Pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench joins Classic FM to present new series ‘Music to Live By’
8 April 2026, 11:30 | Updated: 8 April 2026, 11:35
The ‘Bluebird’ composer will present a new eight-week series exploring how classical music can soundtrack everyday life.
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Star musician and composer Alexis Ffrench will join Classic FM to present a new series on the classical music that is part of our everyday lives.
Across eight weeks, Music to Live By with Alexis Ffrench will look at the ways music can lift your mood, help you unwind, and bring you moments of calm and focus when you need them most.
Alexis describes the series as an “essential emotional toolkit”, as he plays the role of your personal musical concierge.
Read more: 10 most relaxing pieces of classical music
Alexis Ffrench plays a grand piano at Steinway & Sons in London
Beginning Friday 10 April at 9pm, the first episode looks at classical pieces inspired by dreams, from Franz Liszt’s ‘Liebestraum’ and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, to the layered dreamscapes of Inception and its score by Hans Zimmer.
Read more: 19 iconic pop songs you didn’t know were directly inspired by classical music
Episode two is all about the ways classical music has inspired other musical genres: pop ballads, rock ‘n’ roll, West Coast hip hop and more. From Elvis Presley to Bridgerton, Xzibit to Noel Gallagher, artists across generations have turned to the likes of Richard Strauss, Gabriel Fauré, and Sergei Rachmaninov for inspiration.
