We were delighted with this piece on BBC World Service this week. BBC’s Eliza Lomas presents a quieting yet deep delve into our collaboration on The Unfolding with Mercury Prize nominee Hannah Peel, and Charles Hazlewood, melodically taking listeners on a journey from inception to the final album.

The In the Studio feature elegantly articulates Hannah’s initial earthly inspirations for her compositions and the sense of endless possibility she felt when she first heard our orchestra perform. Hannah explains how she worked her initial sketches specifically around those unique Paraorchestra sounds – typically absent in traditional orchestras – and how the collaboration really came to fruition once we were all in a room together.

What is really magical about the Paraorchestra, is that people don’t just sit there and go ‘that’s really weird, and, I’m not going to try that’ they approach it, and give you something back. And it works”

Hannah Peel

Eliza speaks with several Paraorchestra musicians to get their personal take on the collaboration, including Associate Music Director and Bass Clarinettist on The Unfolding, Lloyd Coleman, and Paraorchestra Musician in Residence and drummer Jonny Leitch. Soprano Victoria Oruwari speaks of her instant connection to the piece – “I listened to the music and I thought, oh! This is very precious, I’d better take very good care of it”.  Victoria, who has a visual impairment, goes on to share the immersive and filmic method she used to learn her parts and ensure she was fully immersed in the piece ahead of recording the album.

It challenged me, it opened up my soul and my heart and it became a part of me by the time I’d learnt it.”

Victoria Oruwari

It’s a lovely listen. A broadcast that in style somehow mirrors the gentle and evocative narrative of The Unfolding. You can listen again here until March 2023.

The Unfolding will be released via Real World Records on 1 April and tours the UK in May and July.

Image: York Tillyer