{"id":38843,"date":"2024-02-09T16:15:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T15:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a51c22ad-87e0-4b79-be3e-ff94f0239890"},"modified":"2024-02-09T17:41:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:41:16","slug":"downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown Abbey star Michelle Dockery shares her favourite classical music"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Freya Parr\n      <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Friday, 09 February 2024 at 15:15 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p><strong>Michelle Dockery is best known for her longstanding role as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV period drama <i>Downton Abbey<\/i>, which she has reprised for the show\u2019s subsequent films. A trained singer as well as a stage and screen actor, Dockery has performed with bands and as a solo artist on and off over the years. She has recently teamed up with fellow <i>Downton Abbey<\/i> actor Michael Fox to form a folk duo known as Michael and Michelle. Here she chats to <em>BBC Music Magazine <\/em>about the folk and classical music that has influenced her and her work.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michael &amp; Michelle - Misfire (Audio)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3SQFUzGI0-8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Michelle Dockery on the classical muisc that has shaped her life<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-downtown-abbey-theme-tune-by-john-lunn\">Downtown Abbey theme tune by John Lunn<\/h3><p>&#8220;Having played Lady Mary<i>,<\/i> you\u2019d think I\u2019d be sick of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/guide-music-downton-abbey\"><i>Downton Abbey<\/i>\u2019s theme tune<\/a> <\/strong>but I\u2019m not, surprisingly. I even play it on the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/who-invented-the-piano\">piano<\/a><\/strong>, which people find hilarious \u2013 they see it as me breaking into my own theme tune. The <i>Downton Abbey<\/i> composer John Lunn is a complete genius \u2013the way he creates a theme tune with such a recognisable hook absolutely fascinates me. As soon as the music begins, you can see the castle and the characters in your mind\u2019s eye.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Baz Luhrmann&#8217;s Romeo + Juliet soundtrack<\/h3><p>&#8220;Soundtracks have always been a big obsession for me, as I wanted to be an actor from a really young age. If a film really struck me, I always wanted to dive into its soundtrack. I had the double cassette of the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann\u2019s <i>Romeo + Juliet,<\/i> which featured all the tracks by various different artists as well as all the original music used in the background of the film written by Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries. Every time I listened to the soundtrack, it was as though I was<i> <\/i>in<i> <\/i>the film. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">River by Joni Mitchell<\/h3><p>&#8220;If I was ever on Radio 4\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/what-is-the-desert-island-discs-theme-tune\"><i>Desert Island Discs<\/i><\/a><\/strong>, my choices would be really eclectic. I grew up on Motown, but as I entered my teenage years I became more influenced by folk music. I was introduced to Joni Mitchell when I was about 14 and learnt to play <i>River <\/i>on the piano. I still don\u2019t know if the chords were even correct. I remember going to a restaurant and my family made me get up and play it on the piano there, which must have been such a funny image. There\u2019s something jarring about seeing someone so young singing such a mature song. I was a 14 year-old who hadn\u2019t learnt anything about life, but was singing a song like<i> River<\/i>, which is all about the complexities of a heart-breaking relationship. Joni Mitchell is someone that stays with you throughout the different stages of your entire life. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Musical theatre favourites<\/h3><p>&#8220;When I was younger, my sister and I were always harmonising to the music we heard. I think that\u2019s why Michael Fox and I have formed our new folk duo. I\u2019ve always loved that kind of unison singing. It was around this time that Oasis influenced everything for me: how I dressed and who I hung out with. Their songs were some of the first I played on the guitar when I was going through an indie-grunge phase as a teenager. I went to a brilliant stage school when I was growing up and very nearly went down the musical theatre route. I auditioned for a few musicals but wasn\u2019t successful, which actually turned out to be pretty fortunate, because my career could have taken a very different direction. I was always much more disciplined as an actor than as a singer or dancer. That said, the music of <i><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/west-side-story-our-guide-to-bernsteins-original-1957-musical\">West Side Story<\/a><\/strong>, Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/i> and<i> Guys and Dolls <\/i>have always stayed with me, because I sang so many of those songs and learnt dance routines from them. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vaughan Williams&#8217;s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis<\/h3><p>&#8220;Classical music has always been part of my life. I remember first hearing <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/ralph-vaughan-williams\">Vaughan Williams<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/vaughan-williamss-fantasia-on-a-theme-of-thomas-tallis\"><i>Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis <\/i><\/a><\/strong>when I was listening to Classic FM while studying for my GCSEs and was completely sucked in by it. If I\u2019m learning lines for an acting role, I always turn to piano music to help me concentrate. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The piano works of Ludovico Einaudi<\/h3><p>The first thing I listen to in the morning and when I\u2019m driving is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/ludovico-einaudi\">Ludovico Einaudi<\/a><\/strong>. Music plays a big part in my acting career, and I often build and create playlists to help me tap into the character I\u2019m portraying.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vaughan Williams&#8217;s The Lark Ascending<\/h3><p>There are certain pieces of music that seem to represent the course of an entire life through their narrative. Vaughan Williams\u2019s<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/four-of-the-best-recordings-of-vaughan-williamss-the-lark-ascending\"><i> The Lark Ascending <\/i><\/a><\/strong>is one such piece that I\u2019ll never tire of. It takes you through birth, adolescence and adulthood within the space of 15 minutes or so.&#8221;<\/p><p><strong><i>Interview by Freya Parr<\/i><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Photo: Getty Images<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\"><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/interiors\/homes\/inside-highclere-castle\">Inside the real Downton Abbey: take<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/interiors\/homes\/inside-highclere-castle\/\"> a tour of Highclere Castle<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/interiors\/decorating\/interviews\/how-historically-accurate-is-downton-abbey\">How historically accurate is Downton Abbey<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Freya Parr Published: Friday, 09 February 2024 at 15:15 PM Michelle Dockery is best known for her longstanding role as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey, which she has reprised for the show\u2019s subsequent films. A trained singer as well as a stage and screen actor, Dockery has performed with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38844,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music.jpg",1024,683,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music.jpg",800,534,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music.jpg",1024,683,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/downtown-abbey-star-michelle-dockery-shares-her-favourite-classical-music.jpg",1024,683,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Freya Parr Published: Friday, 09 February 2024 at 15:15 PM Michelle Dockery is best known for her longstanding role as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey, which she has reprised for the show\u2019s subsequent films. A trained singer as well as a stage and screen actor, Dockery has performed with&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}