fascinating crossover work that blends the classical concerto tradition with jazz idioms, blues inflections, and African American musical heritage, written in 2015 for violinist Nicola Benedetti, although not 2019 (!), it is a fantastic piece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTsAkAHMvf4&list=PLX0ItJp29CTKlnW0wKYvrpaWvj-TvdprZ

The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 (1934), is a work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, all in a single movement. Rachmaninoff wrote the work at his summer home, the Villa Senar in Switzerland, from 3 July to 18 August 1934. Rachmaninoff himself, a noted performer of his own works, played the piano part at the piece's premiere on 7 November 1934, at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. It is a set of 24 variations for piano and orchestra based on the famous A minor Caprice No. 24 by Paganini.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9GuUYx9d3Y&list=RDr9GuUYx9d3Y&start_radio=1

Following the construction of School House, Reckitt was built to provide U-shaped residential facilities focusing on a south-facing courtyard.

The early 1990s charts were still dominated by the glossy pop and rock of the late 1980s. Madonna was at the height of her powers with "Vogue," MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" brought mainstream hip-hop to large new audiences, and Sinéad O'Connor's cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U" became one of the most emotionally striking singles of the decade.

Sinéad O'Connor's cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" became one of the most iconic singles of 1990, making it a defining moment in pop music history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EF60neguk&list=RD0-EF60neguk&start_radio=1

1990 in classical music was a significant year with the Three Tenors concert in Rome — featuring Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras — becoming a global television phenomenon that brought opera to an unprecedentedly wide audience ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Music in 1990 was deeply influenced by the release of Nelson Mandela from prison on February 11, 1990, marking a pivotal moment in the fight against apartheid. This year saw a shift from "Free Nelson Mandela" protest anthems to celebratory songs.

"Glorious Years" by Beyond (1990): A Cantonese rock song from Hong Kong, inspired by the news of Mandela’s release, became an instant hit celebrating his struggle for freedom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCHaYHcFO9o&list=RDFCHaYHcFO9o&start_radio=1