Life (as we know it on earth today) only comes from preexisting life; we humans always start as fertilised eggs, which come from our parents, who came to be in just the same way; and so on back to the dawn of time. Yet, we all are mortal, and the continuous thread running through this succession is DNA, a self-replicating molecule that stores all the instructions, or perhaps contains all the ingredients, for making a new organism. The DNA molecules, in the form of chromosomes, are stored in cells, and animals and plants are built by cell division followed by cell specialisation. This means that the mechanism and control of cell division is one of the most fundamental aspects of biology. It also, of course, can go wrong with disastrous results, mostly in old age. Neither degeneration nor cancer are welcome. Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Sir Tim Hunt discusses what we know and what we would like to know. 

Our Baroque concert is graced by the presence of two of the world’s most distinguished period-instrument performers, Rachel Podger on violin and Maggie Cole, harpsichord. They will play an evening of great works by the greatest Baroque composer, J.S. Bach: the 1st partita for solo harpsichord, two sonatas for both instruments in E Major and C Minor,  and a partita originally for solo flute in A minor.

J.S. Bach - Sonata for violin & obligato harpsichord in C minor, BWV 1017
J.S. Bach - Partita for solo harpsichord No.1 in B flat, BWV 825
interval
J.S. Bach - Partita in G minor BWV 1013 (arranged from Flute Partita in A minor)
J.S. Bach - Sonata for violin & obligato harpsichord in E major, BWV 1016

Cochlear implants are the first devices to successfully restore neural function.  They have instigated a popular but controversial revolution in the treatment of deafness, and they serve as a model for research in neuroscience and biomedical engineering.  After a visual tour of the physiology of natural hearing the function of cochlear implants will be described in the context of electrical engineering, psychophysics, clinical evaluation, and my own personal experience.  The audience will have the opportunity to experience speech and music heard through a cochlear implant. The social implications of cochlear implantation and the future outlook for auditory prostheses will also be discussed.

This afternoon's concert features two contrasting works for solo piano relating to "The Seasons". Portuguese pianist Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro will perform Tchaikovsky's 12 movement piece, each dedicated to a month of the year and Piazzolla's 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires, featuring four tangos inspired by the changing seasons.

Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro - piano

P. Tchaikovsky - "The Seasons", Op. 37b
A. Piazzolla - "4 Seasons of Buenos Aires" (arr. Marcelo Nisinman)

Professor Brian Cox will give a spellbinding talk about the nature of time followed by a performance of one of the 20th century's greatest chamber works, Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.

This talk has been completely revised from the original that Brian gave at the Festival in 2011 and was given at the Journey Through the Cosmos Festival held last November in Brisbane, Australia. Due to an anticipated high demand, this performance will take place twice on May 2nd. Whichever performance you attend, you are assured of a fantastic blend of science and music – the epitome of Oxford May Music. 

PLEASE NOTE: The venue for this event is The Church of St John the Evangelist, 109 Iffley Road, Oxford

Professor Brian Cox will give a spellbinding talk about the nature of time followed by a performance of one of the 20th century's greatest chamber works, Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.

This talk has been completely revised from the original that Brian gave at the Festival in 2011 and was given at the Journey Through the Cosmos Festival held last November in Brisbane, Australia. Due to an anticipated high demand, this performance will take place twice on May 2nd. Whichever performance you attend, you are assured of a fantastic blend of science and music – the epitome of Oxford May Music. 

PLEASE NOTE: The venue for this event is The Church of St John the Evangelist, 109 Iffley Road, Oxford

Renowned writer and musicologist Stephen Johnson is joined by Trio Dali and clarinettist Paul Dean for a detailed exploration of Messiaen's wartime piece, Quartet for the End of Time.

"Time no longer” - words from the Biblical Book of Revelation - were the starting point for Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, composed while Messiaen was a prisoner in a German POW camp. The premiere, before an audience of guards, officers, and fellow-prisoners was one of the great events of Messiaen's life: 'Never was I listened to with such rapt attention and comprehension'. In a talk with illustrations by the performers, Stephen Johnson explores how Messiaen plays with time in the Quartet: the rhythmic innovations, and the ways the passage of time itself can seem to be speeded up, slowed down, or even suspended altogether.

PLEASE NOTE: The venue for this event is The Church of St John the Evangelist, 109 Iffley Road, Oxford

Artists in Residence Trio Dali and Paul Dean are reinforced by string players for a varied programme including the wonderful Mendelssohn First Piano Trio, a characteristic Quintet from Boccherini with "that" Minuet, the famous Mozart “Kegelstatt” trio and a rarity of great beauty, the Hummel Clarinet Quartet.

Trio Dali (Amandine Savary - piano: Jack Liebeck - violin: Christian-Pierre La Marca - cello)
Paul Dean - clarinet
Alexander Sitkovetsky - violin
Gérard Caussé - viola
Simon Oswell - viola
Thomas Carroll - cello

Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49
Hummel - Clarinet Quartet in E flat Major WoO 5, S78
interval
Boccherini - String Quintet No.6 in E Major, Op.11 No. 5
Mozart - Clarinet Trio in E flat Major, K498 "Kegelstatt"

Olga Bobrovnikova is a Moscow Conservatoire-trained pianist with multiple sclerosis (MS.) Her condition stimulated an interest in how the brain responds to music and she now studies the neurology of brain.  Join Olga and her partner Paul Mossman as they explore, through classical and popular musical works, the brain's different responses to rhythm, pitch and tone as music influences our emotions.

Organised and sponsored by Science Oxford Live 

Today’s lecture highlighted Borodin the scientist; tonight we turn to his other profession, that of composer, with among others his String Sextet. Also represented are his friends and colleagues Tchaikovsky, with 3 pieces for viola and piano, and Glazunov with his String Quintet Op. 39. Completing a Russian evening is Stravinsky’s “Soldiers Tale” in the Trio arrangement.  

Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro - piano
Amandine Savary - piano
Paul Dean - clarinet
Jack Liebeck - violin
Sara Trickey - violin
Gérard Caussé - viola
Simon Oswell - viola
Christian-Pierre La Marca - cello
Thomas Carroll - cello

A. Borodin - 3 pieces from the Petite Suite
A. Borodin - String Sextet in D Minor
P. Tchaikovsky - 3 pieces for Viola and Piano:
Mélodie, de “Souvenir d’un lieu cher”, Op. 42 no. 3;
Nocturne Op. 19 No. 4;
Valse Sentimentale Op. 51 no. 6;
interval
I. Stravinsky - Soldiers Tale (Trio version)
A. Glazunov - String Quintet in A Major, Op. 39

Alexander Borodin was an extraordinary personality and a singular case in the history of science. He dedicated all his life to chemistry and music, making him a unique case of recognition in both science and arts.  However, the importance of Borodin in the history of music, both original and pioneering, is so important that his role as a researcher and professor of chemistry in nineteenth century Russia is not widely known. Professor Maria José Lourenço, of the University of Lisbon, a distinguished chemist in her own right, investigates Borodin’s scientific career and explains how our current daily welfare and comfort are based on some of his discoveries.

The renowned Heath Quartet was formed in 2002 and has received many awards, most recently the RPS Young Artists Award in 2012. Tonight they play Haydn’s Op. 76 No. 6, Dvorak’s Quartet in G, Op. 106 and join forces with Artist in Residence Paul Dean for Brahms’ golden Clarinet Quintet.

J. Haydn - String Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 76 No. 6
A. Dvorak - String Quartet in G Major Op. 106
interval
J. Brahms - Clarinet Quintet in B Minor Op. 115

We have discovered supermassive black holes, with masses ranging from millions to billions times the mass of the Sun, at the very centre of massive galaxies. The mass of this central black hole correlates with many of the large scale properties of the host galaxy, for example the total mass of the galaxy is about one thousand times the mass of the black hole. However the direct gravitational influence of the black hole extends to only a minute fraction of the volume of the galaxy (about one billionth of the total volume). So how can such large scale correlations be established? In exploring this question we will discover an unexpected twist in the story of galaxy evolution.