About the film
Ken Russell’s ABC of British Music is a 1988 British documentary directed by and featuring Ken Russell. Broadcast as an edition of The South Bank Show on 2 April 1988, it presents Russell’s musical enthusiasms through an A-to-Z structure. Alphabetical pairings bring together sharply different subjects, including Elgar with Elton John, Holst with heavy metal, and punk with Purcell.
Russell introduces each letter himself, while the participants include soprano Rita Cullis, Thomas Dolby, Evelyn Glennie, Nigel Kennedy, John Lill, Julian Lloyd Webber, Eric Parkin, and the saxophone quartet The Fairer Sax. The film is categorized as a documentary film and focuses on British music through this sequence of contrasting names and styles. Its country is the United Kingdom, its language is English, and Ken Russell is listed as the director.
The official page is listed at Wikipedia.
Who it is for
This suits viewers exploring British music across contrasting composers, performers, and styles. It may also help students seeking a structured introduction to musical subjects presented through television documentary.
Worth knowing
- Directed and presented by Ken Russell
- Uses an A-to-Z music structure
- Pairs classical and popular music subjects
- Includes multiple named musical participants
- Broadcast as The South Bank Show edition
Before you press play
- Organized around Russell’s personal enthusiasms
- Focuses on British music subjects
- Originally broadcast in 1988
The short of it
Ken Russell’s ABC of British Music offers a letter-by-letter tour through Russell’s varied musical interests. Its broad participant list and contrasting examples make the format useful for viewers surveying British music in documentary form.