Hello, this is Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of BBC News and I'm here because I want

to talk to you about an event I'm doing with Intelligent Squared on the 2nd of November in London

and I'm going to be talking about the more than 30 years that I've spent reporting on major

events in the Middle East with my great friend and colleague over many, many years just in web

and I'm sure we'll talk about a few other things as well, just in and I started at the BBC

on the same day in 1984. So if you'd like to join us either in person or online, then visit

IntelligentSquared.com to find out more. Welcome to the Intelligent Squared podcast. I'm producer

Catherine Hughes. Today we're bringing you part one of our live event, Bach versus Beethoven.

This event was hosted by the BBC's Rita Shakrabati, who was joined by world renowned

cellist Stephen Isselis for Bach and acclaimed music critic Norman LeBract for Beethoven.

Mishka Rushdie Moment accompanies his conversation on the piano.

Part 2 and 3 of this event are available ad-free for subscribers now and for our listeners who

don't subscribe, part 2 will be available in our next episode. This event took place in April 2023

in Codogan Hall, London.

Thank you very much and good evening everyone. It's wonderful to see such a great turnout for what

promises to be a lively, entertaining, informative and I'm sure inspiring event. And thank you to

for being willing to participate in this perfectly preposterous notion that you can choose between

Beethoven and Bach. There is nothing rational about this. We happily admit that. We ask you to

just suspend reason and go with emotion. Just go with it and listen to the arguments. Imagine

yourselves on a desert island perhaps that there you are for two months, you're stuck with one

composer who would you listen to. I of course have my own feelings but as a BBC lifeer you will

understand that I will remain completely impartial. To help you decide between the two composers we

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