Grace Cummings' Bloodhorse! and the legacy of Vivaldi's star orphan

Grace Cummings’ latest album is called Bloodhorse! and it's fantastic and fantastically strange. Her ragged, bluesy voice floats through a lush, ornate sound world on tracks like 'The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Morphine', and 'WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!', the latter of which was recorded whilst Grace wielded a grim reaper style scythe in the studio. She joins Andy to take us into the highly-strung world of the record.

Anna Maria della Pieta was a Venetian orphan who was taught, celebrated and written for by Antonio Vivaldi. Her musical life is the subject of a new production by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, with American historical violinist Augusta McKay Lodge leading. Augusta joins Andy to tell the story of Anna Maria.

Plus new music from Mara, who is playing Phoenix Central Park in Sydney on 18 August.

Vivaldi’s Legacy is on in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane 12 - 25 August.

Music heard in the show:

Title: Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 267a 'per Anna Maria'; I. Allegro

Artist: Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Orchestre Le Consort

Composer: Vivaldi, Antonio

Album: Vivaldi: Concerti Per Una Vita

Label: Harmonia Mundi

Title: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Morphine, WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!, My God, John Lennon

Artist: Grace Cummings