If he were alive today, there is no doubt that the flautist Elijah Rennison Hudson would be referred to as a child prodigy.

From a musical family, he played in the Hudson family band on the pier in Skegness. They were a well-known act at the time and Eli was presented to the Duke of Edinburgh when he visited the town and played for the German kaiser when he was 12 years old. At the age of 17 he was offered an open scholarship to the Royal College of Music, and on 2 May 1895 he moved from Prospect House in Skegness to 14 Oakley Crescent in Chelsea to begin his studies.

As we approach our weekend marking the centenary of World War I (31 October –2 November), broadcaster and writer Stephen Johnson explores the connection between music and war - its healing and its galvanising properties - and the speakers that will be taking part in our Musical Brain Study Day on Sunday 2 November at LSO St Luke's.

Our series of blogs about the LSO during World War I has so far concentrated on the musicians of the Orchestra that were called to active service and how the war affected them. But for those left behind - either too old to serve or physically unable to fight - and still trying to make a living from music, the war would make its mark just as indelibly.

LSO Live’s newest releases, Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique & Overture: Waverley, Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3, Overture: The Hebrides & Schumann's Piano Concerto, are not only musically captivating, but are also the first on the label to be released in the exciting new format, Pure Audio Blu-ray.

So what is Pure Audio Blu-ray?