Episode 5 - Leaving a legacy

In this concluding episode, Edward Blakeman reflects on David Munrow’s legacy fifty years after his death. How do his recordings sound to us in 2026 — bold period pieces, visionary milestones, or something still thrillingly alive? And what artistic path might he have followed had his life not been cut short?

Drawing on rare archive material, commercial recordings and the rich resources of Munrow’s papers and scores at the Royal Academy of Music, the programme explores his influence as performer, researcher, bandleader and broadcaster. Among the music revisited is Munrow’s recording of an Anthony Holborne dance — chosen for NASA’s Voyager probe as a portrait of human culture sailing beyond the Milky Way.

With insights from Munrow specialist Edward Breen and soprano Sally Dunkley, who took part in his ground-breaking recordings, this final chapter considers how a remarkable musician continues to shape the way we listen today and what we might learn from his pioneering work, fifty years on...