Late Night Listening with Elizabeth Alker

There’s something special about late night radio, a cosiness about settling down without the blue light of a screen. The lack of distractions and the feeling of being alone in the quietness of the night can also make the experience of listening to radio feel more personal and introspective. The highlight of late-night radio is of course the music, the rare and unusual gems that would never get played during often energetic breakfast shows.

If you’ve ever tuned in to BBC Radio 3 shortly before the witching hour, you may well have already discovered Elizabeth Alker’s fantastic classical music show – Unclassified, which highlights music that blurs genre boundaries and challenges traditional definitions of classical music.

“I realised that there were new classically trained acts who were very much in the classical scene who were wanting to collab with people doing electronica and pop music – the sort of music they’d grown up with,” Elizabeth explains. “I thought there could be a show that plays the kind of music that straddles both these worlds. Neo-classical music is just contemporary ambient music that fuses elements of classical, pop, electronica and even dance. It’s funny because now there are loads of playlists that put together this type of music, but when we started Unclassified it was a lot less common!”

In Unclassified, Elizabeth aims to bring classical music to a broader audience. Growing up in Rochdale in a working-class community, it’s important to her that classical music should be for everyone, not just those with musical or indeed middle-class backgrounds.

“I grew up in Rochdale, and I was made aware of its industrial history and its role in the birth of the cooperative – all the many things that local people did that changed laws and added to the wealth of the region.”

“It’s interesting that some people still find it incongruous to have a northern voice talking about classical music, that the jargon sounds odd when spoken with a northern accent, especially a female northern voice,” Elizabeth says. “It’s nice to be involved in changing people’s perceptions. People see classical music as not part of the way we speak, but why shouldn’t it be? All those composers would have hoped to reach audiences from all walks of life – it wasn’t just for certain people who speak in a certain way with a certain academic understanding, they just wanted it to be enjoyed by as many people as possible!”

Elizabeth is keen to champion northern artists and to celebrate her local culture. “We try to tap into the culture that’s here,” Elizabeth smiles. “I grew up in Rochdale, and I was made aware of its industrial history and its role in the birth of the cooperative – all the many things that local people did that changed laws and added to the wealth of the region. Being so close to Manchester, and especially its music history, Rochdale is such an important place culturally. It’s an exciting time for these small towns because people are looking to move out of the big city centres as it gets too expensive – it’s quite exciting to think individuals have the power to make little cultural utopias that put these places on the map. Why should everything be centred in London or Manchester?

“I think Rochdale town centre is really underappreciated. There’s the art gallery and a brilliant library. The town hall is gorgeous. You can walk from the station and get one of the best kebabs on your journey to St Chad’s Church, which is rumoured to have been moved by trolls to the top of the hill after a flood, and visit the grave of Tim Bobbin, he’s a local Lancastrian poet, then drop into the town centre and make your way up to the Baum Pub on Toad Lane, that’s also where the first ever Co-op is, so there’s a lot of history around there. There’s a gorgeous church on that road too which is haunted by a ghost rabbit!”

“A lot of local artists are very connected to the history of the area, the myths, the magic and the folklore…”

While the main focus of the show is on contemporary classical, experimental, and electronic music, Alker often invites guests to discuss their work or the music they are creating. These guests can include composers, musicians, and other artists who are pushing the boundaries of traditional genres and often these artists are from the north.

“A lot of local artists are very connected to the history of the area, the myths, the magic and the folklore. I think people are interested in these mystical things and these old stories, and it’s our history. These myths and stories have different regional variations too and you wonder how these stories travelled and adapted, becoming a part of the history of the area – it fascinates me. And in the sound this music brings together old and new technology, it brings together the history and the present, it’s so interesting. I love the fact that these areas feel so far away from the centres of civilization and the urban centres of power – I’m interested in those hinterland areas where people can make up their own sense of reality because there’s space to do it, and a bit more of a blank canvas to create what you think life is about.”

 

The atmosphere of the Unclassified is one of infinite exploration, where you will embark on a journey of sonic discovery, venturing into uncharted territory of avant-garde classical compositions and ambient soundscapes that will awaken your spirit whilst soothing your soul.

 

Listen to Unclassified every Thursday
at 11.30pm on BBC Radio Three.

 

NorthernLife May/June 23