Words and Music - 14/02/2010

Occidental as well as oriental - Turkey has often been disputed territory. It's the site of Homer's Troy; much of Xenophon's famous expedition takes place on its soil; and the country and its people have attracted admirers like the poets Yeats and John Ash as well as detractors like T.E.Lawrence. Byron as well as Lady Wortley Montagu have fallen under the spell of its customs and more recent visitors such as Rose Macaulay and Neal Ascherson have been both beguiled and bemused by their experience of the country.There's music to match from Mozart, Dave Brubeck, Arvo Part and Cantemir and the actors Ruth Wilson and Toby Jones are ready to set sail for Byzantium and beyond.