TRANSCRIPT

You will hear a radio broadcast called ‘Focus on the Arts’.

First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16 on page 5.

(pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

(pause)

Hello, and welcome to ‘Focus on the Arts’. I’m your host – David

Green – and this is your very own local radio programme. Every

Friday evening we put the spotlight on different arts and culture

facilities, and look at the shows and events that are on offer in

the coming week.

And today the focus is on the National Arts Centre. Now, if you

don’t already know it yourself, I’m sure you’ve all heard of it. It’s

famous throughout the world as one of the major venues for

classical music.

But did you know that it’s actually much more than just a place

to hear concerts? The Centre itself is a huge complex that

caters for a great range of arts. Under a single roof, it houses

concert rooms, theatres, cinemas, art galleries and a wonderful

public library, as well as service facilities including three

restaurants and a bookshop. So, at any one time, the choice

of entertainment there is simply enormous.

So how did they manage to build such a big arts complex right

in the heart of the city? Well, the area was completely destroyed

by bombs during the war in 1940. So the opportunity was taken

to create a cultural centre that would be what they called ‘the

City’s gift to the Nation’. Of course, it took a while for such a big

project to get started, but it was planned in the ‘60s, built in the

‘70s and eventually opened to the public in 1983. Ever since

then, it has proved to be a great success. It’s not privately

owned, like many arts centres, but is still in public hands – it’s

run by the City Council. Both our National Symphony Orchestra

and National Theatre Company were involved in the planning

of the project, and they’re now based there – giving regular

performances every week – and as the Centre is open 363 days

of the year, there are plenty of performances to choose from.

(pause)

Before you hear the rest of the broadcast you have some time

to look at questions 17 to 20 on page 5.

(pause)

Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

(pause)

So, to give you some idea of what’s on, and to help you

choose from the many possibilities, we’ve made a selection

of the star attractions.

If you’re interested in classical music, then we recommend

you go along to the National on either Monday or Tuesday

evening at 7.30 for a spectacular production of ‘The Magic Flute’

– probably the most popular of all Mozart’s operas. It’s in the

Garden Hall and tickets start at only £8.00, but you’ll have to

be early if you want to get them that cheap! And remember,

it’s only on for those two evenings.

For those more interested in the cinema, you might like to

see the new Canadian film, which is showing on Wednesday

evening at 8.00 p.m. in Cinema 2. And that’s called ‘Three

Lives’. It’s had fantastic reviews and tickets cost just £4.50,

which is a reduction on the usual price of £5.50. So, it’s really

good value, especially for such a great movie.

But you can see the centre’s main attraction at the weekend,

because on Saturday and Sunday, 11.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.,

they’re showing a wonderful new exhibition that hasn’t been

seen anywhere else in Europe yet. It’s a collection of Chinese

art called ‘Faces of China’ – that’s in Gallery 1 – and it has some

really fascinating paintings and sculptures by leading artists

from all over China – and the good news is that it’s completely

free, so don’t miss it!

So, why not go along to the National Arts Centre next week

for one – or all – of these great events – and you can always

pick up a programme and check out all the other performances

and exhibitions on offer, or coming soon, on almost every day

of the year.

Next week we’ll be looking at the new Museum of Science. [fade]

You now have half a minute to check your answers.