Radio 3 in Concert: Mark-Anthony Turnage: Up for Grabs

Ravel: Boléro. Stravinsky: The Firebird - suite (revised version, 1919). 20.05 Interval. 20.25 Mark-Anthony Turnage: Up For Grabs (World premiere). BBC Symphony Orchestra. Ryan Bancroft (conductor). Lee Dixon (footballer). Peter Erskine (drums). John Parricelli (guitar). Laurence Cottle (bass guitar). On the last day of the 1989 football season, Arsenal and Liverpool, the two teams vying to win the league, played each other. Going into the game the margins couldn't have been tighter - Arsenal needed to win by two goals to clinch the title. In the final seconds of the match, they did. 'It's up for grabs now!' proclaimed the dumbfounded commentator Brian Moore as Michael Thomas charged through the midfield at Anfield to seal the most dramatic league win of all time. Composer and Arsenal fan Mark-Anthony Turnage supplies the musical alternative to Brian Moore's iconic commentary, capturing the intense rollercoaster of highs, lows, desperation and elation every sports fan lives and breathes. John Parricelli (Loose Tubes) and Peter Erskine (Weather Report) form a star-studded rhythm section to join the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Turnage's composition, which combine his personal experiences and memories as an ardent supporter, with musical nods to the likes of goalscoring hero Michael Thomas and the late David 'Rocky' Rocastle, who started in this iconic match, to whom the piece is dedicated