The Wagner Group

BBC News Arabic and BBC News Russian uncover evidence of war crimes carried out in Libya by mercenaries working for the Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian private military contractor. The film also reveals Wagner's access to sophisticated modern weapons that could only come from Russian military supplies.

"At once deeply-researched and as readable as a thriller."—Mark Galeotti
"An important book about the world's most dangerous mercenary outfit. Margolin unearths new details that will surprise readers."—Sean McFate
"Margolin takes readers deep into the shadowy underworld. . . . A must read."—Clarissa Ward, CNN
"Riveting. . . . It's a vital window onto the weird world of secretive, privatized modern warfare."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Ukrainian frontlines to the mines of the Central African Republic, this week's Four Corners lifts the veil on Putin's private army – The Wagner Group. In this independent French television investigation, former senior Wagner insiders speak out about what they saw in the line of duty. The film traces the group, from its origins in Ukraine, to its clandestine operations in Syria, and its reign of terror across Africa where victims tell of rape, torture and massacres.

After highly successful recordings of works by Brahms, the Schumanns, and Chopin, Imogen Cooper plunges into the world of another great romantic, Franz Liszt, and places him alongside that other giant, Richard Wagner. This is an evocative programme of original compositions and intimate transcriptions, ranging from poetic movements from the Années de Pèlerinage: Italie to darker and deeply elegiac pieces, including Liszt’s La lugubre gondola I and Wagner’s Elegie. It also features a transcription by Zoltán Kocsis of the intensely passionate prelude to Tristan und Isolde. The famous pianist and conductor died prematurely in November 2016. It was his work that inspired this recording to begin with, and Imogen Cooper dedicates the disc to his memory. Breathtaking music in unique interpretations: romanticism without melodrama, virtuosity without fuss.

A small orchestra specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical eras, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields became one of the most popular ensembles in the entire field of classical music, making albums that topped classical charts and even made an impact in pop. The group's seamless sound was identified in the minds of many listeners with that of Baroque music itself. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (the name has been spelled both with and without the hyphens, and with and without the period after "St") was formed in 1958 by violinist Neville Marriner, who was interested in exploring the then largely new field of Baroque music with a group of other musicians. Performing without a conductor until market forces dictated that Marriner take the post, the group played its first concert on November 13, 1959, at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and took its name from that venue.

"The Fifth Century" was commissioned by American choir The Crossing and marks the return of composer Gavin Bryars to ECM after 24 years. The vocal ensemble is joined by saxophone quartet Prism on the large-scale work that sets a text from English poet and theologian Thomas Traherne, who remained unknown for over 200 years. The album also features Two Love Songs, two settings of Petrarch sonnets for unaccompanied female choir.

Hardly anybody will dispute that Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was one of the most remarkable conductors of the last century. During his Budapest guest performances between the two World Wars he had already been given an enthusiastic reception by the audience and the musical profession alike. Not only his interpretation of the Viennese classical and romantic repertoire met with recognition but that of modern Hungarian music as well. For example, when conducting the premiere of Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto at the head of the Budapest Concert Orchestra Bartok, who was usually grudging of praise, declared that he could not imagine a more consummate performance of the orchestral part. Klemperer lived and worked in Hungary between 1947 and 1950 without a break, conducting the orchestra of the Opera in the first place and appearing on stage in concerts with symphonic orchestras. His interpretations of Bach’s and Wagner’s works on the present CD date from this period.