Front Row

Primavera, a new film about Vivaldi tells the story of his composing for pupils of an institution for abandoned girls. We speak to the film's director Damiano Michieletto, better known as an award-winning opera director, about his film and about Vivaldi himself.
The Music is Black is the inaugural exhibition at London’s new V&A East Museum and it celebrates 125 years of Black British music. Lead curator Jacqueline Springer joins us to discuss the show and wealth of music it showcases, from the early days of jazz via calypso, reggae, two-tone, pop and grime.
Ben Lerner, the Pulitzer-nominated author of Leaving the Atocha Station and The Topeka School, discusses his latest novel Transcription; an exploration of loss, technology and “fiction”.
The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in Oxford officially opens its doors next weekend. It combines seven academic faculties with performance spaces including the world’s first ‘Passivhaus’ concert hall, certifying its sustainability.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe

Director Charlotte Regan on her new BBC thriller, Mint
Have heterosexual male novelists stopped writing sex scenes? We discuss with writer Luke Kennard, author of Black Bag, and editor of the Erotic Review Lucy Roeber.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage plays live in studio with his band L.Y.R.
Video game writer and critic Cara Ellison joins us to run through the highlights from the recent BAFTA Games Awards.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Harry Graham

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by reviewers Dreda Say Mitchell and Viv Groskop to consider Lena Dunham's controversial memoir - Famesick. A new adaptation of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - directed by Clint Dyer at London's Old Vic Theatre. And Dan "Schitts Creek" Levy has a new dark comedy series on Netflix; "Big Mistakes"

Scottish Ballet's Starstruck honours Gene Kelly's creative legacy and his passion for creating "dance for the common man". His wife Patricia Ward Kelly tells us about this fusion of ballet, jazz, tap and tango danced to the music of Chopin, Ravel and Gerswhin.
As the winner of the inaugural Sherborne Prize for Travel Writing is announced as Adam Weymouth for his book Lone Wolf, about a journey from Slovenia to Italy across the Alps, Adam joins us along with veteran writer Colin Thubron to discuss the art of travel writing.
And as he receives an Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize and as his work goes on show at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London, photographer Joel Meyerowitz talks to us about his career - documenting everything from London in the swinging sixties to New York in the aftermath of 9/11.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan

Jack Savoretti sings a song from his latest album We Will Always Be The Way We Were, which is leading the race to top the charts this week.
David Szalay's Booker Prize-wnnning novel Flesh is currently at the centre of a debate around inspiration and homage, as critics point to similarities between his novel and Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon. Literary critics Aled Maclean-Jones and Alex Clark discuss.
Turner Prize-winning artist Veronica Ryan on her new show at the Whitechapel Gallery which brings together work that spans the many decades of her career.
David Austin, Chief Executive of the British Board of Film Classification on creating a new AI tool to help with their work.
Presenter Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ekene Akalawu