ABOUT THIS ITEM

Founded by Desmond Briscoe and Daphne Oram in 1958, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's brief was to provide imaginative sound for radio productions. Mostly using electronic and treated sounds, the Workshop wasn't averse to calling in session musicians to play on their compositions as well. It wasn't long before television producers realised that this new department could supply them with unique and engaging sound for their work, and Schools programmes became a major client. New names added to the Radiophonic production list included Delia Derbyshire, who combined mathematics and music to create wonderful ethereal soundscapes, David Cain (described by Briscoe as 'our only living medieval composer') and John Baker, a gifted jazz musician who managed to make musique concrete swing. Dick Mills and Brian Hodgson swelled the ranks further, and many musical creators passed through the doors over the Workshop's 40 year history, until it was disbanded in 1998. This 107 track double CD collection includes pieces of music covering that whole 40 years, from "Amphitryon 38" in 1958 to "Assignment" in 1997, with plenty of previously unreleased material included.