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The biggest ever symphony; smoking on stage; Ben Mezrich

Mark Lawson reports on a rare performance of Havergal Brian's epic Gothic symphony. Ben Mezrich discusses his follow-up to the book which inspired the film The Social Network.

With Mark Lawson.

Havergal Brian's epic Gothic symphony demands a vast orchestra, choirs and unusual percussion effects. Conductor Martyn Brabbins discusses how he's leading 1000 musicians and performers through this rarely-heard piece, in a performance at the 麻豆官网首页入口 Proms on Sunday.

Ben Mezrich's book about the founding of Facebook inspired the Oscar-winning film The Social Network. His new book also focuses on a true story: Sex on the Moon is the tale of the daring theft of lunar rocks from NASA. Mezrich reflects on the art and the ethics of writing non-fiction in the style of fiction.

A London theatre recently warned its audiences that the actors would be smoking on stage for much of the evening. Mark reports on why the theatre is allowed to remain a public building which permits smoking, including the views of actors Kristin Scott Thomas and Dominic West and director Simon Godwin.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Fri 15 Jul 2011 19:15

Chapters

  • Ben Mezrich

    • Ben Mezrich

      Author Ben Mezrich talks about his latest book, Sex on the Moon.

      Duration: 11:38

  • The Gothic

    • The Gothic

      Mark Lawson reports on a rare performance of Havergal Brian's epic Gothic symphony

      Duration: 08:47

  • Smoking on Stage

    • Smoking on Stage

      Kristen Scott Thomas, Dominic West and others talk about the perils of smoking on stage

      Duration: 06:56

Broadcast

  • Fri 15 Jul 2011 19:15

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