The Wexford Carol - James Galway - Celtic Christmas, Vol. 2 [Windham Hill]

Flourishing Views

Beau

The clock is 6 am and the weather is beautiful. The recording begins 5 am and was 1 hour and 20 minutes long. This is a seven-minute cut from it. I recommend listening to it with headphones.

Early morning Soundscape from Alam​-​Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia. May 22, 2019

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti, conductor
John Malkovich, narrator

Copland Lincoln Portrait

Journalist and podcast host Pandora Sykes chats to Nihal about her debut book ‘How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? - a collection of essays which question the perceived wisdom of modern life. 

Pandora chooses objects which inspire her and talks to Nihal about her life-long love of books, why it is so important to shop less and she reads out some of her favourite quotes from when she was a teenager. #PenguinPodcast 

‘How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right?’ is available to buy as an audiobook now - https://apple.co/2E1LmGg

The Penguin Podcast: Pandora Sykes with Nihal Arthanayake

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Dr Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camilla began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science.

Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including: Decisions and the route we take to make them; Conflict and how we can avoid it; Relationships and how we establish them; Etiquette and how we conform to it.

Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Camilla's unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life.

Explaining Humans Chapter 2

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, conductor

Bach/Schoenberg: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552 (December 1991)

A radio anthology of George Orwell's finest novels, memoirs and essays, plus four biographical dramas and a bonus documentary, The Road to Nineteen Eighty-Four

Visionary author and journalist George Orwell was the man behind two of the best-loved and most influential novels of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. This collection celebrating his life and work features dramatisations of both these classic books, with stellar casts including Christopher Eccleston, Pippa Nixon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Tamsin Greig and Nicky Henson.

Also included is a drama based on his autobiographical account of the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia, starring Joseph Millson and Lyndsey Marshal. Four biographical radio plays by Mike Walker and Jonathan Holloway - Burma, Dreaming, Loving and Jura - explore further episodes in Orwell's fascinating life, showing the disconnection between the man who was Eric Blair and the writer who was George Orwell.

Timeless examples of his essays and journalism are showcased here, including 'A Hanging', 'Confessions of a Book Reviewer', 'My Country Right or Left', 'Pleasure Spots' and 'As I Please' (all read by Clive Merrison), while Joseph Millson narrates Down and Out in Paris and London, Orwell's vivid memoir of his time living among the poor in Europe's two great cities.

Finally, in The Road to Nineteen Eighty-Four, David Aaronovitch examines what led avowed socialist George Orwell to write a book beloved of the Right, revealing how the novel grew from a forgotten political world shaped by the atom bomb.

George Orwell worked for BBC Radio from August 1941 to November 1943, and even went on air himself. Sadly, none of the programmes in which he took part survive - in those days, radio was essentially a live medium, and broadcasts were not recorded for posterity. But Orwell's connection to the BBC remains a fascinating part of its wartime history.

George Orwell: A BBC Radio Collection

‘Gavin and Stacey’ co-creator and actor Ruth Jones chats to Nihal about her second novel ‘Us Three’ - a story about enduring female friendships. 

She talks about objects that have inspired her including a pair of pink trainers and Wales (the country). Plus why she never ever wants to return to Glastonbury #PenguinPodcast 

‘Us Three’ is available to buy as an audiobook now - https://apple.co/3i9x6u9

The Penguin Podcast: Ruth Jones with Nihal Arthanayake

From Cantare Houston's iTunes EP featuring two works of mine for choir, piano and string quartet; Dark Night of the Soul and Luminous Night of the Soul.

Performed by Cantare Houston/Ola Gjeilo, piano/Kevin Riehle, cond.

Tracks available for download on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/album/ola-gjeilo-dark-night-luminous/id657663673

Sheet music

Luminous Night of the Soul

Nielsen: Helios Overture, Op. 17 (February 2020)

Penguin Books publishes blockbusting, prize-winning, celebrated, controversial, heart-warming, thought-provoking and inspiring books by a range of authors from Ali Smith to Zadie Smith, Jeremy Clarkson to Jeremy Paxman and Jamie Oliver to Oliver Goldsmith.

George Orwell: A BBC Radio Collection

Penguin Books UK

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