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Kyle Books, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, will publish A Soundtrack For Life by classical music station Scala Radio to provide insights into classical music for a modern audience.
Judith Hannam, Kyle Books publishing director, acquired world rights from Clare Baker at Bauer Media. The book will be published on 8th July priced at £18.99.
With pieces ranging from Vaughan Williams’ "The Lark Ascending" and Beethoven’s "Pastoral Symphony" to the scores for "Avatar" and "Assassin’s Creed", each entry provides context for the music with insights into the inspirations behind each work, aiming to make the music relevant for a modern audience.
The synopsis reads: “From the world's most romantic music and the greatest Christmas carols to compositions that celebrate the natural world and mark births and marriages as well as the day-to-day routine, A Soundtrack for Life is for anyone who has ever wanted to discover more about classical music but doesn't know where to begin.”
“Organised into 'Occasions' and 'Themes', the book features music to accompany you through your day, from getting up and getting dressed to running, reading, walking the dog, cooking, taking a bath, going to sleep and everything in between.”
Scala Radio was launched in March 2019, the first national classical music service to air on terrestrial radio in the UK since 1992. The station's playlist features 70% popular and 30% new and "surprising" classical music. Presenters include a range of radio and television personalities such as Simon Mayo, who presented the station’s first live show, Angellica Bell, Mark Kermode and Penny Smith.
Hannam said: “Scala Radio is breaking the mould of classical music in the UK and I’m delighted to be publishing this accessible and inspiring guide which brings together much-loved masterpieces with exciting new works, making classical music relevant for a whole new audience.”
Angellica Bell, presenter at the station, said: “Classical music is part of all of our lives whether we realise it or not, from weddings to computer games even movie soundtracks to simply sitting down in front of the telly. It’s just fantastic to see Scala Radio brought to life in book format so that everyone can easily discover more about this amazing genre of music."