LETTER of the MONTH

Sound and vision

Two pairs of BBC Four programmes recently made me think about music associated with other art forms. The first was, with superb lighting, costumes and, above all, dancing. For me, Liszt’s contribution became merely background music, yet I know from past experience that his music stands alone, brilliant in its own right. This programme was followed by a BBC Prom featuring John Williams’s music for films, but here heard alone. Having seen some of the films and found his background music appropriate, hearing the music by itself was interesting but disappointing.