Composer of the Week: Recent Episodes
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3's Composer Of The Week is a guide to composers and their music. The podcast is compiled from the week's programmes and published on Friday, it is only available in the UK.
Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music - from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival.
Symphony no. 35, K385 ‘Haffner’Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207Concerto for Flute Harp and orchestra in C, K299Symphony no. 31 D major, K297 'Paris'Idomeneo Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466Concerto for Two pianos no. 10 in E flat major, K365Exsultate JubilateSymphony No. 29 in A major, K201Vespers sollennes de confessore in C, K339Sonata for Piano Four hands in D major, K381String Quartet no. 20 in D Major, K499 ‘Hoffmeister’Symphony no. 36, K425 ‘Linz’String Quartet no. 19 in C major, K465 ‘Dissonance’Fantasia in C minor, K475Symphony no. 41 in C Major, K551 'Jupiter'Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail - OvertureDer Schauspieldirektor, K486: Da Schlägt die AbschiedsstundePiano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K491Così fan tutteChamber Orchestra of EuropeClarinet concerto in A major, K622Masonic funeral music in C minor, K477Trio in E flat for clarinet viola and piano, K498 'Kegelstatt'The Magic Flute: OvertureThe Magic Flute: FinaleRequiem in D minor. K626
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Megan Jones for BBC Wales Audio
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ztsh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George Frideric Handel through the patrons, employers and institutions that helped shape his career. From the aristocratic circles of Italy and the court of Hanover to royal favour in Britain and the charitable culture of Dublin, Handel proved adept at navigating the worlds on which composers depended. Yet he remained unusually independent, moving between courts, theatres and concert halls while steadily building a career on his own terms. Along the way, patronage could offer opportunity, security and prestige, but it also brought rivalries, competing loyalties and political complications. Through sacred music, opera, anthem and oratorio, this podcast traces how Handel responded to the people and places that supported his work.
Music featured includes extracts from:
Dixit Dominus, HWV 232Tu fedel? Tu costante?, HWV 171a: Recitative and ariaRodrigo, HWV 5: Overture; recitative and ariaIl trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: OvertureIl trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: "Pure del cielo"La Resurrezione, HWV 47Eternal Source of Light Divine, HWV 74Nine German Arias, HWV 202–210: No. 6, "In den angenehmen Büschen"Rinaldo, HWV 7a: OvertureSilla, HWV 10: OvertureIl pastor fido, HWV 8a: "Sol nel mezzo risona del core"Water Music Suite No. 2 in D major, HWV 349Acis and Galatea, HWV 49a: "Love sounds th'alarm"As Pants the Hart, HWV 251bAcis and Galatea, HWV 49a: SinfoniaEsther, HWV 50aCoronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest, HWV 258Coronation Anthem: My Heart Is Inditing, HWV 261Riccardo Primo, HWV 23: Act III ChorusAtalanta, HWV 35: OvertureAlexander's Feast, HWV 75Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, HWV 264Messiah, HWV 56: SinfoniaL'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55: "Sweet Bird"Imeneo, HWV 41Messiah, HWV 56: Part IIIFoundling Hospital Anthem, HWV 268
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002yxkn.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod explores the development of Nigerian art music through the lives and work of some of its most influential composers. Joined by Alexander Douglas, he traces the emergence of a musical tradition shaped by European missionary education, church music and indigenous cultural practices, beginning with Fela Sowande’s pioneering synthesis of Yoruba and Western traditions. From Sowande's early years in Lagos and London to the work of later figures including Ayo Bankole, Akin Euba, Samuel Akpabot and Nkeiru Okoye, the podcast follows a continuing conversation about identity, heritage and musical innovation. Along the way, we hear how generations of composers drew on local traditions while creating new forms of concert music, and how their legacy continues to evolve today.
Fela Sowande: High LifeJoshua Uzoigwe: Talking DrumsFela Sowande: Go Down MosesJosiah Ransome-Kuti: Obángíjì Iwo Lo to SìnFela Sowande: African SuiteFela Sowande: 2 Preludes on Yoruba Sacred Folk Melodies – No. 1 K’A MuraFela Sowande: Yoruba LamentFela Sowande: Night and DayFela Sowande: SunsetFela Sowande: ObangijiAyo Bankole: Egun Variations in G majorAyo Bankole: Variations for Little AyoAyo Bankole: Nigerian SuiteAyo Bankole: Three Yoruba SongsAyo Bankole: Ya OruleAyo Bankole: Piano Sonata No. 2 in C major “The Passion”Akin Euba: Three Yoruba Songs Without WordsAkin Euba: Scenes from Traditional LifeAkin Euba: Six Yoruba Folk SongsAkin Euba: Study in African Jazz 3Akin Euba: Igba KerinAkin Euba: Igba KinniAkin Euba: Wakar DuruJoshua Uzoigwe: Nigerian Dance No. 1Samuel Akpabot: Scenes from Nigeria – PastoraleSamuel Akpabot: Three Nigerian DancesNkeiru Okoye: African SketchesNkeiru Okoye: Breaking BreadNkeiru Okoye: Songs of Harriet Tubman – I Am Harriet Tubman, Free Woman
Presented by Donald Macleod with Alexander DouglasProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fela Sowande and the Art Music of Nigeria https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y62n.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Leonard Bernstein – conductor, composer, educator and one of the most recognisable figures in American cultural life. From his student years at Harvard and the influential friendships that helped launch his career, to his breakthrough as a young conductor and his success on Broadway, Bernstein combined a rare range of talents with a gift for public communication. His story encompasses symphonies and musicals, Hollywood and television, artistic triumphs and professional setbacks. Alongside his achievements ran a complex personal life, shaped by his marriage to Felicia Montealegre, his struggles with identity, and an enduring commitment to political and charitable causes. Through his music, we follow a figure who helped define American music in the twentieth century.
Music featured includes:West Side Story – AmericaDivertimentoAnniversaries – I. For Aaron CoplandSerenade after Plato’s Symposium – IV. AgathonClarinet Sonata – 2nd movementSymphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" – EpilogueOn the Town – New York, New YorkSymphony No. 1 "Jeremiah"Three Dance Episodes from On the TownFancy Free – FinaleSlava! A Political OvertureTrouble in Tahiti – PreludeWonderful Town – Overture; Ballet at the Village Vortex; Wrong Note RagSymphonic Suite from On the WaterfrontPrelude, Fugue and RiffsFacsimile – 1st movementWest Side Story – OvertureMass – Pax: CommunionCandide Overture1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SuiteSongfestFour Anniversaries – I. For Felicia MontealegreA Quiet Place – PostludeWest Side Story – TonightConcerto for Orchestra – 3rd and 4th movementsChichester PsalmsArias and Barcarolles – Nachtspiel (Postlude)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y04k.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod explores a rich and varied body of music gathered under a single name: Anonymous. Bringing together works whose creators were never recorded, later forgotten or deliberately obscured, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions from Professor Lisa Colton and Professor Fay Hield, there is a focus on how anonymous works have been preserved, collected and sometimes reshaped over time, from medieval polyphony and early modern song to folk traditions passed down through generations. Along the way, questions emerge about authorship, ownership and how we listen to music when its origins are uncertain or shared.
Music featured includes:Romance Anonimo (arr. Yepes) from Jeux interditsHorn Concerto in E flat majorThree Medieval Dances: A que as cousas coitadas; Il Trotto; La Quarte Estampie RoyalShallow BrownDances from Le Concert Royal de la Nuit (1653)Three Modinhas from 18th Century PortugalNeapolitan Songs: Barcarola napoletana; La favola dell'uccello grifoneLa Messe de Tournai: Gloria; CredoThe Cruel MotherThe Bull RingVaughan Williams: English Folk Song SuiteThree Dances (arr. Praetorius)Attrib. Beethoven: Waltz in B flat major ‘Gertrude’s Dream Waltz’Attrib. L. Mozart: Cassation in G major ‘Toy Symphony’Mrs Philarmonica: Sonata Sesta in G majorAttrib. Mozart: Divertimento in E flat major, K.196eAttrib. Brahms: Piano Trio in A major, Op. post.El Cant de la SibillaThe Banks of the NileGreen GravelIn Te Domine speraviThree Medieval DancesSumer is icumen inAgincourt CarolO sponsa Dei electaThree Worcester FragmentsLovely on the WaterThe Bloody GardenerOld England Grown NewThree Cantigas de Santa María
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Claudio Monteverdi, following his path from early experiments in Cremona to a career that would reshape European music. Trained in the traditions of Renaissance polyphony, Monteverdi gradually pushed against its limits, developing a more direct and expressive musical language. His years at the Mantuan court brought both opportunity and pressure, as he wrote increasingly bold madrigals and helped to establish opera as a new art form. After a period of upheaval, he rebuilt his career in Venice, adapting his music to new spaces, audiences and expectations as public opera emerged. Across sacred works, madrigals and stage pieces, Monteverdi’s writing reflects a composer responding closely to the demands of his time.
Featuring excerpts from:Scherzi musicali a tre voci: Damigella tutta bellaSacrae cantiunculaeCanzonette a tre voci (Nos. 1–3)Sinfonia for two violins and viola da brazzoVattene pur, crudelL’OrfeoMadrigali amorosiCruda AmarilliIo mi son giovinettaVespers of 1610 Cor mio, non mori?L’Orfeo, Act 5Lætaniæ della Beata VergineIl sesto libro de madrigaliPianto della MadonnaZefiro torna e di soave accentiSelva morale e spiritualeBeatus virChiome d’oro, bel tesoroIl combattimento di Tancredi e ClorindaIl ritorno d’Ulisse in patriaL’incoronazione di Poppea: Pur ti miro
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x7t6.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z (the same every week)
This week Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a cultural icon: trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis, who was born 100 years ago this week and remains one of the most innovative and influential figures in 20th-century music. Kate is joined throughout the week by the leading American jazz critic Nate Chinen. Together, they'll survey his vast recorded output, which spans five decades, prioritising his own compositions but also appreciating the art of improvisation as spontaneous composition.
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Florence Price, joined by pianist and scholar Samantha Ege. From her childhood in Little Rock, where family, education and the realities of racial segregation shaped her early ambitions, Price’s story unfolds through persistence, reinvention and growing recognition. Moving through her years of study and early career, we hear how she drew on African American musical traditions while navigating the social and political pressures around her. In Chicago, she found a vibrant artistic community and new opportunities, leading to orchestral success and national visibility. In her later years, recognition remained uneven, and her music continued to evolve in the face of resistance and neglect, with works still coming to light long after her death.
Music featured includes:Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint: No. 4 Shortnin’ BreadViolin Concerto No. 2Symphony No. 4 in D minor (extract)Scenes in Tin Can Alley: Children at PlayFantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minorFantasie Nègre No. 2 in G minorString Quartet No. 2 in A minor – FinaleConcert Overture No. 2AdorationFantasie No. 2 in F sharp minorA Day in the Life of a WasherwomanFantasie No. 1 in G minorThe Goblin and the MosquitoSongs to the Dark VirginEthiopia’s Shadow in America (extracts)Symphony No. 1 in E minor (extract)Symphony No. 1 in E minor – Juba DancePiano Concerto in One Movement (extract)SympathyMy Soul’s Been Anchored in the LordThe OakResignationViolin Concerto No. 1 in D major – AllegroThe Mississippi River (extracts)Fantasie Nègre No. 3 in F minor
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Florence Price (1887-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vw41.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Béla Bartók was regarded as one of Hungary’s greatest composers. His fellow countryman, the pianist Andras Schiff, called him “one of the giants in the history of music.” But he was also one of the founders of what we now call ethnomusicology, spending much of his time immersed in peasant life, collecting folk songs. As around him Europe was torn apart by conflict, Bartók found relief in rural life and took inspiration from these traditional tunes, incorporating them into his own compositions.
Music featured:Romanian Folk DancesRhapsody for piano, Op. 1, BB36a, Sz. 26Kossuth Symphonic Poem Sz21Szekely Folksong, BB 34, "Piros alma"3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csik, BB 45b, Sz. 35aEight Hungarian FolksongsAllegro Barbaro14 BagatellesFor ChildrenViolin Concerto No. 1, BB48a, Sz 36: Andante sostenuto7 Sketches, BB 54, Sz. 44Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48, Op. 11Four Dirges, Op. 9aThe Wooden Prince, Sz. 60Village Scenes, Sz. 795 songs Op. 15Hungarian Folksongs (5), for voice & orchestra, BB. 108, Sz. 10144 Duos for Two Violins, BB 104, Sz. 98Out of Doors, Sz. 81Mikrokosmos, Book VString Quartet No. 6, Sz 114Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Béla Bartók (1881-1945) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vl6f
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Camille Saint‑Saëns, a composer whose career was shaped as much by personality and circumstance as by precocious talent. Raised in Paris by strong‑minded women who recognised his gifts early, Saint‑Saëns grew into a formidable pianist and an alert observer of the musical world around him. He moved easily through the city’s salons, where reputations were made, ideas exchanged, and music absorbed as a social force as much as an art. Alongside influential relationships, including a lasting creative bond with Gabriel Fauré, Saint‑Saëns was drawn into a life increasingly shaped by travel.
Music featured includes:Danse macabre, Op. 40Calme des nuits (Deux Chœurs, Op. 68 No. 1)Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12 (Movements 1–4)Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 2Tarantelle in A minor, Op. 6Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 14Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 20Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22Le timbre d’argent (extract)Marche héroïque, Op. 34La jeunesse d’Hercule, Op. 50A Voice by the Cedar TreeRomance in C major, Op. 48Romance, Op. 36Le Déluge: PreludeSamson et Dalila: “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix”Requiem, Op. 54 (extracts)Suite algérienne, Op. 60: PréludeÉtienne Marcel: Ballet Music (extracts)Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33Le carnaval des animauxOboe Sonata in D major, Op. 166
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002v8nk.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
This week, Donald Macleod traces the making of Joseph Haydn – from his long years of service to the Eszterházy princes on a remote Hungarian estate to his emergence as one of the most celebrated composers in Europe. Working in relative isolation, Haydn developed a distinctive musical voice while managing opera houses, orchestras and singers, gradually attracting attention far beyond the court. As new freedoms allowed him to publish and sell his music more widely, commissions came from Paris, Spain and London, and friendships in Vienna – most notably with Mozart – reshaped his artistic world. The programmes follow Haydn at a moment of transition, as growing fame sits alongside frustration, ambition and a readiness for change that would soon alter his life completely.
Music featured includes:Baryton Trio No. 126: FinalePhilemon und Baucis: Triumph, dem Gott der Götter!Il mondo della luna: Overture; Non aver di me sospettoSymphony No. 59 in A major ‘Fire’Armida: Se pietade avete, oh numiL’isola disabitata: Fra un dolce deliroSymphony No. 60 ‘Il distratto’: PrestoPiano Sonata No. 20 in C minor, Hob. XVI:20Missa Cellensis, Hob. XXII:8: GloriaIl ritorno di Tobia: Anna, m’ascoltaSymphony No. 81: VivacePiano Sonata No. 56, Hob. XVI:42String Quartet Op. 33 No. 4: FinalePiano Concerto No. 11 in D majorSymphony No. 98: AdagioStabat Mater: Sancta Mater istud agasSymphony No. 85 in B flat major ‘La Reine’String Quartet Op. 33 No. 5: LargoThe Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross: Nos. 8 & 9Symphony No. 77 in B flat major: VivaceThree Pieces for Musical Clock: Tempo di minuettoLondon Trio No. 3: SpirituosoArianna a NaxosSymphony No. 92 ‘Oxford’: FinaleLibera meSymphony No. 45 in F sharp minor ‘Farewell’: Finale
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002typ2.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod talks to British composer, pianist and conductor Thomas Adès.
Music featured:Hotel Suite from Powder Her FaceGefriolsae Me, Op 3BArcadiana Chamber Symphony…but all shall be wellPowder Her FaceStill SorrowingAsylaConcerto ConcisoThe TempestLieux retrouvés (Les champs)Violin ConcertoConcert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face In Seven DaysThe Four QuartersTotentanz Coffee-Spoon CavatinaAlchymiaBlanca VariationsNövények Concerto for piano and orchestraAquifer
Produced by Luke Whitlock.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Thomas Adès: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sq64
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Gaetano Donizetti was one of Italy’s most prolific tunesmiths, with almost 70 operas to his name – about as many as Rossini, Bellini and Verdi all combined - whose arias still cut straight to the heart today. Donald Macleod follows his irresistible rise: from a child brought up in a dark, cramped cellar to become a pioneering master of the style known as bel canto. And like any opera plot, there’s triumph and tragedy, headaches and heartbreak…
Music featured:L’Elisir d’amoreGloria (from Messa di Gloria)String Quartet No 5 in E minor Waltz in G majorZoraidaAmor marinaroL’Esule di RomaLucrezia BorgiaLucia di LammermoorString Quartet No 16 Maria StuardaMessa di Requiemll sogno “Nostre misere menti”Il sospiro “Donna felice, stanca d’amore”PoliutoLa fille du regimentLes MartyrsLa fille du regimentMaria PadillaTrovatella “Sovra il campo della vita”Don PasqualeString Quartet No 18Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terreRequiem: Offertorio – Lux Aeterna
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sd9n
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores five classical composers from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand: Douglas Lilburn, Jenny McLeod, Dame Gillian Whitehead, John Psathas, and Gareth Farr.
Music featured:
Douglas Lilburn:Symphony No 1AotearoaElegySings HarrySymphony No 3Three Inscapes, No 117 Pieces for Guitar Symphony No 2
Jenny McLeod:Rock ConcertoHear the Great Ocean (from Childhood, No 4)24 Tone ClockDolly Bird (Music for Four)Nā Kui ki a Tama: Te Pūroto KōpuaThree celebrations
Dame Gillian Whitehead:HineaukatauriTōruaAlicePūhake ki te RangiLullaby for MatthewKarohirohi
John Psathas:RealBadNow – VCraving the WorldVoices at the End (Mitote)Three Psalms (No 3, Sergei Bk. Ch. 1)Songs for Simon (No 1, His Second Time)Helix (No 3, Tarantismo)The All-Seeing Sky
Gareth Farr:Pukul The Horizon from Owhiro BayTentang Cara GamelanWaipouaHeadrushTe PapaKembang SulingNga Tai HurihuriFrom the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs (The Invocation of the Sea)
Presented by Donald Macleod.Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for New Zealand Composers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002s3nm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Kate Molleson traces the development of Jean Sibelius’s symphonies. Set against Finland’s changing political climate and Sibelius’s own, turbulent personal circumstances, the podcast explores what shaped each symphony’s character – from the nationalism surrounding Nos. 1 and 2, to the renewed sense of form in the Third, the more inward Fourth, and the reworked Fifth. The week concludes with the distinctive Sixth and the single‑movement Seventh, composed during a period of uncertainty both for Finland and Sibelius himself.
Music featured includes:Symphony No 2 in D, Op 43Song of my Heart, Op 18 No 6Symphony No 1 in E minor, Op 39The Diamond on the March Snow, Op 36 No 6Sunrise, Op 37 No 1Kyllikki, Op 41 No 3Symphony No 3 in C, Op 52The Captive Queen, Op 48ErloschenString Quartet in D minor, Op 56 ‘Voces Intimae’Des Abends, Op 58 No 5Symphony No 4 in A minor, Op 63Spring’s Spell, Op 61 No 8Romance, Op 78 No 2The Oceanides, Op 73The Echo Nymph, Op 72 No 4Symphony No 5 in E flat, Op 82Jokamies, Op 83Autrefois, Op 96bSymphony No 6 in D minor, Op 104Danses Champêtres, Op 106 No 1Symphony No 7 in C, Op 105
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rr2j
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores how Amy Beach railed against the sexism of her time to journey from a child piano prodigy to a respected composer.
Young BirchesValse – Caprice, op.43 Songs, Op 2 no 3 - Empress of NightEilende Wolken, segler der Lufte, Op. 18Violin Sonata, Op.34 - I. Allegro ModeratoQuartet for Strings in One MovementThe Lark QuartetRomance for violin and piano, op.23Ecstasy, Op.19 no 2Symphony in E Flat, Op.32 'Gaelic'Peace I leave with youDreaming (4 Sketches, Op.15)Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op.67Deus Misereatur, Op.78 no 2Jephthah’s Daughter, Op.53A Hermit Thrush At Morn, Op.92, no.2Piano Concerto, Op. 45From Grandmother’s Garden - V. HoneysuckleBy the still waters, Op.114 (arr. Lewin for 2 guitars)Hermit Thrush At Eve, Op.92, no.1 (1922)3 Piano pieces, Op. 128 (I. Scherzino)Ses Yeux, Op. 66Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 150Cabildo, Op. 149 “Ah, love is a jasmine vine”Canticle of the SunScottish Legend, Op. 54, No 1
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Amy Beach (1867-1944): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rf45
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Producer: Steven Rajam / Sam Phillips
Donald Macleod delves into the life of the great German composer Heinrich Schütz.
Music featured:Wohl denen, die ohne Wandel leben, SWV 482Tugend ist der beste Freund, SWV 442O primavera, SWV 1Wohl dem der ein tugendsam Weib hat, SWV 20Zion spricht, der Herr hat mich verlassen, SWV 46En novus Elysiis, SWV 49 (Syncharma Musicum)Ich heb mein Augen sehnlich auf, SWV 226 (Becker Psalter)Mit dem Amphion zwar mein Orgel und mein Harfe, SWV 501Auferstehungshistorie, SWV 50 Fili mi, Absalon, SWV 269Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt, SWV 305Erhöre mich, wenn dich ich rufe, SWV 289O der grossen Wundertaten, SWV 278Musikalische Exequien, SWV 279 Ich werde nicht sterben, SWV 346 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)Die mit Tränen säen, SWV 378 (Geistliche Chormusik)Haus und Güter erbet man von Eltern, SWV 21Teutoniam dudum belli, SWV 338Was betrübst du dich, SWV 353 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, SWV 386Seid barmherzig, SWV 409 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener, SWV 432Schütz: Die Erde trinkt für sich, SWV 438Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich, SWV 415 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)St Matthew Passion, SWV 479Vater Abraham, erbarme dich mein, SWV477Ich rufe von ganzem Herzen, SWV 491
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002qqry
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Kate Molleson, joined by Dr John Purser, explores the life and music of Erik Chisholm – one of Scotland’s most original and adventurous composers. From his early fascination with folk melody and the piano in Glasgow, through his championing of new music and his wide‑ranging artistic friendships, to his bold ventures in opera, ballet and international musical life, Chisholm’s story is one of restless curiosity and invention. We follow his journey from Scotland to India, Singapore and South Africa, tracing the ideas, collaborations and passions that shaped his distinctive voice.
Music featured includes:Airs from the Patrick MacDonald Collection: Nos. 18, 23–26Piano Sonatina No. 1Straloch Suite: Nos. 1–2Piano Concerto No. 1 “Piobaireachd”: I & IVViolin Concerto: II. Allegro scherzandoThe Three Worthies; Dirge for Summer; Snail, Snail, Shoot Out Your HornDance Suite for Orchestra: III. March; IV. ReelPiobaireachd: Nos. 1–4Piano Concerto No. 2 “Hindustani”: III. Rondo burlescaPictures from Dante (After Doré): I. Inferno; II. ParadisioPoems of LoveSymphony No. 2 “Ossian”: Prelude; Allegro animado; EpiloguePiano Sonata in A major “a Rhiobain Dearg”: IV. Allegro moderatoTangoScottish Airs for Children: Nos. 6–12From the True Edge of the Great World: Preludes 1, 8, 9Ceol Mòr Dances: Nos. 1–2Night Song of the Bards: Bard 3; Bard 4Simoon: excerptsDance Suite for Orchestra and Piano: I. Allegro energico; II. Piobaireachd
Presented by Kate Molleson.
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Erik Chisholm (1904-1965) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002qh44.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod takes a tour of the life of Franz Xaver Mozart, son of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with guest Professor Cliff Eisen.
Music featured:Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (excerpt)Das Finden, Op 27 No 2 (Drei Deutsche Lieder)Variations on a Minuet from W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op 2Piano Quartet in G minor Op 1Variation 28 for Anton Diabelli’s WaltzPiano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Allegro maestoso)Rondo in F, Op 4 (excerpt)Nein! (Sechs Lieder, No 3)Violin Sonata in B flat, Op 7Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Adagio)Polonaise mélancolique No 5 in F minor, Op 17Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Allegretto)Violin Sonata in F, Op 15 (excerpt)Sinfonia in DDas liebende Mädchen (Sechs Lieder, No 1)An spröde Schönen (Sechs Lieder, No 2)Piano Sonata in GViolin Sonata in F, Op 15 (Polonaise)In der Väter Hallen ruht, Op 12Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (excerpt)Variations on a Theme of an Ukrainian Folk Song, Op 18An Emma, Op 24Grand Sonata for piano and cello in E, Op 19Polonaise mélancolique, Op 22 No 1 (Risoluto)Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (Allegro con brio)Engel Gottes kündenRondo in E minorPolonaise mélancolique, Op 22 No 2-4An den Abendstern, Op 27 No 1Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002q4m1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Aaron Copland, one of the most distinctive voices in 20th-century American music. From his Brooklyn childhood and formative studies in Paris to his return home with bold new ideas, Copland’s career charts a path through modernism, jazz, and the search for an unmistakably American sound. We hear music that captures the spirit of a nation – from Billy the Kid and Lincoln Portrait to his Fanfare for the Common Man, before he made the move from composer to conductor.
Music featured includes: 4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo: iv. Hoe Down Two Preludes for violin and piano Four Early Songs: i. Night; ii. A Summer Vacation; iii. My Heart is in the East; iv. Alone Four Motets: iii. Have Mercy on Us, O My Lord Three Moods: i. Embittered; ii. Wistful; iii. Jazzy Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: ii. Scherzo; iii. Finale: Lento The Cat and the Mouse Old Poem; Pastorale Music for the Theater: i. Prologue; ii. Dance Piano Concerto Vitebsk (trio for violin, cello and piano) Hear Ye! Hear Ye! – ballet in one act: Scene i (Prelude) Piano Variations Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): i. Incisivo; ii. Espressivo; iii. Presto e ritmico El Salón México Billy the Kid Suite: i. Introduction: The Open Prairie; ii. Street in a Frontier Town; iii. Mexican Dance and Finale Letter from Home Appalachian Spring Suite: v. Solo Dance; vi. Meno mosso; vii. Variation on a Shaker Hymn Clarinet Concerto Lincoln Portrait Fanfare for the Common Man Two Pieces for String Quartet: No. 2. Allegro Moderato Piano Quartet: iii. Non troppo lento Music for a Great City: i. Skyline
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Elizabeth Ajao for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Aaron Copland (1900-1990): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002p75g
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod visits the home of Jane Austen with historian Amanda Vickery to discover some of the seasonal customs and Christmas music of late-Georgian Britain.
Music featured: Thomas Clark: While Shepherds Watched William Matthews: How beauteous are their feet Anon: The Holly and the Ivy Viotti: Violin Concerto No 13 in A Major Handel: Messiah Cimarosa: L'Olimpiade: Sinfonia Thomas Wilson: Wellington's Triumph Thomas Straight: Trip to Vauxhall, Sailor Laddie Weber (orch Berlioz): Aufforderung zum Tanz Trad (arr. Townsend): Arise and Hail the Joyful Day Trad.: Awake, and join the cheerful choir Attrib. Wade (arr. Vincent Novello): O come, all ye faithful Arr. Thomas Butts: Hark! how all the welkin rings Attwood: O God, Who by the Leading of a Star Mendelssohn: The Evening Bell Jarman: There were shepherds abiding John Wainwright: Christians, awake, salute the happy morn Pleyel: Symphony No.12 in E flat Kalmar Wesley: Rondo on God Rest You Merry Gentlemen Trad: The First Nowell Anon: Remember The Poor John Hill: The people that walked in darkness Richard Charke: Harlequin Restor'd John Frederick Lampe: The Dragon of Wantley, Overture
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Georgian Christmas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026800
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Sergey Prokofiev – a composer whose imagination shaped some of the most vivid music of the 20th century. From childhood stories in rural Ukraine to bold experiments at the St Petersburg Conservatory, from revolutionary Russia to the bright lights of New York, and finally to his dramatic homecoming, Prokofiev’s journey is full of ambition, upheaval and colour. We hear music that tells tales – fairytales, fantasies and fragments of real life – revealing a composer who never stopped dreaming.
Troika (from Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60) Cinderella Suite, Op. 87 The Winter Bonfire, Op. 122: IV–VIII Music for Children, Op. 65: Nos. 1–9 Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 Four Études, Op. 2 Autumnal Sketch Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 The Ugly Duckling, Op. 18 Cinderella Suite No. 1, Op. 107: IV. Fairy Godmother and Winter Fairy Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical' Seven, They Are Seven, Op. 30 Scythian Suite, Op. 20: I–II Old Grandmother’s Tales, Op. 31: Nos. 1–4 Overture on Hebrew Themes The Love of Three Oranges: Suite Five Songs Without Words Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63: II. Andante assai Le Pas d’acier Suite, Op 41a: I, II The Prodigal Son, Op. 46, Scene 1: IV–VIII Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n9nv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod visits Sir John Rutter at his Cambridgeshire home to celebrate his 80th birthday and explore the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. One of the most influential choral composers of the 20th and 21st centuries – and for many, the sound of Christmas – Rutter is also an international conductor, arranger, editor and producer, describing himself as a musical “magpie.” Across the week, we hear hallmark carols alongside music shaped by his life’s milestones: from childhood in London and formative years in Cambridge, to his long association with America, his response to personal tragedy, and his latest creative ventures.
Music featured:
Nativity Carol 4 Orchestral Miniatures: Dance to Your Daddy London Town: A Choral Celebration Shepherd’s Pipe Carol The Lord Bless You and Keep You Visions Cityscapes: Flower of Cities All Banquet Fugue (from The Reluctant Dragon) A Clare Benediction Reflections: Prelude What Sweeter Music Wind in the Willows (Extract – Opening) Somerset Wassail Candlelight Carol I’ll Make Me a World Gloria Cityscapes: Big Apple Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit Lord Make me an Instrument (arr. for orchestra) Requiem: Lux Aeterna Mass of the Children: Sanctus and Benedictus The Gift of Life: The Gift of Each Day There is a flower When Icicles Hang: Good Ale Bird Songs: If I were an Owl Dancing Tree (In My Garden) Celebration Overture All the Stars Looked Down Carol of the Magi
Presented by Donald Macleod. Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for John Rutter (b 1945) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mk0y.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
This week, Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a musical giant – drummer and composer Max Roach – in the company of writer and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre. Together they trace Roach’s extraordinary journey: from his early days at the heart of bebop alongside Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, through his pioneering role as a bandleader, his political activism during the civil rights era, and his later innovations in percussion and collaboration. Roach’s story is one of constant reinvention as performer, composer and activist, shaping jazz and beyond for more than half a century.
Music includes:
Dr Free-Zee (from Max Roach +4) Joy Spring (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach) Bu Dee Daht (from Coleman Hawkins: Rainbow Mist) Salt Peanuts (from Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker: Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945) Ko-Ko (from Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes) Bird Gets the Worm (from Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes) Move (from Miles Davis: The Complete Birth of the Cool) Cherokee (from Jazz at Massey Hall) Cou Manchi-Cou (from Max Roach Quartet, featuring Hank Mobley) Maximum (from In the Beginning) Daahoud (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach) Sandu (from Study in Brown) Take the A Train (from Study in Brown) Fleurette Africain (from Money Jungle) Driva’man (from We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite) Freedom Day (from We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite) Garvey’s Ghost (from Percussion Bitter Sweet) Lonesome Lover (from It’s Time: Max Roach, his Chorus and Orchestra) The Drum Also Waltzes (from Drums Unlimited) Libra (from Members Don’t Git Weary) Let Thy People Go (from Lift Every Voice and Sing) Joshua (from Lift Every Voice and Sing) A Quiet Place (from Collage) Double Delight (from Bright Moments) Spirit Possession (from Birth and Rebirth) Love is a Many Splendored Thing (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street)
Presented by Kate Molleson. Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Audio Wales & West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Max Roach (1924-2007) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mb7w.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
This week, Donald Macleod explores Wagner’s world of dreams – musical, romantic and revolutionary. Wagner didn’t just write operas; he imagined entire worlds, reshaping reality to fit his ideals. His stories blur fact and fantasy, turning myth into truth and politics into drama. From youthful ambitions and radical uprisings to scandal, patronage and the creation of Bayreuth, we follow a composer whose dreams were as grand as his music.
Götterdämmerung, Act III: Siegfried’s Funeral MarchDie Feen, Act II: Weh uns, weh!; O musst du, Hoffnung, schwindenPiano Sonata in B-flat Major, WWV 21, Op. 1 (ii. Larghetto)Lohengrin, Act III: Prelude and Bridal ChorusDas Liebesverbot, Act 1: Kennst du das Leid der Elternlosen; Herbei, betrognes VolkThe Flying Dutchman, Extract from Act IIIRienzi, OvertureDas Rheingold, Prelude and Scene 1Tristan und Isolde, Act 3: Isoldes LiebestodAlbumblatt (arr. August Wilhelmj)HuldigungsmarschLohengrin, Act III: In fernem Land “Grail Narration”Tristan und Isolde, Extract from Act IISiegfried, Love duet from Act III Scene 3Parsifal, Act III Suite, ed. Abbado: Good Friday MusicSiegfried, extract from Act II Scene 1Kinder-KatechismusDie Walküre, Act III Scene 3: Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music
Presented by Donald Macleod.Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales & West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Richard Wagner: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002m0kk.
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Elfrida Andrée, a Swedish composer and organist who fought for women’s rights in classical music.
Featuring guests Anastasia Belina and Jonas Lundblad. Music Featured: Fritiof Suite Summer memories from Bjurslätt Piano Sonata in A, Op 3 An angel walks through the room Symphony No 1 Romance No 2 Serenade String Quartet in A major Chorale with variations in D minor Piano Quintet in E minor Andante quasi recitativo Swedish Mass No 1 Symphony No 2 Four Piano Pieces Symphony No 2 Piano Trio in G minor Organ Symphony No 1 in B minor
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lnpf
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the often overlooked younger Haydn brother, Michael. From his early years in Vienna to his long tenure in Salzburg, Michael Haydn’s career was shaped by family ties, shifting patronage, and ecclesiastical politics. His relationship with the Mozart family ranged from friendly collaboration to bitter rivalry, and his music—both sacred and secular—reflected the changing demands of the church and court. As he aged, Michael faced new opportunities and challenges, including a long-awaited reunion with his brother Joseph and a prestigious job offer that stirred unexpected doubts.
Requiem in C minor pro defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismund, MH 155 Symphony No 32 in D Major, P 23 Missa Sancti Aloysii, MH 257 Concerto for Harpsichord and Viola in C major, MH 41 Missa Sanctae Crucis, MH 56 Symphony in B flat major, MH 82 Trumpet Concerto in C major, MH 60 Die Hochzeit auf der Alm Notturno in F major, MH 185 Missa Sancti Hieronymi Symphony No 24 in A major, P 15 Tenuisti manum, MH 695 Missa Quadragesimalis, MH 552 Divertimento in C major, P 98 Ninfe inbelli Missa Sancta Theresiae Der Obersulzer Wein, MH 697 Abendlied, MH 784 Trinklied im Freien, MH 790 Flute Concerto in D Major MH 81 Divertimento in C, MH 600 Missa sub titulo Sancti Leopoldi, MH 837 Endimione: Vado per un momento
Presented by Donald Macleod. Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West.
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Michael Haydn https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lcjr. And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z.
To celebrate the centenary of his birth, Kate Molleson explores the life and music of one of most influential figures in all of modern music – Luciano Berio. Berio’s music is lyrical and expressive, while never ignoring the most advanced techniques and technologies of his time. He worked with many key figures in 20th Century music while always following his own, very individual path, both through life and in his music, where he constantly pushed at and broke the boundaries he encountered. Music featured: Folk Différences Petite Suite Coro Sequenza IVCanzonetta for piano 4 hands Sequenza IIIChamber Music No 1 “Strings in the Earth and Air” Visage Beatles Songs - “Yesterday” RequiesCinque variazioni Calmo (in memorium Bruno Maderna) Thema - Omaggio a Joyce Chemins I (su sequenza II) for harp and orchestra Folk SongsSequenza V Laborintus IISinfoniaE si fussi pisci Sequenza IX Rendering (2nd mvt, Andante) Altra voce Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Luciano Berio (1925-2003): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002kz1p
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Johann Sebastian Bach is a towering cultural icon, a composer who might be seen as the poster boy for “serious music” and spent most of his career in the service of the church. But he played many roles in the course of his life, and could be funny, sassy, conniving, obstinate, and rebellious. Donald Macleod dives into Bach's secular music, and follows his trail as he makes his way in the world, from courts to coffee houses, building a family, two-timing his bosses, and even a stint behind bars.
Featured music:Brandenburg Concerto No 5, BWV1050 (i. Allegro)Flute Sonata in E minor, BWV1034Capriccio in honorem Johann Christoph Bach BWV993Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004 (v. Chaconne)Organ Sonata No 4, BWV528Lute Suite No 1 in E minor, BWV996Partita for Solo Violin in E major, BWV1006 (IV. Menuet)Fugue in G minor for violin and basso continuo, BWV1026Trio Sonata No 2 in C minor, BWV 526Concerto after Vivaldi in A minor, BWV593 (i. Allegro)Cantata BWV208 'Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!' (excerpt)Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV565Prelude and Fugue in F minorPrelude in D minor, BWV851Brandenburg Concerto No 5, BWV1050 (iii. Allegro)Cantata BWV134a ‘Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht’: Ergetzet auf ErdenBach Collegium JapanCello Suite No 2 in D minor, BWV1008 (Sarabande and minuets)French Suite No 4 in E-flat major, BWV815 (1st-4th movements)Brandenburg Concerto No 4 in G major, BWV1049Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1054 (iii. Allegro)Double Violin Concerto, BWV1043 (1st movement)Cantata, BWV214 “'Tönet, ihr Pauken'” (opening chorus)Orchestral Suite No 2, BWV1067 (3rd – 7th movements)Cantata BWV211 'Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht' (Coffee Cantata)“Peasant” Cantata – Mer hahn ein neue Oberkeet, BWV212: “Wir gehn nun wo der Dudelsak”Double Violin Concerto, BWV1043 (2nd movement)Orchestral Suite No 3, BWV1068 (iii. Gavotte to v. Gigue)Goldberg Variations, BWV988 (Aria and Variations 1-5)Musical Offering, BWV1079: Ricercar a 6The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan, BWV201 (“Pan ist Meister”….end)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johann Sebastian Bach: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002kdkg
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson speaks to Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga about her life and career.
Eleanor Alberga is a quietly rebellious composer. She draws inspiration from Jamaican folk songs, children's fairytales, ancient mythology - even chemistry. She was one of the first pianists to take modern dance seriously. And as a student, she arrived to performances on a motorcycle. Alberga joins Kate Molleson and takes us on a journey from Kingston to London and beyond.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Jamaican Medley Nightscape It’s Time Strata Tower The Soul’s Expression No Man’s Land Lullaby Dancing with the Shadow Clouds Ice Flow The Wild Blue Yonder String Quartet No. 3 Cwicseolfor Deep Blue Sea Piano Concerto
Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Eleanor Alberga https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002k3rh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life of Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo.
The Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo is responsible for one of the most instantly recognisable works for classical guitar - if not one of the most famous pieces of classical music full stop. But when he was just three years old, a bout of diptheria left him almost completely blind, and a future in composition seemed out of the question. How did he become one of Spain's most revered musical minds?
Music featured:Concierto de Aranjuez2 EsbozosRumaniana3 Evocaciones5 Sonatas de Castilla con toccata a modo de pregónJuglaresZarabanda LejanaPastorale2 BerceusesBagatelaPreludio de anoranzaSuite pour pianoPreludio para un poema a la Alhambra5 piezas infantilesSerenata españolaTres Danzas de EspañaCuatro estampas andaluzasSonada de adios (Homenaje a Paul Dukas)Per la flor del lliri blauCuatros PiezasCancion Del CucuCoplas del pastor enamoradoEn los trigalesTiento antiguoJunto al GeneralifeFantasia para un Gentilhombre: I. Villano y RicercareConcierto de estio: Siciliana: AndantinoInvocacion y danzaAusencias de DulcineaConcierto para una fiesta: Andante calmo
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002jfqx
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Robert Schumann’s years in Dusseldorf – the city where he would spend the final years of his life. Despite often being portrayed as a creative disaster, during this period, Schumann was greatly inspired by the city and by the countryside which surrounded it, and would write some of his greatest music.
Music featured:Marchenbilder, Op 113 (1st mvt, Nicht schnell)Symphony No 3 in E-flat major ‘Rhenish’ Op 975 Lieder, Op 40 (No 4, Der Spielmann)Geistervariationen in E-flat major for piano, WoO 24Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23 (2nd & 3rd mvts)Konzertstück for 4 Horns and Orchestra, Op 86 (1st mvt)Lieder und Gesange aus Wilhelm Meister, Op 98a Scenes from Goethe’s Faust, Part 3 (excerpt)The Bride of Messina OvertureKinderszenen, Op 15 (No 7 Träumerei)Genovera Overture Op 81 Sechs Gesange, Op 107 (No 6 Abendlied)Adventlied (excerpt)Mass in C minor, Op 147 (Gloria)Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 120 (1st mvt)Manfred Overture, Op 115Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 129Violin Sonata No 1 in A minor, Op 105 (2nd mvt)Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Op 112Marchenerzahlungen, Op132 (No 3)Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra in C major, Op 131Introduction and Concert Allegro, Op 134Blumenstuck in D-flat Major, Op 19Wenn mein Stundlein vorhanden ist
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Robert Schumann (1810-1856) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002hwtc And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald explores the life of Delius through five of his relationships
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
Music Featured:
The Walk to the Paradise GardenIrmelinRequiem Brigg FairSongs of FarewellOn Hearing the First Cuckoo in SpringNorth Country Sketches Florida SuiteViolin Sonata No 3Violin Sonata No 1Paa Vidderne (On the Mountains)Koanga (excerpts)Sleigh Ride (Winter Night)Paris, Song of a Great CityPiano Concerto in C minorAppalachia (Variations on an old slave songA Village Romeo and Juliet (The Walk to the Paradise Garden)On Craig Dhu (An impression of nature)Double ConcertoString Quartet Cello SonataHassan (excerpt)A Late LarkDance Rhapsody No 1
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor & Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Frederick Delius (1862-1934) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gcnkv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Dmitri Shostakovich’s life during the years of World War II, a period indelibly linked to his most famous work – the ‘Leningrad’ symphony - which became an international symbol of resistance against the Nazis when it was performed by an orchestra suffering from the effects of starvation during the siege of the city.
Music Featured:
Funeral march in Memory of Victims of the RevolutionPiano Concerto No 2 in F Major, Op 102 (2nd mvt, Andante)Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District (Act IV, Vstaváy! Po mestám! Zívo!)Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47 (4th mvt, Allegro non troppo)Piano Quintet in G minor, Op 57 (1st mvt, Prelude – Lento)Symphony no 7, Op.60 “Leningrad” (2nd mvt, Moderato)King Lear (excerpt)The tale of the priest and his servant Balda, Op 36 (Finale)Symphony No 1 in F minor, Op 10 (2nd mvt, Allegro)Rothschild’s violin (excerpt)Piano Sonata No 1, Op 12Symphony No 7 in C Major, Op 60 “Leningrad” (1st mvt, Allegretto)Counterplan, Op 33 (Song of the Counterplan)The Golden Age Suite, Op 22a (2nd mvt, Adagio)Preludes, Op 34 (Nos 9-13)Romances on English poets, Op 62Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 61 (3rd mvt, Moderato)Moscow-Chryomushki, Op 105 (1st mvt, A Spin through Moscow)Zoya Suite, Op 64a (1st mvt, Song about Zoya)Cello Concerto No 1 in E flat major, Op 107 (2nd mvt, Moderato)Symphony No 8, Op 65 (4th mvt, Largo)Piano Trio No 2 in E minor, Op 67 (4th mvt, Allegretto)Four Pushkin Romances (No 1, Rebirth)String Quartet No 2 in A major, Op 68 (3rd mvt, Valse Allegro)Symphony No 9 in E-flat major, Op 70 (5th mvt, Allegretto)Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor, Op 99 (1st mvt, Nocturne)From Jewish Poetry (No 8, Winter)Symphony No 13 (1st mvt, Babi Yar. Adagio)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gdl6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Composer of the Week celebrates the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt, one of the world’s most-performed and recognisable living composers. A composer who had the courage to defy Soviet edicts, to spend years searching for answers, to invent a personal language that pivots on past and present, on sound, silence and clarity. This week, Kate Molleson explores Pärt’s landmark works and extraordinary story in conversation with his son Michael.
Music Featured:
The Deer’s CrySongs from Childhood (I Am Already Big)Symphony No 1 (“Polyphonic” Sonatina No 1 NekrologCollage über BACHUkuaru WaltzFestina LenteCredoQuintettinoSymphony No 3 When Sarah Was Ninety Years Old (excerpt)MagnificatArbosFür AlinaSummaFratresTabula Rasa Missa SyllabicaHymn to a Great CityDe ProfundisCantus in Memoriam Benjamin BrittenSpiegel im SpiegelPassioBerlin Mass Estonian LullabyVater UnserOrient and OccidentWhich Was the Son Of…Littlemore TractusAnd I Heard a Voice
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Arvo Pärt https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002g1r7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky’s life away from home. He spent significant parts of his peak years travelling or staying with friends, and a remarkable amount of his music was composed whilst staying with friends, on holiday or concert tours, or sometimes as a fugitive on the run. This evolved into a full decade of rootless wandering, which is peculiar given his frequent homesickness for Russia.
Music Featured:
Overture in C MinorSymphony No 1 in G Minor, Op 13, "Winter Daydreams"Cherevichki, Op 4Symphony No 2 in C Minor, Op 17, "Little Russian"Piano Concerto No 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op 23Eugene Onegin, Act III Scene 2, Onegin! Ya togda molozheSwan Lake, Avt IV (excerpt)Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op 36Suite No 1 in D Major, Op 436 Romances, Op 38, No 6, Pimpinella (arr. E. Firsova)The Maid of Orleans, Op 4, Act I, Aria: Da, chas nastal - Ja, es ist Zeit … Lebt wohl, ihr BergeCapriccio Italien, Op 45Mazeppa: Act II, Scene 2, O, Mariya, Mariya! (Mazepa)Vesper Service, Op 52Les saisons (The Seasons), Op 37aFantaisie de Concert in G Major, Op 56Piano Trio in A Minor, Op 50Suite No 4 in G Major "Mozartiana" Op 61 Manfred Symphony, Op 5Symphony No 5 in E Minor, Op 64The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame), Op 68: Act I Scene1 (excerpt)String Sextet in D, Souvenir de Florence, Op 70The Nutcracker, Op 71: Act II Tableau 3: Dance of the Sugar-Plum FairySymphony No 6 in B Minor, "Pathétique" Op 74
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chambers for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ftlt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Welsh composer, Grace Williams.
Music Featured:
Elegy for CynddylanMissa CambrensisCastell CaernafonFour Medieval Welsh PoemsTrumpet ConcertoSuite for 9 InstrumentsHen WaliaSextetElegy for StringsSuite for 9 Instrument Symphony No 1Sea SketchesFantasia on Welsh Nursery TunesThe DancersPenillionSymphony No 2The ParlourTwo ChorusesBalladsFairest of Stars
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Grace Williams (1906-1977) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002f7dd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of “furniture music”, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions – and their peculiar annotations – were a revolution, paving the way for a new generation of musical rebels, including Les Six. He was just as odd in his day-to-day life, known for his quirky fashion and dramatic outbursts, he always kept a hammer in his pocket for fear of muggers and once even founded his own church.
Music Featured:
AllegroValse-balletFantaisie-valseChanson hongroiseUntitled (Première pensée Rose+Croix)OgivesSarabandesGymnopédiesVexationsTrois GnossiennesLe Fils des étoilesDanses gothiquesPrélude de la porte héroïque du cielPièces froidesJe te veuxLa Diva de l’EmpireTrois morceaux en forme de poireEn habit de chevalSports et divertissementsEnfantillages pittoresques (No 1, Petit prélude à la journée)Descriptions automatiquesParadeMusique d’ameublementSocrate (Mort de Socrate)NocturnesLudionsTrois MélodiesMercureRelâche, Pt. 1 (No 10, Final)Enfantines: Menus propos enfantinsEnfantines: Peccadilles importunes
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Erik Satie (1866-1925) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002dy5k
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson meets Gavin Bryars, the celebrated and much-loved composer whose kaleidoscopic career defies categorisation. As an inveterate collaborator, Bryars has worked alongside figures as diverse as Brian Eno, Tom Waites, the Hilliard Ensemble, Mainz Opera and Faroese singer-songwriter, Eivør Pálsdottír. He has collected a lifetime’s-worth of amazing stories along the way, and Kate invites Gavin to share some of the many surprising twists and turns in his journey from experimental outsider to concert hall favourite.
Music Featured:
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet The Stopping Train Crookesmoor The Sinking of the Titanic My First HomageWhite’s SS Medea: Prelude to Act 5Les FiançaillesOn PhotographyString Quartet No 2 Glorious HillCadman RequiemEpilogue from WonderlawnAdnan Songbook: Song IVEpilogue from ‘G’BipedMorte à spento quel sol ch' abagliar suolmi (Second Book of Madrigals)Double Bass Concerto "Farewell to St. Petersburg"A Man in a Room, Gambling (2, ‘3 Card Trick’)The Fifth Century, (VI, His Omnipresence Is Our Field Of Joys)Ciascun ke fede sente (Lauda 37)Tróndur í Gøtu (V, Shall I Abandon)A Native Hill
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gavin Bryars https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002djt7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod investigates the life of a Renaissance genius, Giovanni da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) was one of the most influential composers in European classical music. With his countless masses, motets and madrigals, infused with a deep sense of spirituality and musical beauty, Palestrina was named the 'Saviour of Church Music' at a revolutionary time when Rome was rewriting the rules of music composition. But what do we know about this mysterious character, between historical fact and hagiographic myth? Donald Macleod follows the clues, to try and reconstruct the story of a fascinating composer, on the (approximately) 500th anniversary of his birth.
Music Featured:
Sicut cervusLaudate pueriPueri hebraeorum (arr for dobro)Puer qui natus estMissa Assumpta est Maria (excerpt)Josquin des Prez: O virgo prudentissimaJosquin des Prez: Fortuna d’un gran tempoCostanzo Festa: Sancta Maria succurre miserisSacred Madrigals, Book 2, Città di DioRicercar del primo tuonoMagnificat Primi toniMissa Ecce sacerdos magnus (Sanctus)Quam pulchri sunt gressus tuiPulchra es, amica mea (arr Volbers for recorder ensemble)Missa Papae Marcelli (excerpt)Vergine bella… Vergine saggia…Vestiva i colliSabbato Sancto: Lectio III, Incipit oratio Ieremiae prophetaeMotecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum – liber primusMisso HerodesNicola Vicentino: Jerusalem convertereCristóbal de Morales: Gaude et laetare, Ferrariensis civitasMotecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum (Fuit homo missus a Deo)Missa Papae Marcelli (Sanctus)Ricercar del secondo tuonoMissa sine nomine a 6 arr Johann Sebastian BachL'homme armé (exceprt)Adoramus te Christe arr Leopold Stokowski for orchestraO admirabile commerciumMissa Ut re mi fa sol la (excerpt)Io son ferito (instrumental version)Missa Brevis (excerpt)Canite tuba (arr for brass ensemble)Deh hor foss’io col vago della luna (on a text by Petrarch)Offertoria totius anni (Jubilate Deo) arr A. Frackenpohl for brass ensembleStabat MaterMissa pro defunctis (Sanctus-Benedictus)First Book of Madrigals (Sestina. Mai fu piu crud’o spietata morte)Ad te levaviJohann Joseph Fux: Gradus ad Parnassum (Fugue)Francesco Soriano: Alpha à 6Canticum Canticorum (Osculetur me osculo oris sui)Missa Memor esto verbi tui a 5 (Credo)Missa Cantantibus organis (from the motet Cantantibus Organis by Palestrina)Sacred Madrigals, Book 2 (E questo spirto)Libera me DomineAve Maria
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Julien Rosa for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002d7cq
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod traces the musical development of Fanny Hensel née Mendelssohn. Whilst Fanny’s famous brother Felix Mendelssohn’s career flourished, the equally talented Fanny was often held back by the conventions of the period and at times, by her own brother. Despite this, in her final years, Fanny would go on to publish her own music under her married name, Fanny Hensel.
Music Featured:
Das Jahr, H-U 385 Piano Quartet in A flat, H-U 55Ferne, H-U 97Der Fischer, H-U 85An Suleika, H-U 148Mailied, H-U 122Piano Sonata in C minor, H-U 128Prelude in G, H-U 243Der Rosenkranz, H-U 168Ostersonate, piano sonata in A, H-U 235Am Flusse, H-U 204Harfners Lied, H-U 162Deinem Blick mich zu bequemen, H-U 151Sonata o Fantasia, H-U 238Hiob, H-U 258Oratorio on words from the Bible, H-U 260 (Gott unser Schild)Klavierstück, in F minor H-U 302 (Allegro agitato)Hero und Leander, H-U 262String Quartet in E flat, H-U 277Mélodie, Op 4/5 No 4 (Lento appassionato)Overture, H-U 265Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, H-U 323Lobgesang, H-U 257 (Chorus: Meine Seele ist stille zu Gott)Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass, H-U 312Gondellied, H-U 377Capriccio in A flat, H-U 247Aus meinen Tränen sprießen, H-U 327Abschied von Rom, H-U 352Die frühen Gräber, H-U 222Dämmrung senkte sich von oben, H-U 392Piano Trio in D minor, Op 11Lobgesang, H-U 257 (excerpt)Im Herbste, H-U 416Vorwulf, H-U 462Bergeslust, H-U 466
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002cym9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Curtain-up on the life of 19th-century opera star Giacomo Meyerbeer, with Donald Macleod
With smash hits including 'Robert le diable', 'Les Huguenots' and 'Le Prophète', Giacomo Meyerbeer was one of the most performed composers on the 19th-century stages: (re)discover the celebrated King of Grand Opera, in his own quasi-operatic life of sparkling successes, plot twists and travelling adventures, but also of prejudice and hardship.
Music Featured:
Robert le diable (excerpts)Le pardon de Ploërmel, Act I, "Ce tintement que l’on entend"L’Africaine, Act IV, No 15 Entr’acte, Entrée de la Reine, Marche indienneDer Fischer und das Milchmädchen (excerpts)Der Admiral OvertureGott und die Natur (No 7, "Es geht aus seinem Strahlentor") arr D. Salvi for voice, strings & pianoDas Brandenburger Tor (Einleitung)Jephtas Gelübde Overture (arr D. Salvi for piano and strings)Il nascere e il fiorire d’una rosaLe Prophète, Act I (No 1a: Prélude et chœur pastoral. "La brise est muette")Gli amori di Teolinda (IV. Allegro moderato)Romilda e Costanza OvertureEmma di Resburgo, Act I, Scene 1: "Sulla rupe triste, sola...Ah questo bacio" Il crociato in Egitto (excerpts)Margherita d’Anjou, Act II, "Che bell’alba!" A une jeune mèreAn MozartStruensee, Act II: Entr’acte, Der BallLes Huguenots (excerpts)Fantasie for clarinet & string quartetEin Feldlager in Schlesien (excerpts)Psalm 91Le Prophète (excerpts)Pater NosterL’Étoile du Nord, Act III, Scène 8. "Quel trouble affreux" (Danilowitz)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Julien Rosa for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027bqw And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Composer of the Week marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz with a series commemorating some of the musical voices that were silenced by the atrocities of the Second World War. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on the penultimate destination of these musicians, the Nazi concentration camp at Terezin, and the incredible story of creative resistance in the face of unthinkable adversity and persecution which unfolded there.
Music Featured:
Gideon Klein: Bachuri Le’an Tisa (my Boy, Where are you going?)LullabyString Quartet, Op 2 (iii. Adagio)Divertimento for Winds (iii. Adagio and iv. Allegro)Folk Songs for Male Chorus: 'Už mně koně vyvádějí' (They have untethered my horses)Piano SonataString Trio
Viktor Ullmann: Sha shtilPiano Sonata No 7 (1st mvt, Allegro)6 Lieder, Op 17 (No 1, Am Himmelfahrt; No 5, Wie ist die Nacht)Piano Concerto, Op 25 (1st & 2nd mvt)String Quartet No 3, Op 46Der Kaiser von Atlantis (excerpts)
Hans Krása:Brundibár Suite (7th mvt)Tanec for String TrioKammermusik for Harpsichord and 7 InstrumentsTheme and Variations for String Quartet Three Songs to texts of Arthur RimbaudBrundibár, Act II
Pavel Haas:Pripoved (Narrative)Quartet Op 2 “From the Monkey Mountains” (2nd mvt, Coach, Coachman and Horse)Overture for Radio, Op 11Šarlatán Suite, Op 14 (excerpt)Study for StringsFour Songs on Chinese Poetry
Ilse Weber: Kleines WiegenliedKarel Švenk: Rozloučení (from play The Last Cyclist)Karel Švenk: Pod destnikem (Under an umbrella); Vesechno jde! (Terezin Hymn)Ilse Weber: Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt; WiegalaFrantišek Domažlický: Song without WordsFrantišek Domažlicky: Suite DanzaKarel Berman: Piano Suite: Reminiscences (excerpts)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Voices of Terezin https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002756y And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Imogen Holst
Imogen Holst was a significant part of the British classical music scene during the twentieth century. Daughter of Gustav Holst, Imogen was raised in an artistic environment, and her early aspirations were to be a dancer. However, after studying at the Royal College of Music, Imogen Holst went on to be prominent as a composer, conductor, writer on music, teacher, administrator and artistic director. She also worked as an amanuensis to Benjamin Britten. Throughout this exceptionally busy career, including establishing the Purcell Singers, Imogen Holst continued to compose and wrote many works from choral pieces and folksong arrangements, to concertos and string quartets. Her considerable output as a composer is only just beginning to be appreciated.
Music Featured:
Agnus Dei (Mass in A minor)Allegro assaiTheme and VariationsString Quartet “Phantasy”PersephoneCome Under My Plaidie from Two Scottish AirsGigue from Suite for ViolaOn Westhall HillSonata for Violin and CelloPrelude and DanceThree PsalmsA shower among the birch trees from Six Pieces from FinlandCrab-fish from Four Somerset Folk SongsMill FieldSuite for StringsString Quartet No 1Welcome Joy and Welcome SorrowWeathers arr. Arthur KeeganSuite for Viola (Cinquepace)As I sat under a Holly TreeA Hymne to ChristVariations on “Loth to Depart”The fall of the leafFestival Anthem “How Manifold are Thy Works”Timothy’s TrotWhat Man is He?Leiston SuiteHallo my fancy, whither wilt thou go?String QuintetMass in A minor (excerpt)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Imogen Holst (1907-1984) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026wsv And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand is best known for creating the soundtracks for over 200 films, including The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Go-Between. But he had an insatiable creative spirit that led him into the world of theatre, ballet, opera and more.
Donald is joined by theatre director and composer Jeremy Sams, who recalls collaborating with Legrand on the Broadway musical Amour - and avoiding going to restaurants with him.
Music Featured:
Les Moulins de Mon CoeurSummer Me, Winter MeVian: Luna Rossa - Blushing Moon (arr. Legrand)Capua: O Sole Mio (arr. Legrand)Serrapi: Sentir De La Alhambra (arr. Legrand)Falla: Le Danse Du Feu (arr. Legrand)Rodor/Scotto: Sous les ponts de Paris (arr. Legrand)Battaille/Schertzinger: Paris je t’aime d’amour (arr. Legrand)Piaf/Louiguy: La vie en rose (arr. Legrand)Porter: I Love Paris (arr. Legrand)Durand: Mademoiselle de Paris (arr. Legrand)Bernheim: Paris (arr. Legrand)Kosma: Les feuilles mortes (arr. Legrand)Lafarge: La Seine (arr. Legrand)F. Waller: The Jitterbug Waltz (arr. Legrand)Reinhart: Nuages (arr. Legrand)Count Basie: Blue and Sentimental (arr. Legrand)Sampson/Goodman: Stompin' at the Savoy (arr. Legrand)Thelonious Monk: ‘Round Midnight (arr. Legrand)Ellington: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (arr. Legrand)Beiderbecke: In A Mist (arr. Legrand)Dans le magasin de parapluiesChez Dubourg, le joailierDevant le garageChanson de LolaBlues Chez le BougnatYou Must Believe in SpringWindmills of Your MindHis Eyes, Her EyesHow do you keep the music playing?Watch what happensWhat are you doing with the rest of your life?The Go Between (Main Title)The Summer KnowsThe Hands of TimeOverture from The Three MusketeersSongs from YentlNobody KnowsAfter the RainAmore (excepts)Once Upon a Summertime
Michel & Melissa at WorkNow and ThenConcerto pour violoncelleI Will Wait For You
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice Mckee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Michel Legrand (1932-2019) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026kjg
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Vienna in the company of Franz Schubert
Of all Europe’s major cities, perhaps Vienna is the one with the reputation as the most comfortable, the most sophisticated, and the most musical. In fact, has any other city been home to so many great composers as Vienna? Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Salieri all spent their best years working there. Yet none of those starry names was born in the city, none were true Viennese. This week, Donald Macleod explores Vienna through the lens of arguably the greatest home grown composer the city has ever produced – Franz Schubert – a man whose short life spanned a crucial period in Austrian history, a time of crisis and much change. In his company we’ll explore Vienna’s churches and theatres, its parks, coffee houses and taverns, and also glimpse the darker side of the city too – the excesses of Europe’s aristocracy and the all seeing eyes of Vienna’s secret police.
Music Featured:
“Kupelwieser” Waltz in G flat Major, D Anh I/14Symphony No 9 in C Major “The Great”, D944 (3rd mvt, Scherzo)String Quintet in C Major, D 956 (2nd mvt, Adagio)Beitrag zur fünfzigjährigen Jubelfeier des Herrn von Salieri, D407Marches Militaires, D733 (No 1 in D Major)Gretchen am Spinnrade, D1186 Moment Musicaux, Op 94, D780 (No 3 in F min)Mass No 1 in F Major, D105 (Gloria)Grande Marche Funebre, D859Symphony No 2 in B flat Major, D125 (4th mvt,Presto)Rosamunde, D797 (No 5 ,Entracte No 3 in B flat Major: Andantino)Licht und Liebe, D352QuartettsatzLazarus, Act 2 (unfinished)Schwanengesang, D7444 Impromptus, D899, Op90 (No 3 in G Flat Major)Symphony No 8 in B minor, D759 “Unfinished” (1st mvt, Allegro moderato)Symphony No 5 in B flat Major, D485 (1st mvt, Allegro)Winterreise, D911 (No 24, Der Leiermann)Der Wanderer, D489Piano Quintet in A Major, D667 “The Trout” (3rd mvt, Scherzo)38 Waltzes, D145, Op 18 (Nos 6, 8 & 9 )An Sylvia, D891, Op 6 (No 4)Fantasy in F minor, D940, Op 103Ave Maria, D839, Op 52, No 6Mass No 6 in E Flat Major, D950 (Credo)Rosemunde incidental music, D797 (Nos 7-9)Alfonso and Estrella, D732 (Act I, Aria “Sei mir gegrusst, o Sonne!”)An die Musik
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Schubert and Vienna https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026800
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence.
Music Featured:
trad.: Kaladô (arr. J. Vaivods)Dubra: Duo SeraphimDubra: In Nativitate Domini (excerpts)anon.: Res est admirabilisDubra: Te DeumPēteris Butāns: In the Beginning was the WordPraulinš: Missa Rigensis: CredoDubra: Mystery of His BirthVasks: The Fruits Of Silenceanon.: Gaude MariaDubra: Hail, Queen of HeavenDubra: Hodie Christus natus estVasks: Missa for Mixed Choir and String Orchestra, II. GloriaTrad. Budēlīša Ziemassvētki / A Mummer's Christmas (excerpts)Praulinš: Cantate DominoPraulinš: Ziemsvetki Jaunaja Pasaule / Latvian Solstice in the New WorldEšenvalds: In the bleak midwinterEšenvalds: StarsEšenvalds: Northern LightsEšenvalds: Rivers of LightVitols: The Dwarves and the Old Man of the ForestVasks: Plainscapes (extract)Vasks: Piedzimšana / BirthTrad. Pūtiet guniPraulinš: Mass and Interludes “L'homme armé”: Hosanna in excelsisEšenvalds: O EmmanuelVitols: Gaismas Pils / Castle of LightPraulinš: Mass and Interludes “L'homme armé”: Pater sanctificeturVasks: String Quartet No. 3: I. ModeratoEšenvalds A Christmas Legend / Ziemassvētku leģenda
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Christmas in Latvia https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002611k
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson journeys through the Christmas season in Latin America, introducing the composers who shaped local festivities across centuries and longitudes. From cathedrals to countryside to the deep heat of megacities, we revel in music for worship, friendship, family and fiestas.
Music Featured:
Trad: Esta Noche es NochebuenaJuan Garcia de Zespedes: Convidando esta la nocheGaspar Fernandes: Xicochi Conetzintle; Tleycantimo ChoquiliyaGaspar Fernandes: A Belen me llego, TioManuel de Zumaya: Celebren publiquenManuel de Zumaya: El de pedro solamente; Angelicas miliciasTrad: Mañanitas guadalupanasTrad: Miren cuantas luces; De larga jornada; La PinataJose Alfredo Jimenez: Amarga Navidad; Se va diciembreArturo Márquez: Conga del Fuego NuevoTrad: Niño LindoVicente Emilio Sojo: Five Pieces from VenezuelaTrad: Corre caballito; La mulaAldemaro Romero: Fuga con Pajarillo (from Suite for Strings)Teresa Carreño: Nocturne: Souvenir de mon paysEvencio Castellanos: Avilena Suite (excerpt)Trad: HuachitoritoAlberto Ginastera: VillancicoAstor Piazzolla: Invierno Porteño (Four Seasons); Milonga del AngelGuastavino: 3 Argentinian Romances: BaileAriel Ramirez: Navidad NuestraLuis Aguile: Ven a mi casa esta navidadOsvaldo Pugliese: NavidadJoão Gilberto: Presente de NatalAntonio Carlos Gomes: Sonata for Strings ‘O burrico de pau’ (4th mvt)Chiquinha Gonzaga: As pombas; SaudadeJosé Maurício Nunes Garcia: Missa Pastoril for Christmas NightAssis Valente: Recadinho de Papai NoelAssis Valente: Boas FestasAntonio Carlos Jobim: Anos Dourados; WaveM. Camargo Guarnieri: Flor de TremembeLlego la NavidadLa Fiesta de PilitoRafael Hernadez: Triste NavidadRafael Hernandez: Casitas de la MontanaChuito El de Bayamon: Los tres Santo ReyesTrad: A las ZarandelasArbolitoAmaury Vellay Torregrosa: Villancico YaucanoDe la montaña venimosPasteles y LechonCanto a Borinquen; Aires de NavidadSylvia Rexach: Lamento de NavidadJosé Feliciano: Feliz Navidad
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Latin American Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0025ll7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life of Luise Adolpha Le Beau
Luise Adolpha Le Beau was a German composer, concert pianist, teacher and music critic. Although her music was performed as far afield as Calcutta and Sydney, her story is one of continual struggle for recognition and respect. Le Beau frequently met opposition to her works and to performance opportunities, Despite these set-backs, Le Beau forged her own path as a composer not only with works for her own instrument, the piano, but also with chamber music, opera, a symphony and many songs. She was determined to succeed, but after her death, without anyone to promote her works on her behalf, Le Beau soon fell into obscurity and was largely forgotten. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by guest Dr Katy Hamilton to shine a light on Le Beau’s music
Music Featured:
Piano Concerto in D minor, Op 37 (excerpt)Fantasiestück, Op 1 No 1 (Drei Klavierstücke)Fünf Lieder, Op 7 (excerpt)Piano Concerto in D minor, Op 37 (Allegro maestoso)Piano Sonata, Op 8 (excerpt)Violin Sonata, Op 10Mazurka, Op 57 No 3 (Drei Klavierstücke)Polonaise, Op 26 No 3 (Drei Stücke)Theme and Variations, Op 3Fünf Lieder, Op 11 (excerpt)Piano Trio, Op 15Concert Overture in F major, Op 23Eight Preludes, Op 12 No 2 (Munter)Romance, Op 35Vier Stücke, for cello and piano, Op 24Fünf Lieder, Op 11 (excerpt)Improvisata for left hand, Op 30Gavotte, Op 32Piano Concerto in D minor, Op 37 (excerpt)Eight Preludes, Op 12 No 8 (Mit Grazie)Nachstück, Op 26 No 2 (Drei Stücke)Deutscher Regien, Klavierstück, Op 49Piano Quartet, Op 28Drei Lieder, Op 39Symphony in F major, Op 41 (Allegro con fuoco)Gigue, Op 48 No 3 (Danze Antiche)Vater unser, Op 61Symphony in F major, Op 41 (Adagio)Cello Sonata, Op 17Barcarole, Op 59Abendklänge, Op 63Symphony in F major, Op 41 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Donald Macleod delves into the life of Luise Adolpha Le Beau (1850-1927) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0025cfl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the life and work of the amazing Bud Powell
This week Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a jazz giant in his centenary year: the amazing Bud Powell, in the company of Powell’s biographer Peter Pullman. Focusing on Bud Powell as a performer, prioritising his own compositions but also appreciating the art of improvisation as spontaneous composition.
Bud Powell was born in 1924 and grew up in Harlem, against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance. He was a gifted pianist from a young age and became a pioneer of bebop. But he was a troubled soul and the great paradox of Bud Powell is how there could be such joy and expression in his music while his life was so painful.
Music Featured:
Bouncing with Bud (from The Amazing Bud Powell)Oblivion (from The Genius of Bud Powell)Strictly Confidential (from Jazz Giant)Floogie Boo (from Cootie Williams and his Orchestra 1941-1944)Do Some War Work, Baby (from Cootie Williams and his Orchestra 1941-1944)Off Minor (from Bud Powell Trio)Dexter Rides Again (from Dexter Rides Again)Mad Bebop (from JJ Johnson’s Jazz Quintet)Buzzy (from Charlie Parker, the Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes)Bud’s Bubble (from Bud Powell Trio)I Should Care (from Bud Powell Trio)Tempus Fugit (from Jazz Giant)Celia (from Jazz Giant)Un Poco Loco (from the Amazing Bud Powell)Over the Rainbow (from the Amazing Bud Powell)A Night in Tunisia (from the Amazing Bud Powell)Dance of the Infidels (from the Amazing Bud Powell)So Sorry Please (from Jazz Giant)Glass Enclosure (from the Amazing Bud Powell, vol 2)Lullaby of Birdland (from Inner Fires)Sure Thing (from Inner Fires)Parisian Thoroughfare (from the Genius of Bud Powell)Polka Dots and Moonbeams (from the Amazing Bud Powell, vol 2)Hallelujah (from Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings)Hot House (from Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings)Willow Grove (from Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell)Nice Work If You Can Get It (from Bud Powell Trio)Elegy (from Blues in the Closet)Blues for Bessie (from Strictly Powell)Ornithology (from the Amazing Bud Powell)Bud on Bach (from the Amazing Bud Powell, vol 3)Buster Rides Again (from the Amazing Bud Powell, vol 4)John’s Abbey (from the Amazing Bud Powell, vol 4)Cleopatra’s Dream (from The Scene Changes)Getting There (from The Scene Changes)Buttercup (from Bud Powell’s Moods)Round Midnight (from Bud Powell: Live at the Blue Note Café Paris 1961)How High the Moon / Ornithology (from Live in Lausanne 1962)Broadway (from Our Man in Paris)I’ll Remember April (from Mingus at Antibes)I Can’t Get Started (from Bud Powell in Paris)Blues for Bouffemont (from Blues for Bouffemont)All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm (from Jazz Giant)Hallucinations (from The Return of Bud Powell)If I Loved You (from The Return of Bud Powell)Thelonius (from A Portrait of Thelonius)Like Someone in Love (from Ups and Downs)Bouncing with Bud (Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette, from After the Fall)Dusk in Sandi (Chick Corea, from Remembering Bud Powell)Wail (from the Amazing Bud Powell)
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Martin Williams for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Bud Powell (1924-1966) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024m2z
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod takes a whirl around the world through the music of ballroom dancing. With the help of Hilary French, author of Ballroom: A People’s History of Dancing, Donald waltzes across Viennese ballrooms, foxtrots through New York clubs, tries the tango in the arrabales of Buenos Aires, sambas on the streets of Salvador and finally cha-cha-cha’s his way to Havana.
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ballroom Blockbusters https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024dnd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod showcases the life and music of Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) arguably did more to transform opera than any composer of his generation: thinking deeply about how text and music should work together, and trying to strip away fripperies to ensure it was urgent, powerful and arresting. His radical approaches made him one of the most influential composers in history - and yet today, he’s known in the concert hall almost exclusively for one work: his masterpiece “Orpheus and Eurydice”. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: showcasing Gluck’s dazzling and enchanting music from across his life - whilst also showing off his most famous work.
Music Featured:
Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Orfeo ed Eurydice)Non hai cor per un'impresa (Ipermestra, Wq 7)Sperai vicino il lido (Demofoonte, Wq 3)Se in campo armato (La Sofonisba, Wq 5)Nobil onda (La Sofonisba, Wq 5)Orfeo ed Euridice (excerpts)M'opprime, m'affanna (La Sofonisba, Wq 5)Qual ira intempestiva … Oggi per me non sudi; Oggi per me sudi (La Contesa de'numi, Wq 14)Trio Sonata no I in C Major (1st mvt)Ciascun siegua il suo stile...Maggior follia non v'e (La Semiramide riconosciuta, Wq 13)Misera, dove son…; Ah! non son io (Ezio, Wq 15)Dance of the Furies (Orphee et Eurydice: Act 2, Scene 1)Tremo fra dubbi miei (La Clemenza di Tito, Wq 16) (Act 3)Son lungi e non mi brami (Le Cinesi, Wq 18)Berenice che fai (Antigono, Wq 21)Don Juan (selection)Divinités du Styx (Alceste, Wq 37)O Del Mio Dolce Ardor; Le Belle Immagini (Paride ed Elena, Wq 39)Vous essayez en vain - Par la crainte; Adieu, conservez dans votre âme (Iphigénie en Aulide, Wq 40)Gluck (arr Schubert) Rien de la nature (Echo et Narcisse)Armide (Act 5 opening)Iphigenie en Tauride, Wq 46 (excerpts)De ProfundisOrphee et Eurydice (1774 Paris edition): Act 3 (finale)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Steven Rajam for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022znr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
We often think of composers as solitary geniuses, scribbling away at their masterpieces, working alone. But this isn’t always the case. Gustav Holst, most famous for composing The Planets, struggled all his life with neuritis, a condition that made his arms feel like “jelly overcharged with electricity.” It was frequently impossible for him to play or even write, so, to bring his vision of our solar system to life, he needed help. This week, Donald Macleod charts Holst’s interplanetary expedition and discovers the unsung heroes who placed him amongst the stars.
Music Featured:
The Planets, Op 32Toccata, H 153Symphony in F Major, Op 8, H 47 “The Cotswolds” (2nd mvt, Elegy, Molto adagio & 3rd mvt, Scherzo, Presto - Allegretto)Sita, Op 23, H 89 (Interlude)The Mystic Trumpeter, Op 18 Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op 26 (3rd Group, H99) The Hymn of Jesus, Op37 / H 140 (Hymn II, Hymn III, Hymn IV) 5 Partsongs, Op 12, H 61 St Paul’s Suite, Op 29, No 2 Ballet music from 'The Perfect Fool' H150 (Op 39)Sāvitri, Op 25 (I - VI)Ode to Death, Op 38, H 144 Suite No 2 for Military Band in F major, Op 28 No 2, H106 Choral Symphony, Op 41 (2nd mvt, Song and Bacchanal)Scherzo for Orchestra, H192 Hammersmith - Prelude and Scherzo, H178, Op 52 Egdon Heath Op 47 (1st mvt, Adagio - Poco Allegro - Andante maestoso) Brook Green Suite The Planets, Op 32 (Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity) arr. for two pianos
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gustav Holst (1874-1934) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022sj0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the twists and turns of Schoenberg’s life
Is there a more controversial, infamous figure in 20th Century music than Arnold Schoenberg? Arguably no other twentieth-century composer’s ideas have been more influential among composers since, however his music is still neglected and misunderstood by programmers and audiences. Schoenberg was a revolutionary - one of the founders of musical Modernism - but he also recognised the importance of musical tradition. His music defined the times in which he lived, and whether you see Schoenberg as the most important innovator in 20th century music, or as a heretic who led his followers to an artistic dead end, he was absolutely dedicated to art – both musical and visual. This week, Kate Molleson explores the twists and turns of Schoenberg’s life, and tracks the composer’s changing relationship with art through the prism of 5 different visual works, from an image which terrified and obsessed Schoenberg as a child, through the composer’s own paintings, and one of his practical twelve-tone selection dials, to a portrait of Schoenberg painted while he was in exile in America, by his friend and fellow composer George Gershwin.
Music Featured:
Strauss (arr. Schoenberg): Roses from the South2 Gesange, Op , No 1 “Dank”4 Lieder, Op 2, No 1 “Erwartung”Pelleas und Melisande, Op 5 (Langsam)Verklarte nacht, Op 46 little piano pieces (No 6)Mahler (by Schoenberg and Webern): Das Lied von der Erde (No 3, Of Youth)Gurrelieder (excerpt)String Quartet No 2, Op 10 (3rd mvt, Langsam, 'Litanei')Erwartung (excerpt)Friede auf ErdenDe ProfundisPierrot Lunaire, Op 21 (Act II excerpt)Die eiserne Brigade (The Iron Brigade)Bach (orch. Schoenberg): Gott Schopfer, heiliger Geist, BWV 631Suite for piano, Op 25 (2nd mvt, Gavotte & 3rd mvt, Musette)Suite, Op 29 (3rd mvt, Theme and Variations)Accompaniment Music to a Film Scene, Op 34Songs for male chorus, Op 35 (No 6 Verbundenheit "Man hilft zur Welt dir kommen")Die Jakobsleiter (Ob rechts, ob links)Kol Nidre, Op 39Moses und Aron (Act II excerpt)Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra (after Handel)Prelude to GenesisSuite for string orchestra (2nd mvt, Adagio)Brahms (orch. Schoenberg): Piano Quartet No 1 in G Minor, Op 25 (2nd mvt, Intermezzo)Chamber Symphony No 2, Op 38bA Survivor from Warsaw, Op 46Notturno
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022k1r
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of the 18th century composer Joseph Bologne
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of a musician also remarkable for his sporting prowess. Joseph Bologne’s story throws a light on the political turbulence affecting France in the 18th century, and on the legacy of colonialism and slavery.
Bologne is celebrated as the first composer of African descent to attain widespread acclaim in Europe.
Donald is joined by Olivette Otele, distinguished Professor of the Legacies and Memory of Slavery at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Music Featured:
String Quartet in G minor, Op 1, No 3 (2nd mvt, Rondeau)Symphonie Concertante in A major, Op 10, No 2Violin Concerto in D major, Op 3, No 1Symphony in G major, Op 11, No 1Quartetto concertans No 4 in F major (2nd mvt, Rondeau)String Quartet in D major, Op 1, No 6Lolli: Violin Concerto No 2 in C major, Op 2 (1st & 3rd mvt)Violin Concerto in A major, Op 5, No 2 (1st mvt, Allegro Moderato)Symphonie Concertante in C major, Op 9, No 1Violin Concerto in G major, Op 8, No 2 (3rd mvt, Rondeau)Keyboard Sonata No 2 in A major with obbligato violin (1st mvt, Allegro moderato)Ernestine (Scena)Symphonie Concertante in E flat, Op 13, No 1L’Amant anonyme (excerpt)Quartetto concertans No 3 in C major (2nd mvt, Rondeau: Moderato)Symphonie Concertante, Op 6 No 2 in B-flat major, G 038Violin Concerto in C major, Op 5 No 1 (2nd & 3rd mvts)Haydn: Symphony No 85 in B-flat major, Hob I:85, "La reine" (The Queen): (1st mvt, Adagio - Vivace)String Quartet in G minor, Op 14 No 6 (1st & 2nd mvts)String Quartet in C minor, Op 1 No 4 (2nd mvt, Rondeau)Concertante Quartet in G minor, Op 15 No 2Violin Concerto in A major, Op 7 No 1Symphonie Concertante in F major, Op 10 No 1String Quartet in C Major, Op 1 No 1 (2nd mvt, Rondeau: Tempo di minuetto; Grazioso)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chambers for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021jym
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the world of Ethel Smyth through five love affairs
British composer Dame Ethel Smyth was one of the early 20th century’s most original cultural voices. A prodigious musical talent who was best known for her operas, she was a force of nature, an unapologetic eccentric who didn’t suffer fools gladly, and a rule-breaking, trail-blazing feminist. Alongside music, she was an accomplished sportswoman, and her driven and playful nature - as well as her endurance - would not only shape her career but her personal life too. This week, Donald Macleod explores Smyth’s story through what she termed her “passions” – the key all-consuming relationships that changed the course of her life, and how they were a necessary force for her creativity.
Music Featured:
Fête Galante (Overture/Sarabande)Aus der Jugendzeit!Kom, süsser TodLieder, Op 4 No 2, SchlummerliedViolin Sonata (3rd mvt, Romanze)Variations on an Original Theme (of an Exceedingly Dismal Nature)String Quintet, Op 1 (3rd-5th mvts)Piano Suite in E major 2nd mvt, Bourree)Piano Trio (3rd mvt, Scherzo)4 Songs (No 2, The Dance)Serenade in D major (3rd & 4th mvts)Der Wald (excerpt)The Wreckers OvertureLieder, Op 4 No 4 “Nachtreiter”Klavierstück in E majorCello Sonata in C minor (1st & 2nd mvts)The Wreckers, Act II (Prelude “On the Cliffs of Cornwall” (arr. for winds) )Mass in D (Gloria)Fête Galante (excerpt)Violin Sonata (2nd mvt)March of the Women The Boatswain’s Mate (excerpts)Possession (Three Songs, No 2)String Quartet in E minor (3rd & 4th mvts)Soul’s Joy, Now I am GoneTwo Interlinked French Melodies from Entente CordialeOdelette (Four Songs, No 1)Mass (Sanctus / Benedictus)The Prison (Nos 14-16)Double Concerto for Horn and Violin (2nd mvt, Elegy)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00219n7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson sheds light on the forgotten composer, Silvestre Revueltas
Silvestre Revueltas was a blazingly energetic and politically charged musician, a whirlwind of a composer who lived through a time of great political and creative upheaval in Mexico. The French writer André Breton was stunned when he visited the country and found not one unified identity, but many strikingly different cultures existing side by side with all of their clashing values, creeds, and customs. This kaleidoscopic and sometimes jarring world is the musical universe of Revueltas, one of a generation of artists who, along with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, tried to encompass a true sense of Mexican identity in their works after the country’s revolution. In his personal life Revueltas also lived a life of fiery extremes, before succumbing to an early death exasperated by alcoholism. This week, Kate Molleson tries to shed some light on this forgotten composer, guiding us through the rhythms of Silvestre Revueltas’s colourful life with the help of Professor Alejandro Madrid of Harvard University. They track Revueltas’s moves from revolutionary Mexico, to prohibition-era America, to the trenches of the Spanish Civil War, and back to his homeland. Although most of Revueltas’s works date from the final decade of his short life, it is music which bursts with energy, colour, and humour. It is music which speaks with irony and passion about politics and people, about both the joys and hardships of life. It is music that speaks of Mexico.
Music Featured:
Toccata (sin fuga)Esquinas (1931 version)Tierra p’a las macetasPieza para doce instrumentosLa Noche de los Mayas – Suite (1st & 2nd mvts)ColorinesBatikCuauhnahuacString Quartet No 4 “Musica der Feria”PlanosRedes (exerpts)VentanasJanitzioMusica para Charlar I.Canto a muchacha negraEl Renacuajo PaseadorSecond Little Serious pieceHomenaje a Federico García LorcaCaminosItinerariosCinco canciones de ninosEste era un reyOcho x radio3 SonetosLa Noche de los Mayas – Suite (3rd & 4th mvts)La Coronela (excerpt)Sensemaya
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00213ln
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod shines a light on charming and often enigmatic composer, Thomas Linley Jnr
English composer, Thomas Linley the Younger was destined to become one of the brightest musical stars of eighteenth century. No less a person than Mozart, who was also a personal friend, hailed him as a ‘true genius’. Even so, Linley’s life was troubled. He and his siblings were ruthlessly driven by their ambitious father. He saw his beloved sister become fodder for the celebrity-hungry gossip mongers of the British press and must have wondered if he might be next. He was forced to navigate a dangerous atmosphere of prurience and moral suspicion about the private lives of ‘theatre people’ like himself. A cloud of mystery hovers over Tom’s shocking and early death at the age of just 22. Donald Macleod is joined by Linley’s biographer, Tony Scotland, to shine a light on this charming and often enigmatic composer, alongside music by Tom and his circle.
Music Featured:
Linley the Younger: Music for The Tempest (No 1, Arise! ye spirits of the storm)Geminiani: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op 5, No 4 (1st & 2nd mvts)Linley the Younger: The Song of Moses (extracts)Boyce: Symphony No 7 in B flat majorNardini: Sonata No 1 for 2 Violins in G MajorLinley the Younger: To heal the wound a bee had madeLinley the Younger: Sonata in A majorLinley the Younger: A Lyric Ode on the Fairies, Aerial Beings and Witches of Shakespeare (excerpt)Linley the Elder(arr. Borutzki): The Lark Sings High in the CornfieldLinley the Younger: Ye nymphs of Albion's beauty-blooming isle (extracts)Linley the Younger: In yonder groveLinley the Younger: Violin Concerto in F majorLinley the Younger: Overture to The DuennaLinley the Younger: A Lyric Ode on the Fairies, Aerial Beings and Witches of Shakespeare (extracts from parts 1 & 2)Linley the Younger: Let God ariseLinley the Elder: Think not my love, when secret griefLinley the Younger: A Lyric Ode on the Fairies, Aerial Beings and Witches of Shakespeare (Overture)Linley the Younger: Daughter of Heav'n, fair art thou! 'Darthula'William Linley: Down in the gleamy valeLinley the Younger, Music for The Tempest (excerpt)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Thomas Linley Jnr (1756-1778) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020pnj
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores key figures in Richard Strauss’s life
This week, Donald Macleod explores key figures in the life of Richard Strauss, including his librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, his “domineering and difficult, yet devoted” wife, the soprano Pauline de Ahna, his “frenemy” Gustav Mahler as well as Strauss’s uncomfortably close relationship with the High Command of the Third Reich. Donald also examines the larger-than-life characters that populated the world of the composer’s imagination.
Music Featured:
Der Rosenkavalier, Op 59 (Act 1, Introduction)Le bourgeois gentilhomme, suite for orchestra, Op 60 (1. Overture)Elektra, Op 58 (Scene 6, ‘Was willst du, fremder Mensch?’)Arabella, Op 79 (Act 2, love duet “Sie sehn nicht aus wie jemand, den das alles da interessiert.”)Der Rosenkavalier, Op 59 (Act 3, Finale)Guntram, Op 25 (Act 2, Overture)Morgen (Tomorrow), Op 27 No 4Ein Heldenleben, Op 40 (No 3, Das Helden Gefährtin)Intermezzo, Op 72 (Act I, Sc 1 “Anna, Anna! Wo bleibt denn nur die dumme Gans?”)Symphonia Domestica, Op 53 (2b, Wiegenlied; 3, Adagio)Four Last Songs, Op posth (No 4, Im Abendrot)Salome, Op 54 (“Wie schön ist die Prinzessin Salome heute nacht!”)Symphony No 2 in F minor, Op 12 (2nd mvt, Scherzo)Also sprach Zarathustra, Op 30 (8, The Dance Song; 9. Song of the Night Wanderer)An Alpine Symphony, Op 64 (13, On the Summit; 14, Vision; 15, Mists Rise)Salome, Op 54 (Sc 4, “Ah! Du wolltest mich deinen Mund nicht küssen lassen, Jochanaan!”)Das Bächlein (The Little Brook), Op 88 No 1Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman), Op 80 (Act 1, “Ha!” “Was ist?” “Mir fällt etwas ein!”)Friedenstag (Peace Day), Op 81 (extract)Metamorphosen, study for 23 solo strings, TrV 290Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Op 60 (3. The Fencing Master)Ariadne auf Naxos, Op 60 – Prologue (conclusion)Don Juan, Op 20Daphne, Op 82 (Transformation scene, ‘Ich komme, ich komme’)Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op 28
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Barstow for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Richard Strauss (1864-1949) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020hsy
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of American composer, Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison was an American, multi-faceted composer who died in 2003. In his music he explored a synthesis of Asian and Western influences, just intonation, and writing for percussion ensemble. He also involved himself in the arts as a performer, dancer, instrument maker, critic, puppeteer, poet, painter and much more. Harrison’s interest in Asian cultures began when he was very young, and remained a significant influence on his work for the rest of his life He enjoyed working with Gamelan percussion and instruments from Korea or China. With his partner William Colvig, Harrison also made his own instruments including an American Gamelan, for which he composed multiple works. Harrison took lessons with Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, and also collaborated with John Cage in exploring the possibilities of percussion ensembles. His career as a composer developed in the world of dance and theatre, supplementing his income as a critic and, later, as a teacher.
Music Featured:
The Heart Sutra (Tial, Sariputro, ciuj Darmoj)Waltz in C (New York Waltzes)First Concerto for Flute and PercussionSuite for Symphonic Strings (excerpt)Largo OstinatoPrelude for GrandpianoJohn Cage & Lou Harrison: Double MusicBlaze of Day (Finale: Solstice)Piano Sonata No 3 (excerpt)Symphony No 2 “Elegiac” (excerpt)Hesitation Waltz (New York Waltzes)Waltz in A (New York Waltzes)Suite No 2The Marriage at the Eiffel Tower (Overture)The Only Jealousy of Emer (excerpt)Suite for Cello and HarpBeverly’s Troubadour Piece, for harp and percussionSuite for Symphonic Strings (Nocturne)Four Strict Songs (Here is Holiness)Concerto in slendroPacifika Rondo (excerpt)Easter CantataA Waltz for Evelyn HinrichsenMusic for Bill and MeYoung Caesar (excerpts)Suite for violin and American Gamelan (excerpt)Double Concerto for Javanese gamelan, violin and cello (excerpt)Third Symphony (Largo ostinato)Piano Concerto with selected orchestra (excerpt)O you whom I often and silently come where you areGrand Duo (Polka)Fourth Symphony ‘Last Symphony’ (Largo)Vestiunt SilvePipa ConcertoMass to St Anthony (Gloria)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Lou Harrison (1917-2003) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00209q6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores five windows onto Dvořák’s soul
Antonín Dvořák was one of the most heartfelt tunesmiths in classical music - a man who not only brought the sound of Czech folklore to the world, but also had an indelible impact on the musical nationhood of America. As a character he was sometimes shy, sometimes melancholy, routinely homesick and deeply passionate. This week, Kate Molleson explores five windows onto Dvořák’s soul, aspects of life that were really central to his convictions and his music.
Music Featured:
Gypsy Songs Op 55 No 4: Songs my mother taught me (arr. for cellos by Kian Soltani)Berceuse (Two Piano Pieces, No 1)Symphony No 1 “Bells of Zlonice” (3rd mvt)Cypresses, Nos 1 and 2Symphony No 9 “From the New World” (2nd mvt)Sonatine (1st and 2nd mvts)Humoresque in G flat majorForget-me-not PolkaSilent Woods (From the Bohemian Forest)Serenade for Strings (1st and 2nd mvts)Rusalka (Act I, Song to the moon)The Wild DoveString Quartet No 12 in F major “American”, Op 96 (3rd mvt)Prelude in D majorOn the Holy Mountain (Poetic Tone Pictures)Stabat Mater (IV, Fac ut ardeat cor meum; V, Tui nati vulnerate)Symphony No 7 (2nd mvt)Requiem (Confutatis)Biblical Songs (Nos 1-5)‘Possibility’ (Moravian Duets, No 1)Slavonic Dances, Op 46 No 3‘My Home’ Overture, Op 62Serenade for Winds in D minor (1st and 2nd mvts)Piano Trio No 4 ‘Dumky’, Op 90 (2nd mvt)The Noonday WitchMiniature in D minor, Op 75 No 2String Quartet No 12 in F major “American”, Op 96 (4th mvt)Symphony No 7 (4th mvt)Scottish Dances, Op 41New World Symphony (Finale)Cello Concerto in B minor (2nd mvt)
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00202zx
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons’s life throws a light on the political turbulence affecting Britain in the early 17th century. As King James VI and I struggled to establish the concept of British identity, his court was blessed with one of England’s most talented musicians of the time, Orlando Gibbons.
Music Featured:
The Silver SwanO clap your handsOut of the DeepA Fancy (for Double Organ)Behold, thou hast made my daysWe praise thee, O FatherWhat Is Our life?I am the resurrectionHosanna to the Son of DavidHow art thou thralledFarewell all joysNow each flowery bank of MayGreat King of GodsPavan a 6Pavan and galliard Lord SalisburyFantasies in Three Parts Compos’d for Viols (No 6, No 8, No 9)This is the Record of JohnFantasia No 10 in C MajorNe’er let the SunYet if that ageTrust not too much fair youthLift Up Your HeadsFantasia No 1 for Two TreblesNay let me weepWilliam Byrd: Fair Britain IsleFantazia of Four Parts O God, the king of gloryIn Nomine for 5 ViolsFantasia No 2 for 3 ViolsGlorious and Powerful GodSee, see the word is incarnateO Lord, in thy wrathDrop, drop, slow tears (arr. P. Dearmer)Do not repine, fair sun – Parts I and IISing unto the Lord, O ye saintsO all true faithful heartsFantasia a 3 with Double Bass ViolFantasia for 6 ViolsGo from my WindowAlmighty and everlasting GodMagnificat (Short Service)Great Lord of LordsFantasia No 1 for the Great Double BassFantasia No 2 a 6The Hunt's Up (Peascod time)The Second Service (Morning): Te DeumFantasia No 4 a 6The Cryes of London I & IIBlessed are all they that fear the Lord
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chambers for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zvhm And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod & Dr Jennifer Martyn explore the remarkable, tragic story of gifted violinist and composer, Amanda Maier
Amanda Maier was one of the 19th century’s most brilliant musicians, yet whose story was almost lost to history. Born in the small Swedish town of Landskrona, her virtuoso talent at the violin saw her rise to become one of Europe’s most in-demand performers: giving private and public concerts of major works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Bruch, as well as her own dazzling compositions. Maier was a friend of Grieg, Brahms, Clara Schumann and Ethel Smyth and her music was reviewed in newspapers across Europe. Tragically, ill health would see her pass away at the age of just 41 and her musical legacy slowly forgotten. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by musicologist and violinist Dr Jennifer Martyn to celebrate Amanda Maier's life and work - with performances of all her extant compositions alongside works by key figures in her life, including Edward Grieg, Carl Reinecke and Maier's husband, Julius Röntgen, with whom she enjoyed a close and loving relationship in music and in life.
Music Featured:
Violin Sonata in B minor (3rd mvt)Preludes in E major, G sharp minor, and E flat majorViolin Sonata in B minor (2nd mvt)Den sjuka flickans sång (“Song of a sick girl”)Carl Reinecke: Symphony No 2 “Hakon Jarl” (1st mvt)Piano Trio in E flat major (3rd and 4th mvts)Aftonklockan (“The Evening Clock”)Violin Sonata in B minor (1st mvt)Julius Röntgen: Serenade for Wind No 1, Op 14 (1st mvt)Piano Trio in E flat major (2nd mvt)Violin Concerto in D minorSången (“Song”)Nine Pieces for violin and pianoPiano Trio in E flat major (1st mvt)Karol Lipinski: Violin Concerto No 2 “Militaire” (2nd mvt)Nacht-mittags Potpourri (St Nicholas-Schwank)St Nicholas-Schwank (excerpt)String Quartet in A minor (2nd and 3rd mvts)Grieg: Sarabande (Holberg Suite)Swedish Tunes and DancesAllegretto (Zwiegespräche)Piano Quartet in E minor (1st and 2nd mvts)Brahms: Violin Sonata No 3 (1st mvt)Zwiegespräche (excerpts)Piano Quartet in E minor (3rd and 4th mvts)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Steven Rajam for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853-1894) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zmwn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
This week, Donald Macleod traverses the dramatic and vivid musical landscapes of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: a vital, fascinating, and perhaps under-appreciated figure in the evolution of the canon of western art music. His life alone was extraordinary: beginning as a cadet in the Tsar’s navy, it ended soon after the tumult of the 1905 revolution; the prospect of far greater upheaval, national and international, looming.
Music Featured:
Flight of the BumblebeeThe Tsar of Sultan Suite, Op 57 (3rd mvt, The Three Wonders)Symphony No 1, Op 1Capriccio Espangnol, Op 34 (excerpts)The Maid of Pskov: OvertureMussorgsky arr. Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on the Bare MountainLegend of Sadko, Op 5QuintetScheherazade, Op 35 (excerpt)The Golden Cloud Slept, Op 3, No 3Trombone Concerto in B flat majorSymphony No 3, Op 32 (3rd & 4th mvts)The Tatar Captivity, Op 18, No 2The Octave, Op 45, No 3Mussorgsky arr. Rimsky-Korsakov: Gopak from Sorochintsi FairRussian Easter Festival Overture, Op 36String Quartet in F major, Op 12 (3rd mvt)Mlada SuiteThe Snow Maiden: Prologue; Dance of the birdsAgainst the Cruel Crag from SadkoThe Invisible City of Kitzeh Suite (A Hymn to Nature)The Golden Cockerel SuiteFour Songs, Op 2 (No 2, The Nightingale and the Rose)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Lyndon Jones for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001z5dz
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson sets out so show us why Elizabeth Maconchy deserves much more of our attention
Elizabeth Maconchy is surely the greatest composer of string quartets ever to emerge in the British Isles; and yet her music is often ignored in favour of lesser works by more famous British composers. So says Maconchy’s biographer, Erica Siegel, who joins Kate Molleson to explore the life and works of this key figure in Britain and Ireland’s musical story. Across the week, Kate and Erica set out to show us why Maconchy deserves much more of our attention. We’ll hear stories of personal crises, public apathy and outrageous institutional sexism, and how Maconchy met each challenge with characteristic grace and perseverance. Her works fizz with invention and purpose and she described her own music as “impassioned argument”.
Music Featured:
String Quartet No 2 (4th mvt)Clarinet Quintet (3rd & 4th mvt)Four Shakespeare Songs (No 1, Come Away, Death)The Land - A Suite for OrchestraConcertino No 2 for Piano and String OrchestraString Quartet No 1 (4th mvt)Concertino for Piano and Chamber Orchestra (2nd mvt)Oboe QuintetSonata for Viola and PianoString Quartet No 3NocturneDialogue for Piano and Orchestra (2nd & 4 mvts)Two Dances from Puck FairString Quartet No 5 (2nd & 3rd mvt)Concertino for Bassoon and String OrchestraString Quartet No 7: (4th mvt, Scherzo I)Proud Thames OvertureThe Sofa (excerpts)The Departure (excerpts)Serenata ConcertanteThere is no roseTritticoEpyllionMorning, Noon and NightString Quartet No 13 'Quartetto Corto'
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yyf6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
In 1773, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sat down to record his life story. He’d been asked to write it down for a new book on German music and it made him one of the first composers to produce an autobiography. This week, Donald Macleod follows the composer’s story, using Bach’s own account as his guide. Bach’s words provide fascinating insights into the things he considered most important but it’s possible that what he chose to leave out is even more revealing.
Music Featured:
L'Aly Rupalich, Wq 117 No 27Symphony for Strings and Continuo in G major, Wq 182 No 1Fantasia for keyboard in C major, Wq 61 No 6Trio Sonata in B minor, Wq 143Keyboard Concerto in G major, Wq 3Symphony in G major, Wq 173 (1st mvt)Trio Sonata in A Minor, Wq 148Sonata in A minor, Wq 132 (1st mvt)Cello Concerto No 3 in A major, Wq 172 (2nd & 3rd mvts)Sonata in E minor, Wq 49 No 3Magnificat in D, Wq 215 (1, Magnificat anima mea Dominum; 5, Fecit potentiam; 10. Sicut erat in principio)Keyboard Sonata in E flat major, Wq 52 No 1( 2nd & 3rd mvts)Sonata in C minor ‘Sanguineus and Melancholicus’ Wq 161 No 1Phyllis and Thirsis, Wq 232 (excerpt)Sinfonia in B-Flat Major, Wq 182 No 2 (3rd mvt)30 Geistliche Gesänge mit Melodien, Book 2, Wq 198: (Nos 2 & 8)Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq 238 (extract from Part 1)Symphony in B minor, Wq 182 No 5Rondo in E Major, Wq 58 No 3Rondo in F Major, Wq 57 No 5Sonata in D Minor, Wq 57 No 4 (2nd mvt)Quartet in G Major, Wq 95 (3rd mvt)Heilig, Wq 217Keyboard Sonatina in D Major, Wq 109Freye Fantasie in F sharp minor, Wq 80
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for CPE Bach (1714-1788) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yr0r
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod tracks the scandalous life of Achille-Claude Debussy
In the music of Claude Debussy there have been said to run dangerous and destructive currents. His radical works did forge a path which would redefine music in the 20th Century, but his beautiful music runs contrary to his shocking personal life. The Scottish soprano Mary Garden said of him, “I honestly don’t know if he ever loved anybody really. He loved his music – and perhaps himself.” The lies and duplicity, deception and debt left other unfortunate people in their wake, with Debussy unrepentant throughout. In the aftermath of these scandals, Debussy was disowned by his friends, and by most of Parisian society, but the notoriety he gained only seemed to heighten his appeal with audiences. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod tracks the scandalous life of Achille-Claude Debussy and tries to reconcile his appalling behaviour with his transcendent music.
Suite Bergamasque (3rd mvt, Claire de Lune)La Mer (2nd mvt, Jeux de vagues)Ariettes Oubliee (No 5, Green)Images for Orchestra (No 2, Iberia)Mélodies de Jeunesse (No 3, Les Papillons)Recueil Vasnier, L 53 (Romance – Silence ineffable)Printemps (2nd mvt, Modere)Danse bohemienneDeux ArabesquesRodrigue et Chimene (excerpt) (arr. Smith & orch. Denisov)La damoiselle élue (Chorus: La damoiselle élue s’appuyait)Prélude à l'après-midi d'un fauneProses Lyriques (No 3, De fleurs)Prelude – La Fille aux cheveux de lin3 Chansons de BilitisFetes Galantes (Claire de Lune)Trois NocturnesImages, L 110 (No 2, Hommage a Rameau)Estampes (No 2, La soiree dans Grenade)Pelléas et Mélisande, Act III (excerpt)Rhapsodie for saxophone and orchestraL’isle joyeuseDanse Sacrée et Danse ProfaneLa Mer (3rd mvt. Dialogue of the Waves)Children’s Corner (Cakewalk)5 Poemes de Charles Baudelaire (No 3, Le Jet d’eau)The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (Act V: Paradise)Jeux, L 126Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L 137 (Finale)La chute de la maison Usher, L112 (excerpt) (completed and orchestrated by R Orledge)Syrinx
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claude Debussy (1862-1918) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ygtn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the key influences and music of Edvard Greig.
Donald Macleod looks at the people and places that had a significant impact on Edvard Grieg’s life and work, meeting Norwegian fiddlers, folksong collectors and nationalist firebrands along the way. From Henrik Ibsen, who commissioned Grieg to write his most famous work, to the composer's wife Nina, for whom he wrote all his songs, this week Donald explores the key influences on the composer’s outlook and development.
Music Featured:
Holberg Suite: I. PraeludiumSymphonic Dances (3rd & 4th mvts)Piano Concerto No 1 (2nd & 3rd mvts)Peer Gynt Suite No 1Lyric Pieces Book 1: IV Elves’ DanceViolin Sonata No 1 in F major (3rd mvt)In AutumnFuneral March for Richard Nordraak (arr for orch by Johan Halvorsen)BalladeHjertets melodier: III Jeg Elsker Deg6 Songs, Op 25 (No 2, En Svane & No 4, IV Med en Vanlilje)Violin Sonata No 2 (3rd mvt)Piano Concerto No 1 (1st mvt)6 Songs Op 39 (No 4, Millom Rosor)6 Songs Op 39 (No 5 Veng en ung Hustrus Bare) arr. for choir 6 Songs Op 48 (No 4, Zur Rozenheit & No 6, Ein Traum)Two Elegaic MelodiesSpringar after Kristian LundAlbum Leaves, Op 28 (No 4)String Quartet Op 27 (3rd & 4th mvts)The Mountain Thrall12 Melodies Op 33 (No 9)19 Norwegian Folk Tunes Op 66 (excerpts)Norwegian Dances, Op 35 (Nos 3 & 4)Lyric Pieces Op 43 (No 3, In my homeland)Violin Sonata No 3 (1st mvt)Wedding Day at TroldhaugenPeer Gynt Suite No 2Haugtussa (Nos 6-8)Stimmungen Op 73
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Megan Jones for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001y2c0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Johannes Brahms, the bearded and magisterial Romantic composer, could certainly do grandeur when required. But really, he was more interested in what music meant in ordinary life - how it can whisper, joke and console. He was a man who tried to find a place to belong all his life, wrote for the people closest to him, and that fondness is writ large in his music. This week, Kate Molleson focuses on Brahms at home, revealing the subtle sides of this sometimes brawny composer – the tender heart behind the famous beard - through the music he wrote for himself and his friends to play.
Music Featured:
Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op 52a No 1Ballade in G minor, Op 118 No 2Sandmännchen WoO 31, No 4 (Children’s Folk Songs)Scherzo in E flat minor, Op 4An die Nachtigall, Op 46 No 4Vier Gesänge für Frauenchor, Op 17Piano Quartet No 1 in G minor Op 25 (3rd mvt – Andante)Einförmig ist der Liebe Gram, Op 113 No 13Sonata in C major (4th mvt)FAE Sonata (3rd mvt – Scherzo)Piano Trio, Op 8 (3rd mvt – Adagio)Geistliches Lied, Op 30Intermezzo, Op 117 No 2Sextet No 2 (1st mvt – Allegro non troppo)Waltz in A flatSix Quartets, Op 112 (No 1, Sehnsucht)Piano Quartet No 2 in A major (3rd mvt – Scherzo)Ein Deutsches Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen; Ihr habt nun TraurigkeitGeistliches WiegenliedPiano Concerto No 2 (3rd mvt - Andante)Wiegenlied, Op 49 No 4Romance in F major, Op 118 No 5String Quintet in F (1st movement)Wie Melodien zieht es mir; Immer leiser wird mein SchlummerViolin Sonata in A major (1st mvt)Clarinet Quintet (1st movement)Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op 52: Ein kleiner hübscher VogelHungarian Dance in D major, WoO1 No 18Wo ist ein so herrlich Volk, Op 109 No 3Denn es gehet dem Mennschen (Serious Songs, Op 121 No 1)Intermezzo in E flat major, Op 117 No 1Intermezzo in B minor, Op 119 No 1Piano Trio No 1 (1st mvt – Allegro con brio)Double Concerto for violin and cello (2nd mvt – Adagio)Intermezzo in A major, Op 118 No 2
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xvy4
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Mozart and his family on an ambitious European adventure.
When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was just seven years old, he and his family set out on an epic journey. Their goal: to travel through Europe and become famous; bringing their awesomely talented children to concert halls, homes and royal palaces across Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At the start of their trip, young Wolfgang could already perform and improvise better than most adults. By the time they returned home, three and a half years later, he’d grown into a fully-fledged composer of sonatas, symphonies and arias. This week, Donald Macleod accompanies the Mozart family on their musical marathon and invites us to follow their many scrapes and adventures.
Music Featured:
Allegro in F major, K 1cExsultate, jubilate, K 165, 1. Exsultate, jubilateQuartet for Oboe, Violin, Viola and Cello in F Major, K 370Misericordias Domini in D Minor, K 222Violin Concerto No 4 in D major, K 218Symphony in C, K 208/102, (1st mvt)Allegro in C Major, K 6Piano Concerto No 17 in G major, K 453 (2nd mvt)Mass in C, K 317 'Coronation Mass' (Credo & Agnus Dei)Violin Sonata No 1 in C Major, K 6Sonata No 14, K 29 (1st mvt)Divertimento in F, K 138Va, dal furor portata, K 21Symphony No 1 in E flat major, K 16Flute Sonata in C major, K 14Violin Sonata No 8 in F major, K 13 (1st mvt)String Quartet No. 3 in G major, K 156 (2nd mvt)Sonata for Piano duet in C major, K 521 (2nd & 3rd mvts)Symphony No 4 in D major, K 19Mass in C minor, K 427 'Great': (VI Qui tollis; VII Quoniam; VIII Jesu Christe)Symphony No 7a in G, K Anh 221 (K45a) 'Alte Lambacher': (3rd mvt)Gallimathias musicum K 32 (excerpts)Piano Sonata No 16 in C, K 545Violin Sonata in C, K 28Symphony No 5 in B flat, K 22Clarinet Concerto in A, K 622 (2nd & 3rd mvts)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mozart's Grand Tour https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xmlr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Charles Villiers Stanford. With Jeremy Dibble
Marking the centenary of his death, Composer of the Week explores the remarkable life and music of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Stanford was one of the leading musicians of his generation and, along with Parry and Mackenzie, he was one of the main protagonists in Britain’s musical renaissance at the end of the 19th century. Born in Dublin, Stanford rose to the very top of the British music scene, as both a conductor and composer. He also maintained strong links to Germany, following his studies in Leipzig and Berlin. Stanford’s works were popular in Europe, as well as Britain, with conductors such as Hans Richter promoting his music. Today, Stanford is largely remembered for his sacred works, however his prolific output covers most genres and he had a particular passion for opera. He was an influential teacher at the Royal College of Music and Cambridge University; many future musical luminaries passed through his classes, including Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rebecca Clarke and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Stanford was a tremendous force for good in British music, and in honour of his contribution to British culture, his ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey close to the remains of Henry Purcell. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by Stanford biographer, Jeremy Dibble to explore Stanford life and music.
Music Featured:
The Bluebird, Op 119 No 3 (excerpt)Three Intermezzi, Op 13 No 1 (Allegretto scherzando)The Resurrection, Op 5Symphony No 1 (Scherzo)The Veiled Prophet (Act 2 Love Duet)Service in B flat major, Op 10 (Magnificat)Symphony No 2 ‘Elegiac’ (Lento espressivo)To the Rose, Op 19 No 3Piano Trio No 1, Op 35 (Allegretto con moto)Elegiac Ode, Op 21 (The night, in silence, under many a star)The Lord is my ShepherdSymphony No 3, Op 28 “Irish” (Allegro molto Vivace)Piano Quintet in D minor, Op 25 (Allegro risoluto)A Child’s Garland of Songs, Op 30 No 9 (My ship and me)The Clown’s Song from Twelfth Night’, Op 65 No 3Six Irish Fantasies, Op 54 No 3 (Jig)Symphony No 5, Op 56 ‘L’Allegro ed il Pensieroso’ (Andante molto tranquillo)Shamus O’Brien, Op 61 (Act 2 Captain Trevor’s Song)Requiem, Op 63 (Agnus Dei et Lux aeterna)Te Deum, Op 66 (Judex crederis)Ten Dances, Old and New, Op 58 No 1 (Valse)Songs of the Sea, Op 91 No 3 (Devon, O Devon, in wind and rain)Magnificat in G, Op 81String Quartet No 4 in G minor, Op 99 (Allegro molto vivace)Stabat Mater, Op 96 (Virgo virginum praeclara)String Quintet No 2 in C minor, Op 86 (Andante)A Song of Hope, Op 113 No 3Six Songs from ‘The Glens of Antrim’, Op 174 No 2 (The sailor man)String Quartet No 7 in C minor, Op 166 (Allegro molto)Irish Rhapsody No 4, Op 141 (The Fisherman of Loch Neagh and What he Saw)An Irish Idyll in Six Miniatures, Op 77 No 2 (The Fairy Lough)Mass Via Victrix, Op 173 (Agnus Dei)How beauteous are their feet
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xdr0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the lives and music of uncle and nephew Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli
Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli share a name that dominated Venetian music during the late 16th and early 17th century. Both uncle and nephew were organists and composers, and their music was linked inextricably with the exceptional city in which they lived and worked. From the organ loft of St Mark’s Basilica to the resplendent palazzos of merchants and noblemen, they provided the soundtrack to Venice’s golden age, with its numerous feast days and celebrations. But together, they would also pioneer an ambitious way of writing choral music - playing with texture and architecture– that would eventually echo beyond the Venetian waterways and profoundly affect the music of the future.
Music Featured:
Andrea Gabrieli: Benedictus dominus Deus sabbaothAndrea Gabrieli: Fantasia allegra del duodecima toniAndrea Gabrieli: Hor chel nel suo ben seno; Vaghi augelletti; Angel del terzo ciel; O suave a mio cor Andrea Gabrieli: Aria della battagliaAndrea Gabrieli: Laudate dominum omnes gentes a 5; Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius a 10; Giovanni Gabrieli: O magnum mysteriumAndrea Gabrieli: Ricercar del settimo tuonoGiovanni Gabrieli: Deus qui beatum MarcumAndrea Gabrieli: Sancta et immaculata; Laetare JerusalemAndrea Gabrieli: Maria Magdalenae et altera Maria; Maria stabat ad monumentumAndrea Gabrieli: Kyrie a 5; Christe a 8; Kyrie a 12; Gloria a 16Giovanni Gabrieli: Exaudi me domine a 16Giovanni Gabrieli: Hic est filius Dei (arr. Timothy Higgins) a 18Giovanni Gabrieli: Hodie Christus natus estGiovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian e forteGiovanni Gabrieli: Udite, chiari e generosi figliAndrea Gabrieli: Psalmi Davidici, Psalmo 31:Beati quórum remissae; Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci; Tu es refugium meum a tribulatione; In camo et fraenoGiovanni Gabrieli: Audite príncipesGiovanni Gabrieli: Litaniae Beatae Mariae VirginisAndrea Gabrieli: O salutaris hostiaGiovanni Gabrieli: Cantate Domino a 8Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata con tre violini - XXIGiovanni Gabrieli: Timor et tremorGiovanni Gabrieli: Jubilate DeoGiovanni Gabrieli: Sonata a 22; Magnificat a 33Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata octavi toni a 12; Omnes gentesGiovanni Gabrieli: Sacri di Giove augei, sacre FeniciGiovanni Gabrieli: Canzon XXVIII a 8 “Sol sol la fa mi”Giovanni Gabrieli:Buccinate in neomenio tubaGiovanni Gabrieli: Canzon per sonar primi toni a 10; Canzon a 4 “La Spiritata”; Canzon 3 a 6Giovanni Gabrieli: Maria virgo a 10; Canzon in echo duodecimo toni; Hic est filius DeiGiovanni Gabrieli: Quem vidistis pastoresGiovanni Gabrieli: In eclesiis
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x3y2
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone is cited as one of the most experimental and influential composers of all time, undoubtedly recognised as one of the world’s greatest ever composers of music for film. A legendary figure who over the course of his career won numerous awards, and accolades, his innovative soundworlds helped to define what film music could be for multiple genres of cinema. Morricone’s music extended far beyond the desert landscapes of Spaghetti Westerns, not just to other genres on the Silver Screen, but also into the worlds of pop music, and into the concert hall – where his study and composition of avant garde music gave him the techniques to experiment within his scores for film as well. Over the course of this week, following on the heels of the 2024 Academy Awards, Donald Macleod explores the incredible career of Ennio Morricone, a composer who quite astoundingly wrote over 500 scores for film and television, as well as over 100 classical works.
Music Featured:
InvenzioneThe Ecstasy of Gold from The Good, The Bad and The UglyParty Prohibito from I malamondoMusica per undici violiniEduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi: O sole mio (arr. Morricone)Edoardo Nicolardi and Ernesto de Curtis: Voce e’notte (arr. Morricone)Concerto for OrchestraScambio di prigionieri from A Fistful of DollarsThe Man with the Harmonica from Once Upon a Time in the WestWoody Guthrie: Pastures of Plenty (arr. Enrico Morricone)The Trio (extended version) from The Good the Bad and the UglyTitles & A Fistful of Dollars (version 2) from A Fistful of DollarsSixty Seconds to What? & Main Theme from For a Few Dollars MoreRequiem per un destino (Excerpt)Main Title from The Good the Bad and the UglyOpening credits from Uccellacci e uccelliniAddio a Pier Paolo PassoliniOstia from Pasolini, un delitto ItalianoBirth of a City & Finale from Once Upon a Time in the WestSuoni per DinoDelirio Secondo from Un Tranquillo Posto Di CampagnaLa Lucertola from Una Lucertola con la Pelle Di DonnaSilenzio nel caos from The Bird with the Crystal PlumageFour Flies on Velvet (take 6) from Four Flies on Grey VelvetDeborah's Theme from Once Upon a Time in AmericaCockeye’s Song & Once upon a time in America – theme from Sergio Leone SuiteTheme from RampageLa classe operaia va in paradiso from The Working Class Goes to Heaven or Lulu the ToolFire from Days of HeavenHumanity (Part 2) from The ThingFour studies (Nos 1 & 2)BugsyCinema ParadisoMiserere & Gabriel’s Oboe from The MissionTheme from The UntouchablesVoci dal silenzio (Excerpt)Theme from Il MercenarioVolti e fantasmi from La Migliore Offerta’Ultima Diligenza di Red Rock from the Hateful EightOn Earth as it is in Heaven from The Mission
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wyr0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson & Nastasha Loges explore the life and music of Johanna Senfter.
If you know the name Johanna Senfter, it is probably in connection with her teacher, the composer, Max Reger. Senfter won the Arthur Nikisch prize for composition in 1910, and went on to be one of the most prolific of all late-Romantic female composers, writing at least 150 works, yet she has all but disappeared from our history books. In between the two World Wars she was very active within the world of music too, founding the Oppenheim Music Society, organizing her own concert series and founding the Oppenheim Bach Society. However, her personal life is shrouded in mystery with little information published about either her biography, or her music, and there are substantial gaps in her story when we know nothing about Senfter. Unsurprisingly then, there are also questions hanging over certain elements of her personal life, and her political allegiances. Over the course of this week, Kate Molleson is joined by Professor Natasha Loges to explore the life of Johanna Senfter. They also examine the tumultuous world of early 20th Century Germany in which Senfter was working, and speculate on the reasons for her anonymity today.
Music Featured:
Suite for two violins No 2 (Menuet)Symphony No 4 (2nd mvt)Drei Klavierstucke, op 77Violin Sonata in G minor, Op 32 (4th mvt)Trio for clarinet, horn and piano (3rd mvt)VogelweiseClarinet Quintet (2nd mvt)Symphony No 4 (3rd mvt)Viola Sonata No 1 in F minor, Op 41 (3rd mvt)Chorale Preludes, Op 70 (Nos 4, 2 & 9)Sonata for cello in A Major, Op 10 (4th mvt)Suite for two violins No 91 No 2 (1st mvt)5 pieces for viola and piano, Op 76 (No 5)Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 90 (3rd mvt)6 Little Pieces for violin and piano, Op 13 (No 3 Elegie)Sonata for cello and piano in E flat major, Op 79 (2nd mvt)Clarinet Sonata (3rd mvt)Drei Klavierstucke Op 83, No 1Sonata for violin and piano in A major, Op 26 (4th mvt)Concerto in C minor for two violins and orchestra, Op 405 pieces for viola and piano, Op 76 (Weihnachten. In ruhiger Bewegung)Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 90 (1st mvt)Suite for two violins No 1 (Courante)Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 90 (2nd mvt)Symphony 4 (1st mvt)Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in B, Op 11 (3rd mvt)6 Little Pieces, for violin and piano (No 1, Melodie)Mazurka: Allegretto
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johanna Senfter (1879-1961) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wqp7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the world of Venetian composer, Maddalena Sirmen
Maddalena Sirmen was born in Venice in 1745 and christened Maddalena Laura Lombardini. Her poverty-stricken family were unable to support her and by the age of seven she was admitted to one of Venice’s ‘Ospedali’. The Ospedali were hospitals and orphanages set up to help the needy but also celebrated for the musical education they provided to their residents . Sirmen soon excelled in her training. By the age of fourteen she was accepted for additional music lessons in Padua with the famed violinist, Tartini, and became one of his favourite students. In 1767 she married fellow composer, Lodovico Sirmen, and was able to leave the Ospedale, at last. There followed many successful years of travelling and performing as a virtuoso violinist, often presenting her own works. Sirmen’s music was published in many leading European cities, and Leopold Mozart said of one of her works, that it was “beautifully written”. When visiting London for a third time, Sirmen decided to present herself as a singer, rather than a violinist. This proved to be a mistake and she was greatly criticised in the press. From this point onwards her reputation diminished despite further concerts, as a violinist, in Paris, Dresden and St Petersburg. Sirmen eventually settled back in Venice, where she died in 1818.
Music Featured:
Violin Concerto No 3 in A major, Op 3 No 3 (excerpt)Trio Sonata No 5 in G, Op 1 No 5 (Allegro Moderato)Ferdinando Bertoni: Veni Creator (excerpt)Trio Sonata No 5 in G, Op 1 No 5 (Rondo Allegro)Ferdinando Bertoni: Orfeo (excerpt)String Quartet No 5 in F majorViolin Concerto No 3 in A major, Op 3 No 3Giuseppe Tartini: Violin Sonata in G minor, “Devils Trill” (excerpt)String Quartet No 1 in E flat major (Andante)String Quartet No 1 in E flat major (Allegretto)Giuseppe Tartini: Stabat MaterViolin Concerto No 2 in E major, Op 3 No 2String Quartet No 4 in B flat majorString Quartet No 2 in E flat major (excerpt)Duet in C major, Op 4 No 6Ludovico Sirmen: Sonata in A major (Moderato)Violin Concerto No 5 in B flat major, Op 3 No 5Ludovico Sirmen: Sonata in A major (Lento)String Quartet No 2 in E flat majorViolin Concerto No 1 in B flat major, Op 3 No 1 (Allegro)J. C. Bach: Gioas, re di Giuda (Fe giuriamo)Maddalena Sirmen: Violin Concerto No 1 in B flat major, Op 3 No 1 (excerpt)J. C. Bach: Sonata in G, Op 10 No 3, W. B4 (Rondeaux)String Quartet No 3 in G minorViolin Concerto No 6 in C major, Op 3 No 6Violin Concerto No 4 in C major, Op 3 No 4 (excerpt)String Quartet No 6 in E major (Andantino)Thomas Linley Junior: The Song of Moses (Chorus: Praise be to God, and God alone)String Quartet No 6 in E major (Con brio)Ludovico Sirmen: Sonata in A major (Adagio cantabile)Violin Concerto No 4 in C major, Op 3 No 4String Quartet No 5 in F minor
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Maddalena Sirmen and her World https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001w8gx
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Karl Jenkins has had a career of contrasts – from accomplished jazz fusion, prog rock and the worlds of film and advertising, to phenomenal success in concert halls around the world as a composer of music that delights audiences and often defies categorisation; music that is rhythmic, emotional – and hugely popular: he just might be the most performed living composer in the world.
In these special programmes, Sir Karl Jenkins joins Donald Macleod to talk about his life and music ahead of the composer’s 80th birthday.
Music Featured:
BenedictusOne World: In the Beginning One World: Let’s Go (The Tower of Babel),One World: Yet, Here I AmSarakiz (Dance)Stabat Mater (excerpt)One World: Tikkun OlamSuo GanQuirky BlueHazard Profile, pt 1Carol AnnLa Folia – concerto for marimba and stringsCantata Memoria (excerpt)CantilenaAdiemusHymnKayamaCancion PlateadaPalladio, concerto grosso for string orchestra (i Allegretto)Stella Natalis (excerpt)Gloria (excerpt)The Peacemakers (excerpt)The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace (excerpt)Quirk (Chasing the Goose)White WaterOne World: The Golden Age Begins AnewConcerto for Euphonium and Orchestra (‘It takes two…’ Seductively)Over the Stone (iv, Tros y Garreg)One World: Sakura, Spring has ComeRequiem (excerpt)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Martin Williams for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Karl Jenkinshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001w1jw
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the legends and lore of Igor Stravinsky
Music Featured:
Rite of SpringFireworksThree Movements from Petrushka (Russian Dance) The Firebird: Infernal Dance The Rite of Spring, Part 2: The SacrificeThree Pieces for String Quartet (Excentrique) Four Russian Peasant SongsSong of the Nightingale (The Mechanical Nightingale) Renard (excerpt)Soldier’s Tale (excerpt)Les Noces: The Wedding FeastPulcinella Suite (Sinfonia)Suite ItalienneSonata for PianoSymphonies of Wind InstrumentsOctetConcerto for Piano and Wind InstrumentsOedipus Rex(excerpt)Serenade in A for piano (Romanza)Orpheus (excerpt)Apollo (excerpt)Duo ConcertantOtche nashSymphony of PsalmsMass (Santus)Ode (iii Epitaph)In Memoriam Dylan ThomasRequiem Canticles
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Martin Williams for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001vld7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach’s life throws a light on the political turbulence and identity within 19th century Europe. He struggled to break into the musical establishment of Paris, but he didn’t struggle with creating a dazzling array of work for the theatre. His 98 stage works established and defined what operetta was, paving the way for modern musical theatre.
Music Featured:
Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), Act III: Barcarolle (arr. A. Sedlar)Grand Concerto in G Major for cello and orchestra, Concerto Militaire (I. Allegro maestoso)Les fleurs d’hiverMusette, Op 24Pepito (excerpt)Les bavards: OvertureDecameron dramatique (excerpt)Le “66”(excerpt)6 Fables de Lafontaine (orchestrated by J.-P. Haeck) (excerpt)Rends-moi mon âmeL'etoileLes brigands: OvertureBa-ta-clan (excerpt)Orphee aux enfers (excerpt)Le Papillon (excerpt)Die Rheinnixen: OvertureAbendblatterLa Vie parisienne: OvertureLa belle Helene (excerpt)Barbe-bleue (except)La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein (excerpt)La Haine, Act IV: Marche religieuseLes contes d'Hoffmann (excerpt)American Eagle WaltzLe voyage dans la lune (except)Madame Favart: OvertureOuverture a grand orchestra
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chamber for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001vcpj
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Mendelssohn’s experience in the British Isles
Mendelssohn’s relationship with Britain began when he was 20 years old, when London became the first stop of his Grand Tour. This week Donald Macleod explores the composer's experiences in Britain, considering the mark he left on musical life in these islands, the works he wrote here, and what he got up to in the course of the ten visits he made across his lifetime. Mendelssohn took inspiration from the scenery, but he also got his first professional engagements in Britain, and in return, by the end of his life, Britain lionized him.
Music Featured:
Songs Without Words Op 19b No 1Symphony No 1 in C minor (1st mvt)12 Lieder Pp 9: III – WartendOctet in E flat major (3rd mvt)Concerto in E major for Two pianos (2nd & 3rd mvts)Fantasie in F# minor (Mvt 1)Symphony No 3 in A minor 'Scottish' (1st mvt)3 Fantasies (or Caprices) Op 16String Quartet in E flat Major (1st mvt)Organ Sonata No 3 (1st mvt)Symphony No 3 in A minor 'Scottish' (4th mvt)Songs without Words Op 19b No 3Hebrides OverturePiano Concerto No 1 in G minor (2nd & 3rd mvts))Songs Without Words Op 19b (Nos 2, 5, 6)Symphony No 4 in A major 'Italian' (3rd & 4th mvts)Songs Without Words Op 102 No 1Piano Concerto No 2 in D minor (2nd & 3rd mvts)Piano Trio No 1 (1st mvt)A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nos 5 & 7)Violin Concerto in E minor (1st mvt)6 Songs Op 99 No 5Elijah Part 1 (excerpt)Octet in E flat major (1st mvt)String Quartet No 6 in F minor (3rd mvt)Elijah Part 2 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Megan Jones for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001v4jh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson talks to Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Caroline Shaw
At the age of just 30, in 2013 American composer Caroline Shaw made the headlines when she became the youngest person to win a Pulitzer Prize for her vocal work "Partita for Eight Voices". It's a mind blowing, joyous celebration of every sound and technique the human voice can achieve. The unexpectedly gained Pulitzer could have pigeon-holed Shaw's future career, as a "composer", but central to her identity as a creator is the fact that Shaw regards herself as musician. She's a violinist, a vocalist, producer, and a composer and it's the sum of all these parts that make up the creative impetus for her music. Blending performance with composition, blurring the lines between different musical genres, Shaw has avoided categorisation in the multiplicity of her enthusiasms. She's worked with rappers Kanye West and Nas, and soprano Renée Fleming, and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Her more than one hundred works encompass classical works, film scores, vocal music, and performing and working collaboratively she continues to engage in a diverse range of multi-media projects.
Shaw's passion for music formed early. Born in North Carolina in 1982, Shaw was taught the Suzuki method of violin by her mother from the age of 2. Her father, a specialist in respiratory disease, was a keen amateur pianist. Shaw grew up in a culture of community music-making, singing in the church choir and summer camp. Formal studies followed at Rice in performance and Yale in composition, after which she undertook a doctoral programme in composition at Princeton.
Plan and Elevation (IV: The Orangery)And SoPartita for 8 Singers (IV: Passacaglia)Gustave Le GrayEntr’acte (version for String Orchestra)ValenciaLimestone and FeltPunctumBoris KernerThousandth Orange for violin, viola, cello, pianoFleishman is in Trouble (Beef Lo Mein)And the SwallowPartita for 8 Singers (I: Allemande)To the Hands (Seven Responses project) (excerpt)Narrow Sea (excerpt)Its motion keeps“The Listeners” (excerpt)Plan and Elevation (V: The Beech Tree)Three Essays (III: Ruby)The Isle (excerpt)TaxidermyBlueprint for String QuartetTo the SkyPartita for 8 Singers (II: Sarabande)Fleishman is in Trouble (excerpts)Ritornello 2.sq.2.j.a for string quartet
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Caroline Shaw https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001trhs
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
The 19th century was an exciting time for classical musicians. Urban centres across Europe and the New World were expanding rapidly, creating a profitable music circuit for touring performers – particularly if you had the talent and star-power to attract audiences in large numbers! A new breed of performer began to emerge: extraordinary virtuosos whose dazzling abilities made them into international sensations. Liszt, Chopin, Clara Schumann and Paganini are among the names best remembered today but there were many others. This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of four more 19th century ‘showstoppers’ who were equally celebrated in their day, and who also turned their talents to composing.
Music Featured:
Teresa Carreño: Vals gayoTeresa Carreño: Florence, Cantilène Op.34Teresa Carreño: Souvenirs de mon pays, Op. 10Teresa Carreño: Le printemps, Op. 25Teresa Carreño: String quartet in B minor: I. Allegro, II. AndanteTeresa Carreño: Elégie Op. 22, No. 6, ‘Plaintes au borde d'une tombe’Teresa Carreño: Little Waltz ‘Mi Teresita’Elias Parish Alvars: Introduction, Cadenza & Rondo (extract)Elias Parish Alvars:Grand March Op.67Elias Parish Alvars: Grand Duo on Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix, Op.65Elias Parish Alvars: Harp Concerto in E flat Op.98, I. Allegro brillanteElias Parish Alvars: Grand Study in Imitation of a Mandolin Op.84Maria Szymanowska: Polonaise in C majorMaria Szymanowska: Prélude No. 18 in E majorMaria Szymanowska: 24 Mazurkas, Nos. 21-24Maria Szymanowska: Caprice sur la romance de Joconde in E majorMaria Szymanowska: Fantaisie in F majorMaria Szymanowska: Cotillon, ou valse figuréeMaria Szymanowska Nocturne in B flat majorMaria Szymanowska: 18 Dances of Different Genres, Nos. 9-12 & No.18Joseph Joachim: 3 Stücke, Op.2, No.1, RomanzeBeethoven: Violin Concerto in D major (1st movt cadenza by Joseph Joachim)Joseph Joachim: Notturno Op.12Joseph Joachim: QuartettsatzJoseph Joachim: Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.11 'A la hongroise': III. Finale alla Zingara: Allegro con spirito
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Greatest Showstoppers https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001th7g
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
“I’ve always loved carols,” Vaughan Williams wrote to Cecil Sharp in 1911. Despite being called a “most determined atheist” by Bertrand Russell at University, and in later life “a cheerful agnostic”, the composer never lost his love for Christmas. It dated back to childhood memories of singing carols from Stainer and Bramley’s Christmas Carols New and Old at his home at Leith Hill Place, Surrey. As an adult, his lifelong passion for the Christmas period was demonstrated in his music - the Fantasia on Christmas Carols, On Christmas Night based on Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the cantata Hodie and the nativity play The First Nowell. His passion for collecting folk tunes in various counties of England – armed with a trusty pencil and paper, or at times a phonograph - also led to a plethora of carol settings using these folk tunes, as Vaughan Williams himself said “Every day some old village singer dies, and with him there probably die half-a-dozen beautiful melodies, which are lost to the world for ever: if we would preserve what still remains we must set about it at once.” This week. Kate Molleson explores Vaughan Williams’s experiences of Christmas across his life alongside some of his best loved pieces, and the music he wrote to celebrate the festive period.
Music Featured:
Dives and LazarusThe First Nowell (extract)Trad. The Murder of Maria MartenFive Variants of ‘Dives and Lazarus’Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra – Group 1The Wasps OvertureI Saw Three Ships Come InWillow WoodFolk Songs of the Four Seasons: Orchestral SuiteTrad. The High-low wellThe Holy Well (version 1)Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas TallisAs Joseph was WalkingA London Symphony (III. Scherzo)Fantasia on Christmas CarolsSymphony 3 (II. Lento)Trad. On Christmas NightSussex CarolThe Lark AscendingHodie (This Day): The OxenOn Christmas Night (extract)Dona Nobis Pacem (III. Reconcilliation)Trad. Ploughboy’s DreamO Little Town of BethlehemPrelude: 49th parallelSymphony No 5 in D Major (III. Romanza)God rest you merry, gentlemenThe First Nowell: IX: In Bethlehem CityOn Wenlock Edge (V. Bredon Hill)Epithalamion (the bridal day) – Procession of the brideHodie (extract)Symphony No 7 (V. Epilogue)Trad. Seven Virgins (Leaves of Life)The Seven VirginsThe First Nowell: XX. The First Nowell
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Vaughan Williams Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t9wp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of German composer Engelbert Humperdinck
German composer, Engelbert Humperdinck, became an international celebrity with his music for the stage. His lasting hit was his opera, Hansel and Gretel. There were other huge successes too. Die Heirat wider Willen (The Reluctant Marriage) was highly praised after its premiere at the Royal Opera in Berlin, and Humperdinck took 19 curtain calls in London for his stage work Das Wunder (The Miracle). In New York, at the Metropolitan Opera House, after the premiere of Humperdinck’s opera Königskinder (King's Children), the applause just kept going so that the management had to turn the lights off, in order to force the audience to leave.
Humperdinck was born in Siegburg, and from early on his parents encouraged his musical abilities, provided he focused on his other school commitments, too. He went on to study at the Cologne Conservatoire and soon fell under the spell of Wagner whom he met, and later worked with, in the preparation of Wagner’s opera, Parsifal. Humperdinck travelled Europe, and in the early 1890s he saw the premiere of his own opera Hansel and Gretel, which was performed on sixty-nine German stages within one year. Humperdinck became a professor of composition in Berlin and, between his teaching duties, he continued to write many works for the stage. Opera houses clambered to give the premiere of a new work by Humperdinck and he became a giant of his times.
Music Featured:
Evening Prayer (Hansel and Gretel)WeihnachtenPiano Quintet in G (Allegro moderato)Hansel and Gretel (Overture)Die Wallfahrt nach Kevlaar (excerpt)Notturno in G, for violin and string quartetJunge LiederDie LercheString Quartet in C minorWagner arr. Humperdinck: Parsifal (Herzeleide)Hansel and Gretel (excerpt)Nachtstück in A flatChristkindleins WiegenliedAn das ChristkindFrühlingssehnsuchtAltdeutsches LiebesliedWiegenliedPiano Quintet in G (Adagio)Das Licht der WeltErinnerungLiebesorakelKönigskinder (excerpt)Moorish Rhapsody (Elegy at Sunset)Die Heirat wider Willen (excerpt)WinterliedShakespeare Suite No 1 (Ferdinand und Miranda)Die Lerche IIVerratene LiebeUnter der LindenDas Wunder (excerpt)String Quartet in C (Lebhaft)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t2k8
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our medieval ancestors.
Music Featured:
GaudetePersonent hodie; Gaudete; Omnis mundus jucundeturPerotin: Alleluia NativitasMiri it is while sumer ilastBlowe, Northerne Wynd (arr. William Lyons)Seint Nicholas was borne in the citee of Patras; Cantu mirro, summa laude; Sainte nicholaes; Salve cleri speculum - Salve iubar presulumDufay: Ce jour de l'anOrientis partibusThe Play of Daniel (Ludus Danielis)Hec est Clara diesProcedenti pueroPérotin: Salvatoris hodieDum sigillum summi patris [instrumental]Perotin: Viderunt OmnesHodie Christus natus estViderunt EmmanuelLux hodie, Lux leticiePsallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; AptaturDescendit de cælisIn natali DominiIsaias CecinitPerotin: Sederunt PrincipesVerbum patris umanatur O OEdi beo thu hevene-queeneAngelus ad virginemEcce quod naturaTher is no rose of swych vertuVerbum Patris humanaturVerbum Patris (intrumental)Thys endere nyghtAve Maris StellaNowell, owt of youre sleep aryseAdam lay ibowndyn (arr. William Lyons)Ye have so longe kepe schepe (instrumental)Nowell, nowell, nowellHayl Mary ful of graceCoventry CarolHalle: Dieus soit en cheste maisonSequentiaDufay: Bonjour, bon moisLantins, A: Ce jour de l’an, belle je vous supplyDufay: Ce jour de l'anGresley Dances (arr. William Lyons)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Mediaeval Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001svqt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Ned Rorem was an American composer and writer, and was hailed by some as the greatest art-song composer of his time. Writing over 500 songs, his music has been described as Neoromantic, leaning at times towards a more lyrical nature. Early musical influences upon Rorem were Margaret Bonds, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and also Arthur Honegger. After a period of living in Paris where he associated with members of Les Six, as well as frequent trips to Morocco, Rorem eventually settled back in the USA for the rest of his life. He went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his orchestral work, Air Music.
Rorem also wrote seventeen books, six of which were intimate diaries. These earned him a certain reputation from the 1960s onwards, particularly for his openness about his regular sexual encounters with men. During this period, Rorem also had issues with alcohol and drugs, but his life steadily settled when he entered into a long-term relationship with the composer and choral director James Holmes. They purchased a house together in Nantucket, and Rorem often relied upon Holmes for feedback concerning his own music. This week, Donald Macleod reflects on Ned Rorem’s life and music, remembering his own encounter with the composer when he interviewed Rorem for this series in 2003.
Music Featured:
Early in the morningThe Lordly HudsonStopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningDance Suite (excerpt)Piano Concerto No 2 (excerpt)Piano Sonata No 3 (excerpt)Sing My SoulSymphony No 2 (excerpt)For PoulencTwo Psalms and A Proverb (excerpt)LionsLove Divine, All Loves ExcellingI will always love youBook of HoursSky Music (Brisk and Smooth)Santa Fe Songs (excerpt)Praise the Lord, O My SoulViolin Concerto (excerpt)While all things were in quiet silence (Seven Motets for the Church Year)Breath on Me, Breath of GodString Symphony (excerpt)Spring Music (Bagatelle)String Quartet No 4 (Still Life)More than a Day (excerpt)Evidence of things not seen (excerpt)Piano Album 1 (excerpts)Double Concerto for Violin and Cello (excerpt)United States: Seven Viewpoints for String Quartet (excerpt)Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (Recurring Dream)Our Town (excerpt)For Six FriendsFour PrayersFrom An Unknown Past
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ned Rorem (1923-2022) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001slxs
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson and Kevin Le Gendre dive into the lives and music of John & Alice Coltrane
Coltrane is a name you’re likely to have heard, even if you know little to nothing about jazz. More than half a century after his death, saxophonist and composer John Coltrane is hailed as a giant of American cultural history, and one of 20th-century music’s greatest visionaries. But he’s not the only Coltrane. His wife, Alice, was an accomplished keyboardist and harpist who made revolutionary music in her own right, and whose contribution to John’s late output has not always been fully recognised. As soulmates and fellow seekers in sound, John and Alice both transcended cultural and genre boundaries, helping to pioneer avant-garde and spiritual jazz. But following John’s premature death in 1967, Alice began her solo career and would take forward their journey of creative and religious expansion. This week, Kate Molleson is joined by journalist and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre to dive into the lives and music of these monumental figures, and explore their contributions to the jazz world and beyond.
Music featured:
Straight Street (from Coltrane)Blue Train (from Blue Train)Miles Davis/John Coltrane: So What (from Kind of Blue)Giant Steps (from Giant Steps)Syeeda’s Song Flute (from Giant Steps)Naima (from Giant Steps)Rodgers/Hart: It’s Easy to Remember (from Ballads)Up ‘Gainst the Wall (from Impressions)Rodgers/Hammerstein: My Favorite Things (from My Favorite Things)Blues Minor (from Africa/Brass)India (from Impressions)Alabama (from Live at Birdland 1963)Bessie’s Blues (from Crescent)Terry Gibbs: Sherry Bossa Nova (from Plays Terry Gibbs feat. Alice McLeod)Ogunde (from Expression)A Love Supreme, Pts 1 and 2 (from A Love Supreme)Expression (from Expression)Dear Lord (from Transition)Stopover Bombay (from Journey in Satchidananda)The Sun (from Cosmic Music)Lovely Sky Boat (from A Monastic Trio)Ohnedaruth (from A Monastic Trio)Blue Nile (from Ptah the el Daoud)A Love Supreme (from World Galaxy)Journey in Satchidananda (from Journey in Satchidananda)Spiritual Eternal (from Eternity)Sivaya (from Transcendence)Going Home (from Lord of Lords)Krishna Krishna (from Turiya Sings)Translinear Light (from Translinear Light)Rama rama (from The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda)Govinda Jai Jai (from Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana)
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker & Martin Williams for BBC Audio Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for John and Alice Coltrane https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s5st
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the spell Shakespeare cast on Berlioz's life and music
Berlioz burst onto the musical stage of 19th century Paris determined to break the mould of France’s elegant and refined classical style. He wanted to create music that could be bombastic, barbaric and grotesque, as well as sentimental, scintillating and sorrowful. In this, he was inspired by writers as much as fellow musicians. He was captivated by stories and crowded his imagination with the tales of Virgil, Scott, Goethe and, most of all, William Shakespeare. This week, Donald Macleod traces the tangled literary connections in Berlioz’s life and music, including the profound spell cast by Shakespeare over the composer’s art and personality.
Music featured:
Symphonie fantastique: IV. Marche au suppliceHarold en Italie: III. SérénadeLes Nuits d'été: IV. Absence, VI. L'île inconnueWaverley, Grande OuvertureRoméo et Juliette: Part 1 (extracts)Roméo et Juliette, Op 17: Part 2 (extract)La Damnation de Faust: Scène 15.Symphonie fantastique: II. Un bal (Valse)Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: VI. Fantaisie sur ‘La tempête’ de ShakespeareSymphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit du SabbatLélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: II. Choeur d'OmbresLa Mort d’OphélieRoméo et Juliette: Part 2, II. Scene d'amourTristia: III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'HamletLe Roi LearMarche hongroiseLa Damnation de Faust: Part 2 (excerpts)L'Enfance du Christ: Part 2, ‘La fuite en Egypte’ (excerpts)Les Troyens, Act 4: ‘Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie !’Roméo et Juliette, Parts 4 & 5Béatrice et Bénédict: (excerpts)Roméo et Juliette: Part 6 & 7 (excerpts)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Berlioz and Shakespeare https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ryz1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s life through his most iconic works
Beethoven remains one of the most lauded composers in history, famed for both his music, and for his personal triumph as a musician over the adversity of his catastrophic hearing loss. Donald Macleod takes five of Beethoven’s most iconic works, spread out through the composer’s life, and tracks the journey of each of them. Through these stories, Donald discovers both the pieces’ direct importance to the composer, and also finds wider issues which each of them point to in the general life of a complex, and troubled man. From his carefully stage-managed debut on the Viennese scene as a young man, and his steadily increasing anguish at the loss of his hearing, and the betrayal by Napoleon of his political ideals, to the close relationship between Beethoven and his most loyal patron, and the composer’s late credo of joy through suffering which allowed him to continue to flourish artistically despite all of his personal demons.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 7 (IV. Finale)Piano Quartet No 1 in E-flat major, WoO 36 (II. Allegro con spirito)Cantata on death of Emperor Joseph II (I. Todt! Todt!; III. Da kam Joseph)Piano Sonata in C major, Op 2`3 (IV. Allegro Assai)Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 15 (1st movement)The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43 (Overture)Piano Sonata No 12 in A-flat, Op 26 (III. Funeral march on the death of a hero)Christus am Olberge, Op 85 (III. “Meine seele ist erschuttert”)An die hoffnung, Op 32Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” (I. Allegro con brio)Leonore, Op 72a (original version, 1805), Act I Nr. 12. Finale “O, welche Lust, in freier Luft"Ich bin der Herr von zu, Du bist der Herr von von, WoO 199Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, Op 58 (III. Rondo)Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (IV. Allegro)Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat major, Op 81a “Les Adieux” (I. Das lebewohl)Piano Trio in B flat major, Op 97 “Archduke” (I. Allegro Molto)Missa Solemnis in D major, Op 123 (Gloria; Quoniam)Piano Sonata No 29 in Bb major, Op 106 “Hammerklavier” (II. Scherzo)Adelaide, Op 46Sonata for Cello and Piano in D major, Op 102An die ferne geliebte, Op 98Symphony No 8 in F major (IV. Allegro Vivace)Piano Sonata No 29 in Bb major, Op 106 “Hammerklavier” (IV. Largo – Allegro risoluto)Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 “Choral” (Finale (excerpt))Piano Sonata No 32 in C minor, Op 111 (I. Maestoso)Missa Solemnis in D major, Op 123 (Credo: Et Incarnatus Est)Diabelli variations in C major, Op 120 (excerpt)Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op 133
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rr0t
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of the elusive French composer, Edouard Lalo
Even if you know the name, it's possible you might not be able to place the French composer Edouard Lalo date-wise. He was born in Lille in 1823. Berlioz was his senior in age by some twenty years, Saint-Saëns twelve years his junior. Lalo has a direct contemporary in the shape of César Franck, another composer who preferred to stay out of the limelight. As a musician, Lalo cut an independent path, preferring to complete his music studies privately rather than following the accepted route of attending the Paris Conservatoire.
Lalo had a retiring nature, a man who appears to have preferred the quiet life. That doesn't mean he wasn't sociable. He seems to have been generally well liked. He lived in Paris from the age of sixteen and mixed with and knew all the leading musical personalities of the day. Aside from the Symphonie espagnole, he wrote several operas, a ballet, a symphony, a whole number of orchestral and chamber works including three piano trios and a string quartet, and something in the region of 30 songs.
Trying to get a handle on Lalo isn't straightforward. The first letter that’s been preserved dates from 1848, by which time Lalo was in his late twenties. His son Pierre was a primary source of information about his father, but more recent research indicates the picture he drew seems to have been somewhat rose-tinted. The first full length biography in English has yet to be published.
Donald Macleod sets about mapping the life and the music of this elusive, yet significant figure in French musical history in a survey that takes us from Lalo's early experiences in Lille, where he first met Berlioz, to his eventual triumph, age sixty on the opera stage with Le roi d'Ys.
Music Featured:
Guitarre, op 28 arr. Ernest GuiraudSymphonie Espagnole in D minor , Op 21 (I: Allegro non troppo)Le roy d’Ys - OvertureViolin sonata in D major, “Grand duo concertant” Op 12 (2nd movement Variations)Piano Trio No 2 (III: Minuetto: Allegro)Violin Concerto No 1 in F major, Op 20 (I: Andante – Allegro)Deux impromptus, Op 4 (I : Espérance)Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op 21 (II : Scherzando; Allegro molto)Trois mélodiesLa fenaisonSix romance populaires (IV : Si j’étais petit oiseau; I : La pauvre femme)Piano Quintet "Grand Quintette" in Ab major (2nd movement)Cello Concerto in D minor (I. Prélude. Lento - Allegro maestoso)Rapsodie norvégienneDivertissement No 3: AndantinoFiesque, Act 2: Entr’acte: une place de GênesFiesque, Act 1: Je ne puis supporterFiesque Act 2 (except)Piano Trio No 3 in A minor, Op 26 (II: Presto)Sonata for cello and piano (I: Andante non troppo)Concerto russe (II: Chants russe; III. Intermezzo)Namouna, Act 1: Valse de la CigaretteSymphony in G minor (III: Adagio)Namouna Suite No 2 Piano Trio in A Minor, Op 26 (I: Allegro appassionato)Cello Concerto in D minor (II: Intermezzo; III: Introduction: Andante - Allegro vivace)Overture to Le roi d’Ys (excerpt)Le roi d’Ys, Act 3: Vainement, ma bien-aimée String Quartet in E flat (I: Allegro vivo)Piano Concerto in F minor (I: Lento-Allegro)Le roi d’Ys, Act 1 (excerpt)Le roi d’Ys, Act 3 (excerpt)Symphonie Espagnole (V: Rondo)
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edouard Lalo (1823-1892) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rhyp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explore the life and music of Afro-Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia
Composer of the Week shines the spotlight on the Afro-Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia. Hailed by some as the Father of Brazilian Classical Music, and compared by others to Mozart and Haydn, this series delves into the life and music of this once hugely prolific and popular composer. Born in Rio de Janeiro, both his parents were children of slaves. Thanks to his exceptional musical talents, Garcia was able to move from his poverty-stricken beginnings to the very top of his society. He became Master of Music at the Cathedral. Later, when the Portuguese Court established themselves in the city, Garcia was appointed Master of Music at the Chapel Royal and Court Composer. Kate Molleson is joined by Professor Marcelo Hazan from the University of South Carolina and Professor Kirsten Schultz from Seton Hall University who help her explore Garcia’s incredible life story and music.
A hugely influential teacher of music from early on, Garcia established his own free music school and was invited into the homes of the elite to teach their daughters. His trajectory wasn’t always plain sailing however and he frequently encountered racism. When it came to Garcia entering the Priesthood in the early 1790s, he had to undergo a number of tests to prove his worth, including providing impeccable references to offset the official concerns about his family background. Garcia was ordained, and with his musical skills finally recognised by the Church and Portuguese Court, he became the go-to composer for Saints Days, Royal occasions, and other commissions. However, many European musicians who came to Rio de Janeiro were not keen to be conducted by someone of his race. Eventually, Brazil gained independence from the Portuguese Empire and Garcia’s Royal employers were returned to Portugal, leaving Garcia struggling during turbulent times.
Music Featured:
Missa pastoril para a noite de natal (Kyrie eleison)Tenuisti manum dexteram meamMissa pastoril para a noite de natal (excerpt)Fantasy No 1Fantasy No 2Lição No 7 da Segunda ParteTota Pulchra es MariaZemira, OvertureImmutemur HabituSinfonia fúnebreTenuisti ManumCrux FidelisPopule MeusFrancisco Manuel da Silva: Brazilian National AnthemFantasy No 6Requiem Mass (excerpt)Dies SanctificatusJustus cum cecideritJudas Mercator pessimusMissa pastoril para a noite de natal (excerpt)Overture in D majorMarcos António Portugal: Cuidados, tristes cuidadosBeijo a mão que me condenaLaudate pueriIn Monte OlivetiJosef Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 62 in E flat, Hob. WVI: 52 (Finale)Lição No 8 da Primeira ParteLição No 4 da Segunda ParteLição No 8 da Segunda ParteLaudate dominumRequiem Mass (excerpt)Creed No 9 in B flat (excerpt)Fantasy No 4Missa de Nossa Senhora da Concição (excerpt)Lição No 3 da Segunda ParteLição No 6 da Segunda ParteRequiem Mass (excerpt)Domine Tu Mihi Lavas PedesInter Vestibulum
Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767-1830) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qvv7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod marks Composer of the Week's 80th anniversary
Composer of the Week has been produced in Cardiff since 1999 so it's fitting that Donald is celebrating Welsh composers in this anniversary series. Following on from a live concert given in the BBC's Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff Bay, with the BBC Singers, Donald continues the story of Welsh music with programmes featuring music by Grace Williams, Hilary Tann, Morfydd Owen, Dilys Elwyn-Edwards and Rhian Samuel. This quintet of composers were all born in Wales, and much of their music finds inspiration in their Welsh roots. Collectively their stories will take us from the 1890s to the present day.
Music Featured:
Morfydd Owen: Beti Bwt (Welsh Impressions)Dilys Elwyn-Edwards: The Cloths of HeavenMorfydd Owen: My luv's like a red, red roseMorfydd Owen: Nocturne for orchestra in D flat majorDilys Elwyn-Edwards: Lullaby for pianoDilys Elwyn-Edwards: Laudate DominumDilys Elwyn-Edwards: All that's pastDilys Elwyn-Edwards: Caneuon y Tri AderynGrace Williams: Symphony no. 2 (excerpt)Grace Williams: Ballads, IV: Allegro furiosoGrace Williams: Fantasia on Welsh Nursery TunesGrace Williams: Sea Sketches (excerpt)Grace Williams: ElegyRhian Samuel: Four-and-a half Dancing Men (A Garland for Anne)Rhian Samuel: Little Duos for oboe and cor anglaise (Little Whispers)Rhian Samuel: A Perfect ViewRhian Samuel: Gaslight Square II for piano duoRhian Samuel: Love Bade me welcomeRhian Samuel: Salve nosRhian Samuel: Time out of Time (excerpt)Rhian Samuel: Clytemnestra for female voice and orchestra (excerpt)Hilary Tann: From the Song of Amergin (excerpt)Hilary Tann: Nothing Forgotten (I: Andante maestoso)Hilary Tann: Llef for flute and cello (excerpt)Hilary Tann: Shakkei (II: Leggiero)Hilary Tann: Water's Edge (II: From the Riverbed)Hilary Tann: Seven peoms of stillness (I: The air a staircase for silence (Kneeling))Hilary Tann: In the First, Spinning Place
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qfrt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod celebrates 80 years of "Composer of the Week" with a concert of music by Grace Williams and Hilary Tann, curated by Welsh music historian Rhian Davies, and performed by the BBC Singers in Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff Bay. Donald, together with Welsh music specialist Geraint Lewis and conductor and broadcaster Gwawr Owen, considers the part these two composers play in the history of Wales' vibrant choral tradition.
Composer of the Week has been produced in Cardiff since 1999 so it's fitting that Donald is celebrating Welsh composers in this anniversary series. Across the week, he follows the stories of Grace Williams, Hilary Tann, Morfydd Owen, Dilys Elwyn-Edwards and Rhian Samuel. This quintet of composers were all born in Wales, and much of their music finds inspiration in their Welsh roots. Collectively their stories will take us from the 1890s to the present day.
For the first time in "Composer of the Week's" long history, it was recorded live and in front of an audience. During the programme the BBC Singers showcase music by two composers Grace Williams and Hilary Tann, through their choral music. Music includes Williams' arrangements of Welsh folk-songs, and her masterly setting of Ave Maris Stella and we also hear Hilary Tann's settings of Welsh poets RS Thomas and Menna Elfyn.
Trad. arr. Grace Williams: Jim CroTrad. arr. Grace Williams: O rare TurpinTrad. arr. Grace Williams: Mari lwydHilary Tann: The MoorGrace Williams: Ave maris stellaHilary Tann: WellspringGrace Williams: When the green woods laughHilary Tann: Paradise
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qfrt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life of Girolamo Frescobaldi and the musical spectacle of Rome
Girolamo Frescobaldi established the keyboard style that would dominate Europe in the Baroque era. His life throws a light on the nepotism and patronage at the heart of Italy in the 17th century, and how it created extraordinary music and spectacle.... breaking the bank in the process. Donald Macleod and his guest Robert Quinney, Director of the Choir of New College, Oxford, explore Frescobaldi's story alongside some of the other great musicians of his time, who fell into his orbit.
Music Featured:
Partite Sopra CiacconaCanzona Terza a 2Fantasia prima, sopra un soggiettoFantasia undecima, sopra quattro soggiettiLuzzaschi: Aura soaveLuzzaschi: Sacrarum Cantionum, Book 1: Deus tu scis insipientiam meamToccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo et organo, Book 1: Toccata nona (arr. for double harp)Il secondo libro di toccate canzone, versi d'hinni, Magnificat, gagliarde, correnti: Toccata primaCanzon terzaPartite sopra L'Aria della RomanescaPeter Philips: Salve ReginaWilliam Byrd: Pavan and Galliard (from The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Nos. 174-5)Giunt’e pur lidia il mioS’io miro in te, m’uccidiToccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo et organo, libro primo: Toccata ottavaArie musicali per cantarsi, Book 2: Vanne, o carta amorosaPartite Sopra Ciaccona - CorrenteFantasia prima, sopra un soggiettoFantasia seconda, sopra un soggietto soloFrancesco Soriano: Missa Nos autem gloriari oportet: GloriaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Tu es Petrus a 6Messa della Domenica: Canzon post il Comune;BergamascaToccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo et organo, libro primo: Toccata quarta; Balletto primaToccata no. 10 in D MinorStefano Landi: La morte d'Orfeo, Op 2 (excerpt)Arie musicali, Book 2: No 19, Vanne, o carta amorosaArie musicali, Book 2: No 18, Ti lascio, anima miaJacques Arcadelt: Madrigali, Book 1: Ahime, dov'è'l bel viso: Madrigali, Book 1: Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiriAncidetemi pur d'Archadelt passeggiatoJohann Hieronymous Kapsberger: I pastori di Bettelemme (excerpt):Arie musicali per cantarsi, Book 1: Così mi disprezzate (Aria di passacaglia)Canzona duodecima detta la TodeschinaStefano Landi: Il sant'alessio (excerpt)Johann Jakob Froberger: Suite (Partita) No. 30 in A Minor, FbWV 630Marco Marazzoli: Dialogo fra Rosinda ed OlindoMissa sopra l'aria della monica: CredoCento Partite Sopra Passacagli
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chambers for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qfrt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by Odaline de la Martinez to explore the life and music of Carlos Chavez
Carlos Chávez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chávez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chávez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work.
Music Featured:
Three Pieces for GuitarSexteto para Arcos y Piano: III. Andante & IV. FinaleLos Cuatro SolesChapultepec "Republican Overture"PoligonosTres ExagonosOtros Tres ExagonosEnergiaSuite de Caballos de Vapor: I. Danza del hombre, II. El barco, III. El tropicoSoli ISoli IISinfonia IndiaXochipilliToccata for Percussion InstrumentsConcerto for Violin and OrchestraSinfonia Romantica: III. FinaleSymphony No 5: I. Allegro molto moderato, molto lentoTambuco for PercussionSymphony No 6: III. Passacaglia con animaString Quartet No 2HuapangoSoli IV
Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carlos Chávez (1899-1978) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001q746
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson shares stories of Handel’s music at summer soirees across the British Isles When he arrived in London in 1712, German-born George Frideric Handel was already one of Europe’s most exciting musical minds. Over the next decades he would not only carve a living for himself, but transform British musical life, from the opera stage to the choir stalls, and hardwire his legacy into our culture. This week, Kate Molleson tells the stories of five summer soirees from across his life in the British Isles – golden evenings of 18th-century music making, and some of his most eventful performances.Music Featured:Water Music (Suite 2: i. Allegro)Water Music (Suite 2: ii. Hornpipe)Water Music (Suite 1: excerpt)Water Music (Suite 3)Qual nave smarrita (from Radamisto)Water Music (Suite 1: excerpt)Acis and Galatea (Overture)Chandos Te Deum (excerpt)Chandos Anthem No 4 ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song’Acis and Galatea, Act II: Nos 25-29Keyboard Suite in E major ‘The Harmonious Blacksmith’, HWV430 (Air & Variations)Esther, Act I, Scene 4: Tune your harps to cheerful strains; Praise the LordOrgan Concerto in B-flat major, Op 4 No 2Jubilate Deo in D major ‘Utrecht’, HWV279Athalia, Act II Scene 2: My vengeance awakes meL’Allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato: As steals the mornAlexander’s Feast, Part I (excerpt)Messiah, Part 2 (excerpt)Messiah, Part 3: AmenHornpipe compos’d for VauxhallAcis and Galatea: Hush ye pretty warbling quireSemele: Where’er you walkConcerto Grosso in F major, Op 3 No 4bZadok the PriestMusic for the Royal Fireworks (excerpt)Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001q14p And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores how the rise and fall of Light Music in BritainThe names of the composers of British Light Music - Coates, Ketèlby, Farnon, Dring or Tomlinson - might not be as well known as those of Mozart, Beethoven or Bach, but some of their music will be just as familiar to most listeners, and it still provides the soundtrack to many people’s everyday lives through, among other things, the theme music to their favourite TV and radio programmes. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod tracks the rise and fall of Light Music in Britain over roughly 100 years, from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th. He’ll be exploring the social history which led to this genre flourishing, from the late-Victorian theatre crowds in want of more popular fare after the successes of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas, to the orchestras which sprang up to entertain the burgeoning UK seaside resorts. Along the way, Donald will examine the explosion of music in people’s homes, as at first pianos and other instruments, and then radio and television sets, became affordable to households across the country, and the transition from silent movies to the talkies. Donald will also explore the challenges which the genre faced as audiences moved towards new ways of listening in the 20th century and the pioneers who have sought to keep this music alive.Music Featured:Ronald Binge: Elizabethan SerenadeEdward German: “If You Wish to Appear As An Irish Type” from Emerald IsleEdward German: Nell Gwyn Suite: OvertureEdward German: Welsh RhapsodyHaydn Wood: Roses of PicardyHaydn Wood: Mannin VeenJohn H. Glover-Kind: I do like to be beside the seasideAlbert Ketèlbey: In Holiday MoodEric Coates: The Merrymakers, a Miniature OvertureEric Coates: Lazy nightEric Coates: Summer days SuiteReginald King: Song of ParadiseAlbert Ketèlbey: In a Monastery gardenEric Coates: The Dam Busters MarchFrederick Curzon: Robin Hood – March of the BowmenRichard Addinsell: Love on the Dole (excerpts) Frederic Curzon: The Dread TribunalFrederic Curzon: Bravada: Paso DobleRichard Addinsell: Warsaw ConcertoRonald Binge: Sailing byRonald Binge: Alto Saxophone ConcertoRobert Farnon: Little Miss MollyEric Coates: Calling All WorkersEric Coates: London Suite III. KnightsbridgeRobert Farnon: Portrait of a FlirtRobert Farnon: A La Claire FontaineRobert Farnon: Westminster WaltzRonald Binge: The Water MillMadeleine Dring: Festival Scherzo for piano and stringsErnest Tomlinson:Little SerenadeErnest Tomlinson (under alias of Alan Perry): Eccentric MarchErnest Tomlinson: Capability Brown (test card music)Ernest Tomlinson: Second Suite of English Folk DancesMadeleine Dring (orchestrated by Roderick Williams): Take, O Take Those Lips AwayMadeleine Dring: Folk Song; Films from Cheapside at Cheapside (From 'Airs on a Shoestring!')Madeleine Dring: Song of a Nightclub ProprietressEric Coates: Last LovePresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Icons of British Light Music https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ptxr And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviews
Composer of the Week is one of the longest-running strands on the BBC, first heard on the airwaves during the Second World War on the 2nd of August 1943. The first to be featured was Mozart – and today, the programme tells the stories of well-known and rediscovered composers across classical music, jazz, contemporary and beyond. Donald Macleod celebrates its 80th anniversary with highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from his encounters with some of our greatest living composers. Across the week, he looks back on 10 memorable interviews from his nearly 25 years in the presenter’s chair, showcasing the range of musical styles and personalities he’s encountered.
Part 1 includes interviews with Stephen Sondheim, Judith Weir, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich & Harrison Birtwistle.
Part 2 includes interviews with Hans Werner Henze, Adolphus Hailstork, Thea Musgrave, Anoushka Shankar & Oliver Knussen.
Music Featured:
Stephen Sondheim: Pretty Little Picture (from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim: Everything’s Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy) Stephen Sondheim: Free (from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) Stephen Sondheim: There’s Always a Woman (from Anyone Can Whistle) Judith Weir: Variations For Judith, No 5 Judith Weir: Vertue for chorus Judith Weir: Piano Quartet (1st movement) Judith Weir: Airs from Another Planet for wind quintet and piano (excerpt) Meredith Monk: Gothum Lullaby Meredith Monk: Quarry (Quarry Weave 2) Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music (excerpt) Steve Reich: The Cave (excerpts from Act III) Steve Reich: Different Trains (iii. Europe, After the War) Steve Reich: Piano Phase (remixed by D*Note) Harrison Birtwistle: Virelai (sous une fontayne) Harrison Birtwistle: The Minotaur (Part Two – excerpt) Harrison Birtwistle: The Moth Requiem Hans Werner Henze: Chamber Concerto, Op 1 (final movement) Hans Werner Henze: Serenade for piano trio (Adagio, Adagio) Hans Werner Henze: Scorribanda sinfónica Hans Werner Henze: Requiem (excerpt) Adolphus Hailstork: Fanfare on Amazing Grace Adolphus Hailstork: Three Spirituals for Orchestra Adolphus Hailstork: Symphony No 2 (excerpts) Thea Musgrave: On the Underground, Set 1: Sometimes Thea Musgrave: Two’s Company Anoushka Shankar: Traces of you Anoushka Shankar: Voice of the Moon Anoushka Shankar: Red Sun Oliver Knussen: Flourish with Fireworks, Op 22 Oliver Knussen: Music for a Puppet Court, Op 11 Oliver Knussen: …Upon One Note
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001p28b
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviews
Composer of the Week is one of the longest-running strands on the BBC, first heard on the airwaves during the Second World War on the 2nd of August 1943. The first to be featured was Mozart – and today, the programme tells the stories of well-known and rediscovered composers across classical music, jazz, contemporary and beyond. Donald Macleod celebrates its 80th anniversary with highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from his encounters with some of our greatest living composers. Across the week, he looks back on 10 memorable interviews from his nearly 25 years in the presenter’s chair, showcasing the range of musical styles and personalities he’s encountered.
Part 1 includes interviews with Stephen Sondheim, Judith Weir, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich & Harrison Birtwistle.
Part 2 includes interviews with Hans Werner Henze, Adolphus Hailstork, Thea Musgrave, Anoushka Shankar & Oliver Knussen.
Music Featured:
Stephen Sondheim: Pretty Little Picture (from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim: Everything’s Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy) Stephen Sondheim: Free (from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) Stephen Sondheim: There’s Always a Woman (from Anyone Can Whistle) Judith Weir: Variations For Judith, No 5 Judith Weir: Vertue for chorus Judith Weir: Piano Quartet (1st movement) Judith Weir: Airs from Another Planet for wind quintet and piano (excerpt) Meredith Monk: Gothum Lullaby Meredith Monk: Quarry (Quarry Weave 2) Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music (excerpt) Steve Reich: The Cave (excerpts from Act III) Steve Reich: Different Trains (iii. Europe, After the War) Steve Reich: Piano Phase (remixed by D*Note) Harrison Birtwistle: Virelai (sous une fontayne) Harrison Birtwistle: The Minotaur (Part Two – excerpt) Harrison Birtwistle: The Moth Requiem Hans Werner Henze: Chamber Concerto, Op 1 (final movement) Hans Werner Henze: Serenade for piano trio (Adagio, Adagio) Hans Werner Henze: Scorribanda sinfónica Hans Werner Henze: Requiem (excerpt) Adolphus Hailstork: Fanfare on Amazing Grace Adolphus Hailstork: Three Spirituals for Orchestra Adolphus Hailstork: Symphony No 2 (excerpts) Thea Musgrave: On the Underground, Set 1: Sometimes Thea Musgrave: Two’s Company Anoushka Shankar: Traces of you Anoushka Shankar: Voice of the Moon Anoushka Shankar: Red Sun Oliver Knussen: Flourish with Fireworks, Op 22 Oliver Knussen: Music for a Puppet Court, Op 11 Oliver Knussen: …Upon One Note
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001p28b
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine Tailleferre
Kate Molleson revels in the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine Tailleferre, with guests Barbara Kelly and Caroline Potter.
Germaine Tailleferre first made a splash in the heady atmosphere of 1920s Paris. She was part of a lively, bohemian scene in which poetry and exhibitions went hand in hand with performances of new music. Her career was given a bump start by the eccentric older composer, Eric Satie. He was an influential voice in avant-garde circles, and his support opened a door to wider recognition. Tailleferre became part of a like-minded set of young composers, along with Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey and Georges Auric. Their energy and drive created exciting new outlets for performances of their music. It was a journalist, Henri Collet, who coined their eventual collective name "Les Six". While their artistic paths quickly diversified, the group remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Tailleferre was a prolific composer, writing in all the genres from small scale chamber works to large scale works including cantatas, orchestral scores, ballets and operas. After enjoying considerable success, by the 1930s her prominence began to fade. There's some evidence to suggest that her two unhappy marriages, and the deprivations of living in occupied France, followed by a temporary exile in the States during the second world war all had an adverse impact on her career. Despite these setbacks, she continued to compose and would teach music almost to the very end of her life. She died in 1983 at the age of 91.
Held back perhaps by her own retiring personality and historical views of a female composer, Tailleferre's music has been overshadowed by some of the other members of "Les Six". This week Kate Molleson brings Germaine Tailleferre's music firmly in to the limelight. She's joined in studio by two other Tailleferre enthusiasts, Barbara Kelly from the University of Leeds, and Caroline Potter, who's currently writing a book about Tailleferre.
Music Featured:
Deux valses Image for 8 instruments Jeux de plein air Quartet for Strings Romance in A major Le Marchand d’oiseaux Pas trop vite Piano Trio Ballade for piano and orchestra Chansons françaises, No 5 (excerpt) Chansons françaises (Nos 1, 2 & 5) Concerto No 1 for piano and orchestra Violin sonata No 1 (excerpt) Fandango La nouvelle Cythère (excerpts) Harp Concertino Chansons Françaises (Nos 3 & 4) Violin sonata No 1 (1st & 4th mvts) Partita for piano (excerpt) Chansons du folklore Sonata for Harp Concerto two pianos, chorus and orchestra La cantate du narcisse Larghetto Suite burlesque (1, Dolente) Ouverture trans. By John Paynter Il était un Petit Navire (arr for two pianos) Concertino for flute, piano and chamber orchestra (excerpts) Pancarte pour une porte d’entrée (song cycle) Sonate Champêtre for wind and piano Tu mi chamas
Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio in Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001nw40
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Composer of the Week explores the life and music of Samuel Barber, who is only considered one of the most expressive representatives of the Romantic trend in 20th century classical music, as well as one of the most frequently performed American composers. His most famous score is his early Adagio for Strings; some of his other breakthrough include his Piano Sonata, and the opera Vanessa.
Barber began studying piano from the age of six and started to compose from the age of seven. He went on to take composition lessons with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute of Music and, from this point, he never looked back, quickly becoming one of America’s most famous composers. He wrote in many different genres, including chamber, vocal, orchestral and works for the stage, and often composed in response to significant and highly desirable commissions. He enjoyed close collaboration with the performers he wrote for, shaping his music to their individual styles and capabilities. Only towards the end of his life, when he was struggling with depression, alcoholism and also cancer, did his creative output slow.
Music Featured:
Overture to The School for Scandal Dover Beach, Op 3 Cello Sonata, Op 6 (Adagio - Presto) Sure on this shining night, Op 13 No 3 Nocturne, Op 13 No 4 Adagio for Strings, Op 11 Violin Concerto, Op 14 (excerpt) Monks and Raisins, Op 18 No 2 Commando March Cello Concerto, Op 22 (Andante sostenuto) Medea Orchestral Suite, Op 23 (excerpt) Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op 24 Piano Sonata, Op 26 (excerpt) Souvenirs, Op 28 (Galop) At St Patrick’s Purgatory, Op 29 No 1 (Hermit Songs) The Monk and his Cat, Op 29 No 8 (Hermit Songs) Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Op 23a Summer Music, Op 31 Vanessa, Op 32 (excerpt) Nocturne, Op 33 (Homage to John Field) My Lizard, Op 41 No 2 (Despite and Still) Canzone, Op 38a Piano Concerto, Op 38 (Allegro appassionato) Night Flight, Op 19a Antony and Cleopatra, Op 40 (Give Me Some Music) Agnus Dei, Op 11 In the Wilderness, Op 41 No 3 (Despite and Still) Third Essay, Op 47 A Green Lowland of Pianos, Op 45 No 2 Toccata festiva, Op 36 The Lovers, Op 43 (excerpt)
Ballade, Op 46 Canzonetta, Op 48
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio in Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Samuel Barber (1910-1981) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001nnr8
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, the greatest British musician of his age. Donald is joined all week by Byrd expert Kerry McCarthy to explore Byrd’s story and reveal a composer of determined ambition and powerful convictions. Those who encountered him, found Byrd could be a difficult adversary as well as a loyal friend. Donald also visits Essex to discover what remains of Byrd’s legacy in the places where he felt most at home, and to see how the composer navigated a hazardous path between his catholic faith and his duty to the crown at a time of great religious intolerance.
Music Featured:
O Lux Beata Trinitas The Bells Praise the Lord all Ye Gentiles Have Mercy on me O God Fantasia No 2 Laudibus in Sanctis John come kiss me now O You that hear this voice In fields abroad Galliard a6 Fantasia in A minor (extract) O Lord Make thy Servant Elizabeth Magnificat (Short Evening Service) Te Deum (The Great Service) In Nomine a5 (No 2) Fantasia a6 in F In Nomine a5 (No 3) Domine Quis Habitabit Fantasia in A minor Laetentur coeli Clarifica Me, I, II & III Magnificat (The Great Service) Peccantem me quotidie Attollite portas Come to me grief forever All as a sea As I beheld I saw a herdman wild Gaudeamus omnes Mass for 4 voices: Credo Sellinger’s Round Pavan 'Sir William Petre' Ne irascaris Domine Oh God that guides the cheerful sun Haec dies The Battell (extract) Galiardo ‘Mrs. Mary Brownlow’ Responsum accepit Simeon Nunc dimittis Come Jolly Swains Have Mercy on me, O God Blow up the Trumpet Galiardo ‘The Earle of Salisbury’ Tristitia et anxietas
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for William Byrd (1543-1623) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001n819
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George Gershwin
Music Featured:
Rhapsody in Blue Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off Swanee Our Love is Here to Stay Lullaby Somebody Loves Me Suite from Blue Monday (arr. Jeanneau) A Foggy Day Overture from Primrose Fascinating Rhythm Piano Concerto in F Three Preludes (arr Heifetz) S’Wonderful The Man I Love (arr. Percy Grainger) Nice Work If You Can Get It How Long Has This Been Going On American in Paris But Not For Me Blah Blah Blah Embraceable You Second Rhapsody I Got Rhythm They Can’t Take that Away From Me Jasbo Brown Blues Summertime It Aint Necessarily So (arr. Heifetz) Bess, You is my Woman Now Catfish Row Suite Rhapsody in Blue
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Gershwin (1898-1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001n27r
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the ‘English Bach’
Composer of the Week explores the life and music of the ‘English Bach’, Johann Christian Bach, whose blending of German technique with Italian lyricism, in his music, made him not only the leading composer in London but a favourite too with the likes of Mozart. He was the youngest son of J.S. Bach, and the first of Bach’s numerous sons to visit Italy where he had lessons with Padre Martini. J.C. Bach spent much time composing sacred music whilst in Italy but he soon got the opera bug and it was a commission for the Haymarket theatre in London which enticed him to travel to England where he remained based for the rest of his life. Bach became a music tutor to members of the Royal family and his operas were soon wowing London audiences. He also set up a famous series of London concerts with another musician, C.F. Abel. Celebrated singers of the age all wanted to perform arias by Bach, and when the Mozart family visited London, Bach became a mentor to the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. J.C. Bach also produced operas for European stages in Paris and Mannheim, and his works became so popular that many pirated editions appeared in print during his lifetime.
Music Featured:
Symphony in G minor, Op 6 No 6 (excerpt) Magnificat a 4 in C, W E 22 (excerpt) Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, W C73 Laudate pueri, W E 19 (excerpt) Sinfonia in D, Op 3 No 1 Artaserse, T. 217 (Vo solcando un mar crudele) Catone in Utica, W G2 (Overture) Beatus vir, W E 17 (excerpt) Non so d’onde viene (Ezio) Zanaida, W G5 (Overture) Zanaida (Tortorella abbandonata) Keyboard Concerto in D, Op 1 No 6, W C54 Sinfonia in G, Op 3 No 6 Hither turn thy wand’ring eyes Smiling Venus Sextet in C (Allegro) J. C. Bach, arr. W. A. Mozart: Concerto in D Adriano in Siria, T 211 (Cara, la dolce fiamma) Sonata for in G, Op 15 No 5 W A21 Adriano in Siria, T. 211 (Tutti nemici, e rei) Berenice (Confusa, smarrita) Oboe Concerto No 1 in F major, W. C80 (Allegro) Carattaco, T 221 (Fra l’orrore) Endimione, W G 15 (Semplicetto, ancor non sai) Symphony in E flat, Op 9 No 2, W. C19 Temistocle, T 238 (Ch’io parta) Temistocle, T 238 (Overture: Presto) La legge accetto, o Dei, T 234 (Orfeo ed Euridice) Quintet in D, Op 11 No 6 (Allegro) La Clemenza di Scipione, T 229 (Me infelice che intendo) Amadis de Gaule (A qui pourrai-je avoir recours) Missa Da Requiem (excerpt) Keyboard Sonata, Op 17 No 5
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mv5p
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Rossini, born in Italy in 1792, began writing music at the age of 12. His first opera was performed when he was eighteen and he wrote 37 more in the span of 20 years. Then, at the peak of his fame, the composer suddenly disappeared from the public eye. What led him to this moment? This week, Donald Macleod traces Rossini's career, from his humble beginnings as the son of a horn player, learning to write music in order to support his family, to travelling the world and rubbing shoulders with royalty. We'll hear the truth behind his mysterious retirement and discover what made him return to composing, at the very end of his life.
Music Featured:
Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act I: Cavatina: Largo al factotum della citta La cambiale di matrimonio (excerpt) Sonata a quattro No 2 in A Major Sinfonia in D - "al Conventello” Il Signor Bruschino (Sinfonia; N.3 Cavatina: "Nel teatro del gran mondo”) Tancredi "Oh patria!... Tu che accendi questo core... Di tanti palpiti” Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra (Overture; "Misera! A quale stato”) Il barbiere di Siviglia (Overture; "Una voce poco fa”) Otello Act III (excerpt) Mosè in Egitto (excerpts) Ermione Overture Semiramide (excerpts) Le siège de Corinthe Overture Guillaume Tell Overture Soirées Musicales Stabat Mater (Stabat Mater dolorosa; Amen) Musique anodine Péchés de vieillesse Vol 9 Petite messe solennelle (I. Kyrie; XVIII. Agnus Dei)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001md7b
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Domenico ScarlattiDomenico Scarlatti was well placed to build himself a glittering career in the music business. He was prestigiously talented and born into a family with powerful connections in the music business. His home city of Naples was a major centre for the fashionable new art form of opera. But there were challenges, too. Competition was fierce and musicians often found their fates helplessly tied to the fickle fortunes of their aristocratic patrons. On top of all that, Domenico faced another, distinctly personal, test to his career aspirations; he was working in the shadow of a much more celebrated Scarlatti – his own father! It would take several decades, and more than a few changes of direction, before Domenico finally found his right path, becoming one of the baroque period’s most significant composers. Today, he’s rightly revered for the extraordinary catalogue of over 550 keyboard sonatas he left to posterity. This week, Kate Molleson traces Scarlatti's story and looks at what else there is to discover in his legacy alongside his celebrated keyboard works.Music Featured:Sonata in D, K 96Sonata in Dm, K 9Sonata in E, K 20Antra, valles, divo plaudeantSinfonia in CSinfonia in GSonata in Am, K 109Sonata in A, K 279Sonata in G, K 425Amor d'un Ombra e Gelosia d'un'aura (excerpts)O qual meco: Sinfonia & Aria, ‘Per che non dirmial meno’Sonata in Dm, K 32Sonata in C, K 308Sonata in Gm, K196Sonata in G, K 284Messa breve 'La Stella': KyrieLa Dirindina (extract from Scene 1)Sonata in D, K 443Sonata in F, K 17Stabat MaterContesa della stagione: VIII. ‘Giorno felice’…‘Sia dolce e caro e grato’Sonata in A, K 39Sonata in A, K 208Sonata in Am, K 175Laetatus sumSonata in Eb, K 434Sonata in Eb, K 475Missa quatuor vocum, Gloria, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus DeiPur nel sonno almen tal’ora: (extracts)Avison: Concerto grosso after Scarlatti, No. 5 in Dm (extracts)Salve Regina in ASonata in Cm, K11Sonata in G, K547Presented by Kate MollesonProduced by Johannah Smith For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001m56gAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Kate Molleson explores the life of György Ligeti with guest, Danny DriverKnown to millions through the film director Stanley Kubrick's use of his music in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ligeti's music reflects the seismic events taking place in central Europe in the mid-twentieth century - shifting borders, war, totalitarianism and for many, exile. These harrowing experiences all made a deep imprint on him and his music. He was born in 1923 into a Jewish Hungarian family in an area that had become part of Romanian Transylvania. After years of state repression, in 1956 at the onset of the Hungarian revolution, Ligeti made a dramatic escape on foot to the West. Freed from state intervention, he was to remain artistically and personally independent from any particular orthodoxies for the rest of his life. He died in 2006 at the age of 83.Ligeti regarded the whole world as the material for his music. He was fascinated by anything and everything: philosophy, science, the arts, literature - Alice in Wonderland was one of his favourite books. His music can be playful, at times wickedly macabre. He loved patterns, he loved rhythm, he dived into mathematical concepts of immense complexity but was equally curious about history, folklore, the cosmos and the natural world. From the piano, Danny Driver, a huge Ligeti enthusiast, opens up the magical universe Ligeti creates in his piano music, with a special focus on the three sets of piano studies.Music Featured: Musica ricercata (IV. Tempo de Valse (poco vivace - à l'orgue de Barbarie)Lux aeternaThree Wedding Dances for two pianos (Hàrom lakodalmi tánc)Romanian ConcertoPiano Concerto (1st, 2nd & 3rd mvts)Musica ricercata (excerpt)Cello Sonata (2nd mvt, Capriccio. Presto con slancio)Apparitions (2n, mvt, Agitato)Musica ricercata (excerpt)LontanoThree Pieces for Two PianosÉtudes, Book 1Chamber Concerto for 13 instrumentsClocks and CloudsThree Fantasies after Friedrich HölderlinCapriccio 1; Invention Capriccio 2Études, Book 2Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano (1st mvt, Andantino con tenerezza)Sonata for solo viola (1st mvt, Hora lungă)Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano (2nd mvt, Vivacissimo molto rítmico)Piano Concerto (4th mvt, Allegro risoluto - molto rítmico)Études Book 3MelodienPresented by Kate MollesonProduced by Johannah Smith For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for György Ligeti (1923-2006) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lzcn And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky's music with Sir Matthew Bourne and Dame Monica MasonTchaikovsky is responsible for some of the world’s best loved and best known ballets. His music for Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker has become so popular and ubiquitous that we’re as likely to hear it in the concert hall, or accompanying a TV ad, as in the theatre. But this week, Donald Macleod is on a mission to take Tchaikovsky back to his dancing roots, in the company of two of British ballet’s brightest stars. Dame Monica Mason joined the Royal Ballet as the age of sixteen, becoming the youngest dancer in the company at that time. She went on to dance many principal roles, eventually becoming Director of the Royal Ballet in 2002, before her retirement in 2012. Sir Matthew Bourne has been hailed as the most popular and successful British choreographer and dancer, with a string of awards for his many productions, not least his ground-breaking production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Both guests bring their expertise, sharing with Donald Macleod their views on Tchaikovsky, and their experience of performing and choreographing his works.Music Featured:Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 excerpt)The Seasons, Op 37b No 6 (June: Barcarolle)No reply, no word, no greeting, Op 28 No 5 (Six Romances)String Quartet No 3, Op 30 (Allegretto vivo e scherzando)Swan Lake, Op 20 Valse sentimentale in F minor, Op 51 No 6 (excerpt)Eugene Onegin, Op 24 (Act 2: Waltz)Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 excerpt)Serenade in C, Op 48The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (excerpt)The Golden Cloud has SleptThe Fancy Slippers (Danse des cosaques)The Enchantress (excerpt)The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 Impromptu in A flatSerenade, Op 65 No 3 (Six Melodies)The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66The Queen of Spades, Op 68 (Act 1: Liza’s Aria)Hamlet, Op 67a (Overture)Souvenir de Florence, Op 70 (Adagio cantabile e com moto)The Endellion QuartetThe Nutcracker, Op 71 (Overture)Iolanta Op 69 (Act 1 Scene 5: My only beloved Mathilde I claim)Souvenir de Florence, Op 70 (Allegro vivace)The Nutcracker, Op 71 Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke Whitlock For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lnz3And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
William Walton composed music for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI, pieces of pomp and circumstance. But Walton grew up far from Buckingham Palace and the world of the Windsors, in the northern working-class town of Oldham, seemingly destined to work at the cotton mill. Even when he escaped to Oxford and then London, making high-society friends such as the Sitwells, his early music was intense and avant-garde - not at all suitable for a royal affair. So how did Walton become the royal composer of choice? This week, we’ll find out.Music Featured: Coronation Te DeumLitanyFaçade: 2. En famillePortsmouth PointSinfonia ConcertanteFaçade (extracts)Viola Concerto As You Like It: A Poem for Orchestra after ShakespeareSymphony No 1Crown ImperialViolin ConcertoHenry VHamletTroilus and Cressida (excerpts)Orb and SceptreCello ConcertoPresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKeeFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for William Walton (1902-1983)https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lbznAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe’s leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It’s still regarded as one of the best images we have today.Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags to riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only “three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat” to his name. Happily his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterhàzys, one of the most powerful and influential families in the Hapsburg monarchy for an astonishing 48 years.But this week, Donald Macleod puts the public face of this celebrated figure to one side. He’s going to be looking at Haydn through a narrower lens, drawing a picture of the composer through the relationships he enjoyed with some of his closest family and friends.Music Featured: Piano Trio No 4 in F major, Hob.XV:39Signor voi sapete, Hob.XXIVb:7Symphony No 1 in D major, Hob 1/1 (1st mvt)Salve Regina in E major, Hob. XXIIIb:1 (I. Salve Regina)Horn Concerto No 1 in D, Hob.VIId:3Vada adagio, signorina, Hob.XXIVb:12L'isola disabilitata, Act 2, sc 12Sonata No 46 in A flat major Hob XVI/46 II (3rd mvt)L’infedeltà delusa, Act I. Scene 1: Introduction: Bella seraThe Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross (Sonata No 2)Armida, Act 1: Parti Rinaldo - Se pietade aveteMass in D minor, H.XXII:11 “Nelson Mass” (Gloria)Motetto "O ceolitum beati", Hob. XXIIIa:G9Keyboard Concerto No 2 in D major, Hob.XVIII:2String Quartet in E flat major, Op 33, No 2 'The Joke' (2nd mvt)Michael Haydn: Requiem in C minor (excerpts)String Quartet in G major, Op 33, No 5 (2nd & 4th mvts) Symphony No 82 in C major, 'The Bear' (1st mvt)Missa Cellensis in honorem Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ, Hob. XXII:5 (excerpts)String Quartet in D major, Op 64, No 5, 'The Lark' (1st mvt)Piano Trio No 39 in G major, Hob.XV:25 'Gypsy' (3rd mvt)Symphony No 91 in E flat major (2nd mvt)Piano Sonata No 59 in E flat major, HobXVI:49 (1st mvt)Piano Trio No 40 in F sharp minor, Hob: XV:26 (2nd mvt)Die Schöpfung, Part 3, (No 30)Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Johannah SmithFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l4cfAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donal Macleod explores how, from childhood, Poulenc was exposed to two versions of Paris: one that was working class and religious, another that was high society, secular... and avant-garde.Francis Poulenc was the epitome of Parisian high society: suave, convivial and connected. Or was that how he wanted us to see him? The critic Claude Rostand famously commented that Poulenc was a combination of “moine et voyou” - monk and rogue. This week, we follow the composer from Paris’s artisanal upper class heartland, to the city’s dark underbelly, discovering the moments when the monk and the rogue met face-to-face.Music Featured:Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor, FP 146 (1st mvt)Sonata for Piano 4 HandsGnossiennesRapsodie NègreL’Album des Six (5th mvt, ‘Valse’)Les BichesConcert ChampêtreLes Soirées de NazellesLes Litanies à la Vierge NoireBleuetLes Animaux ModèlesL’Histoire de BabarLes Mamelles de TirésiasLa Fraîcheur et le FeuLes Dialogues des CarmelitesLa Voix HumainePresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKeeFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lkymAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Sir Arthur Sullivan became the most renowned composer of the Victorian era, with his fame spreading across Europe and America too. His output spanned many genres including oratorios, a symphony, chamber music, hymns and anthems, but it was for his collaboration with the librettist W. S. Gilbert on operetta’s that he is best remembered today. He was a personal friend to royalty, and he was knighted when he was in his early forties. He also had a liking for playing cards, buying race horses and gambling, frequently loosing the substantial earnings from the stage works he’d composed. Sullivan became a pillar of the British musical establishment, so that when he died, despite wanting to be buried with his family in Brompton Cemetery, he was laid to rest in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral, with an additional service at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace. Music Featured: HMS Pinafore (Overture) HMS Pinafore (When I was a lad) O Israel Overture ‘In Memorium’ Will he come? Symphony in E major, ‘Irish Symphony’ (Andante espressivo) Cox and Box (excerpt) The Merry Wives of Windsor (excerpts) Lead Kindly Light HMS Pinafore (excerpts) Pirates of Penzance (excerpt) Who is like unto thee Mikado (excerpts) The Golden Legend (excerpt) Ruddigore (excerpts) The Yeomen of the Guard (excerpts) Ivanhoe (excerpt) Utopia Limited (Society has quite forsaken) The Long Day Closes Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001kpgh And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet, they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.Music Featured:Hildegard: Spiritus Sanctus VivificansLeonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 8Hildegard: Columba AspexitHildegard (ed Wishart): O frondens virgaHildegard: O virga ac diademaLeonarda: Memento rerumLeonarda: Volo Jesum, Op 3 No 4Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 3 Leonarda: O anima meaLeonarda: Dixit dominus, Op 19Hildegard: Ordo Virtutum (Prologue and Scene 1)Hildegard: Antiphon, O quam mirabilis estLeonarda: Purpurei Flores, Op 20Leonarda: Magnificat Op 19Leonarda: Sonata Op 16, No 12Leonarda: Ave suavis dilectio, Op 6 No 5Hildegard: O rubor sanguinisHildegard: O EcclesiaPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001kh9pAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
150 years ago this week, Sergei Rachmaninov was born: one of the finest pianists of his generation, touring the world in the 1920s and 30s as a musical megastar. Composing had been his real passion since childhood, and towards the end of his time in Russia before the Revolution, it was farming. Though St Petersburg and then Moscow was his base for much of his early life, it was Ivanovka – a country estate deep in the Russian countryside - that formed him. The house and the land surrounding it were a major source of his creative inspiration until his last visit in 1917. Donald Macleod explores how important Ivanovka was to Rachmaninov, and how he carried the precious memory of it with him when he left it behind for a life of exile.Music Featured:Lilacs op 21, No 5, ‘Siren’Piano Concerto No. 1 (mvt 1)Dances from AlekoCello Sonata in G minor (mvt 1)VesnaSymphony No 2 (Mvt 2)Songs Op 34, No 12 Piano Concerto No 3 (Mvt 1)All-Night Vigil (Excerpt)Piano Concerto No 2 (Mvt 1)Etudes-Tableaux Op 39, No 6The Bells (Mvt 2)Prelude Op 3, No 2Three Russian SongsSymphony No 3 (Mvt 2)Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Excerpt)Isle of the DeadSymphonic Dances (Mvt III)Suite No 2 for Two Pianos (Mvt IV)The Bells op.35 (Mvt IV)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Megan Jones For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k8ckAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Georges Bizet’s story ought to have been a very straightforward one. It was clear to everyone who met him just how brilliantly and excitingly talented he was. He was also fortunate to live and work in Paris, a city laden with musical opportunities in the mid-nineteenth century. Donald Macleod shows how Bizet’s life proved more challenging and event-filled than anyone might have expected – and that success can never be guaranteed!Music Featured:Carmen (extracts)Symphony in C, III. ScherzoLe Docteur Miracle: OvertureL'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 (arr. Guirand), IV. FarandoleTe Deum Roma, II. Allegro Vivace & III. Andante moltoVasco da Gama: Aria, “Ouvre ton Coeur”Les Pêcheurs de Perles: Duet,“Au fond du temple saint”La jolie fille de Perth: choeur de la Saint-Valentin (Act 4)Variations chromatiquesJeux d'enfants: No 3 ‘La poupée’Djamileh: OvertureL'Arlesienne Suite No. 1: I. Prelude & II. MinuettoPatrie OverturePresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris TaylorFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Johanna Müller-Hermann once held a significant place as a composer and teacher in Vienna, yet has been largely forgotten over the decades since her death in 1941. Radio 3 has been working to unearth her music and story through its Forgotten Women Composers project, in collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Dr Carola Darwin. This week, Dr Darwin and Professor Robert Evans join Donald Macleod to explore this fascinating composer and her times. Their series includes many specially recorded works by Müller-Hermann that have sat neglected in dusty archives for decades.Müller-Hermann was greatly celebrated in her own lifetime and moved in eminent musical circles. She studied with Zemlinsky, befriended Alma Mahler, and also corresponded with Arnold Schoenberg. She went on to teach at Austria’s New Vienna Conservatory where students travelled from as far away as America and the UK to study with her. She became a pivotal figure in Vienna’s cultural scene and her music was regularly performed and published during her lifetime.Music Featured:String Quintet in A minor, Op 7 (excerpt)Piano Sonata, Op 8 (Allegro enérgico)Herbst, Op 20 No 3 (Vier Lieder)Wie eine Vollmondnacht, Op 20 No 4 (Vier Lieder)Zwei dreistimmige Frauenchöre, Op 10Piano Sonata, Opus 8 (excerpt)Cello Sonata, Op 17 (Moderato)String Quartet in E flat, Op 6 (Moderato)Intermezzo in D, Op 3 No 4 (Fünf Klavierstücke)Vier Lieder, Op 2Violin Sonata in D minor, Op 5 (Moderato serioso) UK Broadcast PremiereString Quartet in E flat, Op 6 (excerpt)Die stille Stadt, Op 4 No 1Heroic Overture, Op 21 (excerpt)Alle die wachsenden Schatten, Op 9 No 3 (Drei Chöre)Violin Sonata in D minor, Op 5 (excerpt) UK Broadcast PremiereHeroic Overture, Op 21String Quintet in A minor, Op 7 (Adagio con expressione)Piano Quintet in G minor, Op 31 (excerpt)Zwei Lieder, Op 11Cello Sonata, Op 17 (excerpt)Epilog zur einer Tragodie ’Brand‘ – symphonic fantasy, Op 25Intermezzo in D minor, Op 3 No 3 (Fünf Klavierstücke)Impromptu in D minor, Op 3 No 5 (Fünf Klavierstücke)In Memoriam, Op 28 No 5 (Herbstlieder)Novelette in A flat, Op 3 No 2 (Fünf Klavierstücke)Violin Sonata in D minor, Op 5 (Allegretto amabile) UK Broadcast PremierePiano Quintet in G minor, Op 31 (Adagio sostenuto)Drei Gesange, Op 33String Quartet in E flat, Op 6 (Allegro con spirito)Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Luke WhitlockFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johanna Müller-Hermann (1868-1941) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistant patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th Century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety.Music Featured:Mi fa rider la speranze, Op.7’10Che si puo fare, Op 8’6Sonetto Proemio dell'Opera, Op 1’1Godere in gioventù, Op. 1’12L'Usignuolo, Op.1’5Il contrasto di cinque sensi, Op. 1’14Parla alli suoi pensieri, Op.6’5L’Amante segreto, Op. 2’16Sospira respira, Op.6’17Godere e tacere, Op.1’9Cuore che reprime alla lingua di manifestare il nome della sua cara, Op.3’1La sol fa, mi, re, do, Op.2’25Cor donato, cor rubato, Op. 3’10Sino alla morte, Op.7’1E pazzo il mio core, Op.8’9Fin che tù spiri, spera, Op.7’3Cristiana Presutti, sopranoEnsemble PoiesisLa riamata da chi amava, Op.2’18Silentio nocivo, Op. 1’6Donne Belle, Op.8’12Se volete così me ne contento, Op. 6’18Lagrime Mie, Lamento, Op. 7’4L'Eraclito amoroso, Op. 2’14Amante loquace, Op. 6’16Il Lamento - S’ul rodano severo, Op.3’3Begl’occhi, Op.2’2Mater Anna, op.5’1O Maria, Op.5’7Tradimento, Op.7’9Sete pur fastidioso, Op. 7’12Conclusione dell’opera, Op.1’25Parasti in dulcedine, Op.5’8L’Astratto, op.8’4Salve Regina, Op.5Gite, o giorni dolenti, Op.2’21L’amante modesto, Op.1’13Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam PhillipsFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Barbara Strozzi (1619 – 1677) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
“So great a musician are you.....that if the Fates carried you off.....music would be mute.” So wrote a contemporary of Thomas Tallis, showing us just how highly this composer was regarded in his own time. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod traces the career of Tallis, unquestionably one of England's greatest ever composers. We follow him from the early faint mentions of the composer in Dover Priory, to his 40-plus years serving four successive monarchs as part of the Chapel Royal, and through the upheaval of one of the most tumultuous periods in all of English history.O Sacrum ConviviumLamentations of Jeremiah I & IIEuge celi portaAlleluia. Per te Dei genitrixAve, rosa sine spinisWhen shall my sorrowful sighing slackSequence: Celeste Organum - Agnus DeiMagnificat for 4 voicesSalve IntemerataMass for four VoicesMagnificat for 5 voices5 part LitanySancte DeusHodie nobis caelorumVidete Miraculum for Vespers on Purification of Virgin MaryRemember not, O Lord GodTe Deum for MeanesIf Ye Love MeA New CommandmentGaude GloriosaIn nominee IIMass: Puer natus est nobis – Agnus DeiArchbishop Parker’s Psalter: O Come in One to Praise the Lord; E’en like the Hunted Hind; Expend, O Lord, my Plaint; Why Brag’st in Malice High ; God Grant with GracePsalm 2, the third of 9 tunes for Archbishop Parker’s psalter “Why Fum’th In Fight”Suscipe quaeso domineMy Soul Cleaveth to the DustO Nata Lux (arr. Christian Forshaw)Spem in aliumCantiones Sacrae - Salvator Mundi I; Derelinquit impius; Semone blando angelus; In ieiunioMiserere nostriPresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam PhillipsFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores how Smetana created a musical Czech identityThe title of Smetana’s most popular work, ‘Ma Vlast’, gives us a clue to what drove him through much of his career. It translates as ‘My Homeland’ and the music is Smetana’s ardent tribute to the Czech sprit of his beloved Bohemia. The composer was deeply involved with his people’s struggle for cultural and political independence from the Hapsburg empire. He pledged his art to those aims and he even took to the streets to fight on the barricades, on one occasion.Smetana’s life was also beset by great misfortunes. When times were hardest, he always turned to music, even after illness made composing an almost impossible exertion. He created some of his most extraordinary works under the most painful circumstances. This week Donald Macleod follows Smetana as he grows from naïve revolutionary into one of the foundational figures in Czech music.Music Featured:The Bartered Bride: OvertureTriumphal symphony, II. Largo maestosoPolka: Memory of PlzeňWedding Scenes (orch. F. Hertl)Piano Trio in G minorVision at the BallMemories of Bohemia, Op 13Håkon JarlSong of the CzechsOverture to Doktor FaustThe Brandenburgers in BohemiaThe Bartered Bride: Act III finaleThe Two Widows: Act 2: Scene 3Má Vlast: 2. Vltava & 4. Z českých luhů a hájů.On the Sea ShoreLibuše: OvertureString Quartet No.1 in Em ‘From My Life’Czech Dances, Book 2: No.7 ‘The Lancer’String Quartet No.2 in DPresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Chris Taylor, for BBC Audio CardiffFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Max Richter (b. 1966) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ghdwAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
As performer, composer, impresario, musical director, and teacher, Antonio Vivaldi was a key figure in the musical life of Baroque Italy. Thanks to his set of Concertos “The Four Seasons”, he remains one of the most famous and best loved composers today. This week, Donald Macleod puts these four celebrated concertos front and centre as he also explores the four seasons of Vivaldi’s own life, lingering a little in his summer. We'll follow him from the start of his musical story, teaching at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, through his time as an opera composer, catering to the crowds who swarmed to Venice during carnival season, to his successes away from Venice. Vivaldi had many highs in his career, however he also had some difficult low points, finding himself embroiled in scandal and accused of immoral behaviour, before dying in poverty in a foreign city – his star having fallen from favour.Music Featured:Violin Concerto in E major, Op 8 no. 1 RV 269 “Spring”Credo, RV 591L’oracolo in Messenia – “S’in campo armato”La costanza trionfante de gl'amori e de gl'odii, RV 706Ottone in villa, RV 729 – “Frema pur, si lagni Roma”Farnace, RV 711 - “Gelido in Omni”Armida - Act I Scene 13: “Armata di furore”Concerto for Multiple Instruments, 'per l'orchestra di Dresda' in G minor, RV 576Magnificat in G minor, RV 610bViolin Concerto in G minor, Op 8 no. 2 RV 315 “Summer”Violin Concerto in F major, RV 293 Op.8 no 3 “Autumn”Dorilla in Tempe, RV709 – Act II, Scene 8: “Arsa da rai cocenti”Griselda, RV 718 – “Ho il cor gia lacero”; “No, non tanta crudelta”; Terzetto “Non piu regina”; “Son infelice tanto”Farnace, RV 711 – “Forse, o caro, in questi accenti...”Lauda Jerusalem, RV609Violin Concerto in F minor, RV 297 Op.8 no. 4 “Winter”Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Sam PhillipsFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mel Bonis (1858 – 1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Mel Bonis's name may not be a familiar one these days, but she produced somewhere in the region of three hundred compositions. There's no doubt that she was sensitive to gender discrimination. It's why she chose to publish her music under the name of Mel rather than her birth name Mélanie.She was born in 1858 to parents of modest means. Her father worked for the watch company Breguet, still in business today, and her mother worked in the haberdashery trade. Neither of them held any particular interest in music, so it was down to young Mélanie to teach herself the play the family's piano. Her talent was recognised by a visiting friend who facilitated a meeting with one of the leading lights of the day, César Franck, an esteemed professor of organ at Paris's prestigious Conservatoire. Mélanie enrolled and showed great promise as a student, winning several end of year prizes. Her studies came to an abrupt end when her parents refused to give their consent to her marriage to a fellow student there, a poet, critic and singer, Amédée Hettich. Her life took a sharp turn two years later when, at the instigation of her parents, she married a twice widowed man of comfortable means. Thereafter her life as a composer had to take a back seat to the demands of raising five step-children and three of her own children with her husband, Albert Domange. Even so, she managed to continue to compose, producing music for her own instrument, the piano, and in almost every other genre as well.Étiolles, Op 2Ophélie, Op 165Piano Quartet No 1 in B flat major, Op 69 - II. Intermezzo. Allegretto tranquilloImpromptu pour piano, Op 15 pièces pour pianoNo 1: Gai Printemps, Op 11No 2: Romance sans paroles, Op 29No 3: Menuet, Op 14No 4: Églogue, Op 12No 5: Papillons, Op 28Cello sonata in F major, Op 67 – III. Très lentFantaisie, Op 72 "Septuor"Près de ruisseau, Op 9Pensées d’automne, Op 19Piano Quartet No 1, Op 69 – I. Moderato and IV. Final. Allegro ma non troppoVillanelle, Op 4Dès l’aube, Op 18Marionnettes, Op 42Sonata for Flute and PianoSuite Orientale, Op 48 No 2Valses-caprice, Op 87Elève toi mon âmeL’Oiseau Bleu, Op 74Cello sonata in F major, Op 67 – I. Moderato quasi andanteSuite en forme de valses, Op 35 to 39La chanson de Rouet, Op 24Carillon mystique, Op 31Les Gitanos, Op 15 No 2Suite en Trio, Op 59Salomé, Op 100Mazurka-ballet, Op 181Trois melodies, Op 91Soir et Matin, Op 76Scènes de la ForêtLa Cathédrale Blessée, Op 107Sonate pour violon et piano, Opus 112 – IV. FinaleFinale, Op 187Miocheries, Op 126, No 13, La toute petite s’endortRegina coeli, Op 45Piano quartet No 2 in D major, Op 124Cantique de Jean Racine, Op 144Le songe de Cléopatre, Op 180Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Johannah SmithFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mel Bonis (1858 – 1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h57jAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the turbulent life of Dmitry Shostakovich, and asks the ultimate question: Who was he? A faithful Soviet lackey… or a secret dissident?Dmitry Shostakovich, like his home country of Russia, was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. From the very beginning of his career, he pushed the boundaries, but under Stalin’s stifling regime, experimental artists were enemies of the state, and Shostakovich was at the top of the wanted list. The composer was forced to censor his work and betray his own morals to survive - or was he?Some say Shostakovich was Stalin’s faithful lackey; others read dissident messages in his music. This week, Donald Macleod traces five turning points in the composer's career, we start with his First Symphony. Admitted to the Conservatoire while still just a child and battling ill health, his debut made a splash for all the right reasons – and the wrong ones too. Then we hear about the fateful night that Stalin paid a visit to the opera, and Shostakovich’s career as a composer was changed forever. After denouncing his music, Stalin offered Shostakovich an opportunity to rescue his reputation however, it comes at great personal cost. The death of Stalin should have meant rebirth for Shostakovich, but once again he finds himself backed into a corner, forced to make a decision that shocks and mystifies those closest to him.Music Featured:Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Major, Op. 102: II. AndanteSymphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10: II. AllegroSymphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10: IV. Allegro moltoSymphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 “To October”The Nose, Op. 15, Act 2: Scene 6Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District, Op. 29, Act 2: Scene 5Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43: I. Allegretto poco moderatoSymphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op 47: IV. Allegro non troppoViolin Concerto No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 99: I. Nocturne. ModeratoFrom Jewish Folk Poetry, Op.79: III. LullabyPiano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67: IV. AllegrettoSymphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: IV. Andante – AllegroThe Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a: VII. IntroductionString Quartet String Quartet No. 7 In F. Sharp Minor, Op.108: I AllegrettoHamlet Suite, Op. 116a: Ophelia's InsanityString Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: I. LargoSymphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 “Babi Yar”: IV. FearsPresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Alice McKeeFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fdx8And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod chats to Max Richter, one of the world’s most in-demand composersGerman-born British musician Max Richter is one of the most influential composers of his generation. A streaming sensation with over a billion listens, he blends classical and electronic elements in his music and is just as at home on 6Music as on Radio 3. He’s a producer, pianist and serial collaborator whose trailblazing work ranges from ballets and orchestral works to major Hollywood scores and solo albums. At his studio in rural Oxfordshire, Donald sits down with Max to talk about his musical life, from making synthesisers in his bedroom, to Grammy nominations, writing the world’s longest lullaby and tackling some of society’s biggest questions through the medium of music. Across the week, we dig into Max’s eclectic back catalogue, and journey through one of his most popular works, his reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.Music Featured: Spring 1 (Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons)Last DaysSketchbookAndrasSpring (Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons)Gongstream (excerpt)The Blue Notebooks On the Nature of DaylightSummer (Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons)Flowers for Yulia ; Autumn Music 2Selection from 24 Postcards in Full ColourWaltz with Bashir (excerpts)Infra (excerpts)Three Worlds: Woolf Works (III. Orlando - excerpts)Sleep (excerpt)Dream 3 (in the midst of my life)Path 5 (delta)Voices : All Human Beings ; OriginsWinter (Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons)MercyPresented by Donald MacleodProduced by Amelia Parker, for BBC Audio CardiffFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Max Richter (b. 1966) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ghdwAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod presents another selection of composers who are most famous for a single work. Last Easter, Composer of the Week explored the lives of ten composers whose music we adore but mainly only for a lone composition. This week, Donald Macleod makes a second selection of classical ‘One Hit Wonders’ - ten more composers who have been catapulted into the mainstream thanks to the surprising popularity of just one of their pieces. He’s joined by pianist and music director, Yshani Perinpanayagam, to uncover these composers' stories and to share examples of their best music. We’ll hear the familiar hits alongside plenty of captivating music that’s less well-known.Music Featured: John Cage: 4’33’’ (extract)John Cage: Hymns & Variations: Hymn A (After W. Billing's "Old North")John Cage: In a LandscapeJeremiah Clarke: Trumpet tune 'The Prince of Denmark's March'Jeremiah Clarke: Ode On The Death Of Henry Purcell (extract)Boccherini: String Quintet in E major, Op 11 No 5 (3rd mvt)Boccherini (arr. Grützmacher) Cello Concerto in B-Flat Major (2nd mvt)Boccherini: Guitar Quintet No 4 in D (3rd mvt)Monti: CzardasMonti: Noël de Pierrot, Act II, "Ô vous que j'adore"Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and OrchestraRodrigo: Cancíon y danzaPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for More One Hit Wonders https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9nt And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod presents another selection of composers who are most famous for a single work. Last Easter, Composer of the Week explored the lives of ten composers whose music we adore but mainly only for a lone composition. This week, Donald Macleod makes a second selection of classical ‘One Hit Wonders’ - ten more composers who have been catapulted into the mainstream thanks to the surprising popularity of just one of their pieces. He’s joined by pianist and music director, Yshani Perinpanayagam, to uncover these composers' stories and to share examples of their best music. We’ll hear the familiar hits alongside plenty of captivating music that’s less well-known.Music Featured: Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours (La Gioconda, Act III)Ponchielli: Sinfonia in Bb minor, Op 153Widor: Toccata (from Symphony No 5)Widor: Piano Quartet in A minor Op 66 (2nd and 3rd mvt)Waldteufel: The Skaters' Waltz, Op 183Waldteufel: Solitude Waltz, Op 174Paganini: Caprice in A minor, Op 1 No 24Paganini (arr. Sedlar): Moses FantasyPaganini: Sonata No 6 in F major: Minuet – AllegrettoPaganini: Violin Concerto No 1 in D major (3rd mvt)Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne: BailèroCanteloube: Chants d’Auvergne: Chut, Chut & L’AntouènoPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for More One Hit Wonders https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9nt And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod invites us to join Bach and his family during the Christmas season, at five different periods in his life.Christmas can be special wherever you live, but to experience a truly Christmassy Christmas, many would say that the only place to go is Germany. Plenty of Britain’s favourite Yuletide traditions originated there and Germany’s citizens have always had a special knack for celebrating this time of year. This was certainly true in J.S. Bach’s lifetime and, right through his career, he produced quantities of amazing Christmas music that we still love and revere today. All this week, Donald Macleod invites us to join Bach and his family during the Christmas season, at five different periods in his life, to see how his story develops and revel in the glorious works he created for Christmastime.Music Featured: Chorale Prelude: Gott, durch deine Güte, BWV 600Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91: Opening ChorusSehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget, BWV 64: 5. Was die Welt in sich hältDarzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, BWV 40Magnificat in E-Flat Major, BWV 243a: Movts. 10-16Wachet! betet! betet! wachet', BWV 70a: Opening chorusIn dulci jubilo, BWV 608Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: 5. Bereite dir, Jesu, noch itzo die Bahn & 6. Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habeNun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 599Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152: 1. SinfoniaDer Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück, BWV 66a: 2. Traget ihr Lufte den Jubel von hinnenBrandenburg Concerto No 4: 1. AllegroChristmas Oratorio, BWV248, Part 6: Opening Chorus: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnaubenConcerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043: 2. Largo ma non tantoFlute Sonata No 4 in C major, BWV1033: 1. Andante: Presto & 2. AllegroMass in B minor, BWV 232: Domine Deus Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110: Opening ChorusA Musical Offering, BWV 1079, Sonata sopr'il Sogetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo: 1. Largo & 2. AllegroCanonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her', BWV 769Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191Puer natus in Bethlehem, BWV 603Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for JS Bach at Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g3hl And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the recently unearthed life and works of Leokadiya Kashperova, one of the most talented composers and pianists of her generation. The name of Leokadiya Kashperova was, for many decades, recorded in mainstream musical history as a footnote: the piano teacher of Igor Stravinsky. Her full story as a musician and composer has finally now been unearthed, through the researches of Dr Graham Griffiths, supported by Radio 3’s Forgotten Women Composers project in collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This week, in the year of her 150th anniversary, Donald Macleod is joined by Graham Griffiths to rediscover this once renowned musician. Featuring many specially made recordings and UK premieres.Kashperova was one of the most talented composers and pianists of her generation, described as ‘a most welcome phenomenon of St Petersburg’s musical life’. She studied composition with Nikolay Solovyov and piano with Anton Rubinstein. Both Glazunov and Balakirev favoured Kashperova in the interpretation of their music and she travelled internationally as a soloist to destinations such as Berlin and London. She also often performed her own compositions. Prior to 1917 most of Kashperova’s works were published and heard, but the arrival of the Russian revolution caused her voice to be silenced. Public performances of Kashperova’s music stopped altogether because of her connections with the gentry. Private performances were rare. She continued to compose but now without any hope of hearing it played.Music Featured: Symphony in B minor, Op 4 (excerpt)The Murmuring of the Rye (In the Midst of Nature)Cello Sonata in E minor, Op 1 No 2 (Allegro appasionato)Symphony in B minor, Op 4 (Andante – Allegro risoluto)NightCello Sonata in G major, Op 1 No 1 (Allegro moderato)Piano Trio in A minor, Op Posth (Scherzo: Allegro)Piano Concerto in A minor (Allegro maestoso – Molto allegro) UK PremiereAutumn Leaf No 1 (In the Midst of Nature)Symphony in B minor, Op 4 (Andante)Nachtgebet (Songs of Love: 12 Romances, No 11) UK PremiereCello Sonata in E minor, Op 1 No 1 (excerpt)Dich Einz’gen lieb’ ich (Songs of Love: 12 Romances, No 6) UK PremiereWiedersehen (Songs of Love: 12 Romances, No 8) UK PremierePiano Trio in A minor, Op Posth (excerpt)Symphony in B minor, Op 4 (Finale: Andante sostenuto – molto allegro)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fwz0 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores how Cesar Franck, who was, known for being retiring and unassuming, became a leading figure of French musical life.It seems as if Franck's diffident character positively hindered his advancement. He wasn't interested in moving in glamorous social circles, and lived, according to one visitor who called on him the year before he died, "like a monk". This natural reticence may be why the composer of popular works such as the Violin Sonata, the Piano Quintet, a ground-breaking String Quartet and the glorious Symphony in D found that all too often his critics were quick to find fault and were slow to recognise his worth. He had some disappointments to bear, in an age when opera was thriving, none of his four operas saw the light of day in his lifetime. Recognition for his two major choral works, La Rédemption and Les Béatitudes was to come after his death in 1890 at the age of 67.Franck did enjoy some support. Early on Liszt recognised his talent and did his best to help him get his work performed, and later on a band of his pupils, among them the composer Vincent d'Indy did their best to promote their beloved teacher's music.To mark the 200th anniversary of Franck's birth, Donald Macleod spends the week delving a bit deeper into this enigmatic and complex character from his early compositions which pay homage to Liszt and the pianistic tradition of Hummel, to the wonderfully vivid pictorial canvas of Le Chasseur Maudit.Music Featured: Panis angelicus (Messe á trois voix, Op 12 FVW 61)Variations brillantes sur Gustave III, Op 8 (excerpt)Trio Concertant No 2 in B flat Op 1, No 2 (4th mvt)Ce qu’on entend sur la montagneL’ange et l’enfantLes Septs Paroles du Christ au Croix, No 7Prélude, Fugue et Variation (Six Pieces, Op 18)Symphonic VariationsEgologue, Op 3Stradella (Overture)Hulda (Act 4: excerpt)PatriaPiano Quintet in F minor (3rd mvt) La Rédemption (7th – 9th mvt)Violin sonata Op 23 (1st mvt) Prélude, Choral et FugueBlessed are the Meek (Les Béatitudes, No 2) Rebecca (Camel drivers’chorus)Prélude (Prélude, Aria et Final)String Quartet in D major (4th mvt)Chorale No 3 in A minor, M40Symphony in D (3rd mvt)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for César Franck (1822-1890) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fnfs And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Chopin and his relationship with novelist George Sand, from their first meetings to their fractious end. Early in 1837, Franz Liszt introduced Chopin to a woman who would have a profound influence on his life. Her name was George Sand and Chopin’s relationship with the novelist would go on to stretch for almost a decade and prove to be the longest romantic bond of the composer’s life, and a defining creative relationship for both of them. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the intertwined lives of these two key figures in French romantic-era life.Music Featured: Impromptu No 1 in A-flat major, Op 29Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21 (1st mvt)Ballade No 1 in G minor, Op 23Nocturne, Op 37, No 12Preludes, Op 28, No 2Ballade no 2 in F major, Op 38Polonaise in C minor, Op 40, No 2Minute Waltz, Op 64, No 1Nocturne in C minor, Op 48, No 1Sonata No 3 in B minor, Op 58 (1st mvt) Ballade No 3 in A flat major, Op 47Wiosna (Spring), Op 74, No 2Mazurka No 51 in F minor, Op 68, No 4Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 (2nd mvt) Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op 60Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11 (2nd mvt)Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op 64, No 2 Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam PhillipsFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fdx8 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Marking the centenary of her birth, Donald Macleod delves in to the little known world of 20th century British composer Doreen Carwithen.
Doreen Carwithen is one of only a handful of female British composers who worked in the film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. Dramas, mysteries, horror flicks, documentaries, the thirty plus films she scored form a substantial part of her musical legacy.
An award winning student, Carwithen first came to critical attention in the concert hall, with the catchily titled ODTAA, One damn thing after another, in 1947. Predictably, newspaper headlines made much of her gender and her youth. She was just 24. It seemed as if a bright future lay ahead, yet, at the beginning of the 1960s Carwithen would stop writing music, a situation which perhaps in part explains why her music dropped off the radar for many years. One hundred years since her birth, Donald Macleod brings to light the little-known yet fascinating story of this 20th century British composer.
This week Donald Macleod is joined in conversation by Leah Broad, whose new biography of Carwithen is due out next year. They chart Carwithen’s career from the age of five, when she began piano and violin under the guidance of her musical mother, to the moment when she ceased to compose.
Music Featured:
Men of Sherwood Forest (excerpt), arr Philip Lane Serenade for tenor and piano String Quartet No 1 Concerto for piano and strings Piano sonatina Violin sonata Bishop Rock String Quartet No 1 (2nd mvt) Four Piano Preludes Suffolk suite (1st mvt) Cello sonatina String Quartet No 2 Mantrap Suites, arr Philip Lane Three Cases of Murder, arr Philip Lane East Anglian Holiday, arr Philip Lane Boys in Brown Suite, arr Philip Lane
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
The northern Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighborhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African-Americans from the South moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture in the city, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to night clubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
Music Featured:
Carolina Shout Echoes of Spring Willie’s Blues The Harlem Strut Finger Buster St Louis Blues Shuffle Along Medley Love Will Find a Way Everything Reminds Me of You Troublesome Ivories Good Morning Blues Motto/Dead in There The Weary Blues Could Be/Bad Luck Card/Bad Man Consider Me I, Too Black Beauty Black and Tan Fantasy It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) Creole Rhapsody Symphony in Black West End Blues Sobbin’ Hearted Blues Ain’t Misbehavin’ Hotter Than That I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues When the Saints Go Marching In
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for The Harlem Renaissance https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dy5s
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the relationship between Verdi and the city of Milan.
As the hearse carrying the coffin of the composer Giuseppi Verdi travelled through Milan, more than half of the city’s population lined the streets to pay their respects and catch a final glimpse of their hero. Few musicians have made such an indelible impression on the population of a country, and become more linked to their sense of identity than him. And fewer still have become as ingrained in the fabric of a city as Verdi is in Milan. Today, as well as a statue to the composer, both the Conservatoire and a major theatre are named after him. So how was this relationship, between the city of Milan, and Verdi – a man born in Le Roncole, which was then French territory – who would rise to become the most successful Italian composer of his generation, forged? Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the twists and turns of Verdi’s relationship with Milan -where Verdi would see his first iconic successes, and where he would breathe his last, but also a city where, for a time, he tried to ban the performances of his music.
Music Featured:
Requiem - Sanctus Io la Vidi (Scena lirica) La Forza del Destino - Overture La seduzione Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio (excerpt) Nabucco - “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” I Lombardi alla prima crociata – “Oh belle, a questa misera” Ernani – “Ernani Involami” Giovanna d’Arco – Act 1, Scene 2 Alzira Overture Macbeth (1847 version) – “ Vegliammo invan due notti - “Un lume recasi in man?” La battaglia di legnano – “Giuriam d’Italia” Aida – “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside”; triumphal march La Forza del Destino – “La Vergine degli angeli” Requiem – Libera Me, Domine Falstaff – Act II Scene II Otello - “Ave Maria”
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dpc0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, from his first steps up the musical ladder, to his premature death at the age of 37 and the legacy left behind.
At the turn of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor could have been described as the most famous Black person in Britain. His cantata trilogy, the Song of Hiawatha, was an overnight success, and by the age of 25 he had packed out the Royal Albert Hall with a thousand performers, let alone the audience. His fame took him all around Britain and America as choral societies from Worcester to Washington DC all wanted to sing his music, and Coleridge-Taylor became a role-model, especially for African-Americans. But tragically, just over a decade later, he would be dead. He remained a household name into the 1930s, only for his flame to flicker out much sooner than he deserved. All this week, Donald re-visits his fascinating story, with recordings predominantly released in the last 5 years, showing how excited today's performers are to rediscover his delightful music.
Music Featured:
Going Up Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor, Op 10 (iv. Finale) Magnificat in F major Piano Quintet, Op 1 (i. Allegro con moto; ii- Larghetto) Symphony, Op 8 (iii. Scherzo) Nonet (ii. Andante con moto) African Romances, Op 17 (Ballad) Hiawatha Overture Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast (excerpt) Othello Suite Nonet (3rd and 4th movements) Romance of the Prairie Lilies (arr. P.E. Fletcher for orchestra) The Bamboula for piano African Suite (iv. African Dance, orch. Chris Cameron) Big Lady Moon Summer is gone Violin Concerto, Op 80 (ii. Andante semplice; iii. Allegro molto) Hiawatha’s Departure (excerpt) Deep River (arr. Kanneh-Mason Trio)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dfvp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and works of Robert Schumann during the 1840s.
The 1840s was the decade when Robert and Clara Schumann’s married life began, and was the decade in which he established himself as a significant composer. Focusing on both his personal and professional life, Donald explores the ups and downs Schumann faced during these revolutionary ten years.
Music Featured:
Der Hidalgo (Three Poems, Op 30: No 3) Die alten, bosen Lieder (Dichterliebe, Op 48: No 16) Symphony No 1 in B-flat major, Op 38, "Spring" (1st mvt) Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Op 52 Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op 44 (2nd and 3rd mvt) Das Paradies und die Peri, Op 50 (excerpt) String Quartet No 2 in F major, Op 41, No 2 (1st mvt) Symphony No 2 in C major, Op 61 (1st mvt) Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Op 63 (1st mvt) Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54 (1st mvt) Fruhlingsgesang (Album for the Youth, Op 68: No 15) Piano Trio No 2 in F major, Op 80 (3rd and 4th mvt) Genoveva, Op 81 (Act 4: Steil und steiler) Nachtlied Op 108
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Robert Schumann (1810-1856) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cyl5
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod journeys into the varied musical landscape of Adolphus Hailstork, in conversation with the composer himself.
American composer Adolphus Hailstork has written in many genres ranging from orchestral and chamber, to choral, song cycles and operatic scenes. Of African-American heritage and now in his eighties, Hailstork’s works have been performed by major orchestras in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, and leading conductors have championed his music including Kurt Masur, Daniel Barenboim and Lorin Maazel. Born in 1941, his early instrumental studies included the organ, piano, violin and the voice, but it was his experience both in the Anglican Cathedral tradition, and hearing and singing spirituals, that have had a significant impact upon the development of his own musical language. For many years he’s been a Professor of Music at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, and he resides in the state of Virginia, USA. His own list of teachers is impressive, not least of all Nadia Boulanger at the American Institute at Fontainebleau. Hailstork’s own reputation has been significant, and he’s been called the Dean of African-American composers.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 3 (Vivace) The Lamb String Quartet No 3 (Moderato) Piano Sonata No 2 Symphony No 3 (Scherzo) Fanfare on Amazing Grace Three Spirituals for Orchestra Symphony No 2 (Adagio) Three Spirituals for String Trio Symphony No 1 I Will Sing of Life (Songs of Life and Love) Eight Variations on Shalom Chaverim Arabesques Whitman’s Journey: I launch out on the endless seas
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Adolphus Hailstork (1941) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cgkd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Carl Maria von Weber’s city lives and those dramas and scandals survived throughout.
Weber’s relationship with European cities mirrored his life and work, from the restless wandering of his earlier years, to the way his life changed after the success of his opera Der Freischütz. And in his final months he travelled to London to compose and produce another major opera, Oberon, but would die after giving its first performances.
The young Weber had an unerring ability to cause offence. He got involved in multiple love affairs that caused him problems. He was also very good at racking up debts. These traits unfold as we follow Weber’s picaresque journeys around Europe, flitting from city to city: sometimes chasing opportunities, sometimes in disgrace, at other times escorted away under armed guard.
Music Featured:
Grande polonaise in E-Flat major, Op 21, J. 59 Der Beherrscher der Geister (Ruler of Spirits), J. 122 Clarinet Quintet in B-Flat major, Op 34, J. 182 (1st mvt) Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op 19, J. 50 (1st and 2nd mvt) Das Hifthorn schallt, ‘Huntsmen's Chorus’ (Silvana, Act 1) Momento capriccioso, Op 12, J.56 Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 11, J. 98 Clarinet Concertino in C minor / E-Flat major, Op 26, J. 109 Abu Hassan, J. 106 (Overture) Piano Concerto No 2 in E-Flat major, Op 32, J. 155 (2nd and 3rd mvt) 9 Variations on a Russian Theme, "Schöne Minka", Op 40, J. 179 Missa sancta No 1, Op 75, J. 224 (Kyrie and Gloria) Aufforderung zum Tanze, Op 65, J. 260 Der Freischütz, J. 277 (Act 3: Finale) Oberon, J. 306 (Overture) O Araby dear (Oberon, J. 306, Act 3) Piano Sonata No 4 in E minor, Op 70, J. 287 (3rd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cckh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Carl Maria von Weber’s city lives and those dramas and scandals survived throughout.
Weber’s relationship with European cities mirrored his life and work, from the restless wandering of his earlier years, to the way his life changed after the success of his opera Der Freischütz. And in his final months he travelled to London to compose and produce another major opera, Oberon, but would die after giving its first performances.
The young Weber had an unerring ability to cause offence. He got involved in multiple love affairs that caused him problems. He was also very good at racking up debts. These traits unfold as we follow Weber’s picaresque journeys around Europe, flitting from city to city: sometimes chasing opportunities, sometimes in disgrace, at other times escorted away under armed guard.
Music Featured:
Grande polonaise in E-Flat major, Op 21, J. 59 Der Beherrscher der Geister (Ruler of Spirits), J. 122 Clarinet Quintet in B-Flat major, Op 34, J. 182 (1st mvt) Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op 19, J. 50 (1st and 2nd mvt) Das Hifthorn schallt, ‘Huntsmen's Chorus’ (Silvana, Act 1) Momento capriccioso, Op 12, J.56 Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 11, J. 98 Clarinet Concertino in C minor / E-Flat major, Op 26, J. 109 Abu Hassan, J. 106 (Overture) Piano Concerto No 2 in E-Flat major, Op 32, J. 155 (2nd and 3rd mvt) 9 Variations on a Russian Theme, "Schöne Minka", Op 40, J. 179 Missa sancta No 1, Op 75, J. 224 (Kyrie and Gloria) Aufforderung zum Tanze, Op 65, J. 260 Der Freischütz, J. 277 (Act 3: Finale) Oberon, J. 306 (Overture) O Araby dear (Oberon, J. 306, Act 3) Piano Sonata No 4 in E minor, Op 70, J. 287 (3rd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cckh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Carl Maria von Weber’s city lives and those dramas and scandals survived throughout.
Weber’s relationship with European cities mirrored his life and work, from the restless wandering of his earlier years, to the way his life changed after the success of his opera Der Freischütz. And in his final months he travelled to London to compose and produce another major opera, Oberon, but would die after giving its first performances.
The young Weber had an unerring ability to cause offence. He got involved in multiple love affairs that caused him problems. He was also very good at racking up debts. These traits unfold as we follow Weber’s picaresque journeys around Europe, flitting from city to city: sometimes chasing opportunities, sometimes in disgrace, at other times escorted away under armed guard.
Music Featured:
Grande polonaise in E-Flat major, Op 21, J. 59 Der Beherrscher der Geister (Ruler of Spirits), J. 122 Clarinet Quintet in B-Flat major, Op 34, J. 182 (1st mvt) Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op 19, J. 50 (1st and 2nd mvt) Das Hifthorn schallt, ‘Huntsmen's Chorus’ (Silvana, Act 1) Momento capriccioso, Op 12, J.56 Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 11, J. 98 Clarinet Concertino in C minor / E-Flat major, Op 26, J. 109 Abu Hassan, J. 106 (Overture) Piano Concerto No 2 in E-Flat major, Op 32, J. 155 (2nd and 3rd mvt) 9 Variations on a Russian Theme, "Schöne Minka", Op 40, J. 179 Missa sancta No 1, Op 75, J. 224 (Kyrie and Gloria) Aufforderung zum Tanze, Op 65, J. 260 Der Freischütz, J. 277 (Act 3: Finale) Oberon, J. 306 (Overture) O Araby dear (Oberon, J. 306, Act 3) Piano Sonata No 4 in E minor, Op 70, J. 287 (3rd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cckh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week Donald Macleod lifts the lid on the life and music of Anton Bruckner, focusing upon different themes to better understand both the man and the music.
Anton Bruckner was one of the great symphonists, and yet recognition for his talents as a composer came late in life. He was an Austrian by birth, and was noted for his improvisatory skills at the organ. In fact, he received invitations to travel abroad to France and England, where he demonstrated his skills at the organ console. Yet, although as a composer he would become recognised as one of the most innovatory figures of the second half of the 19th century, during his lifetime he was not only plagued by doubt especially made manifest through the harsh reactions of the Viennese music critics, but was also often dubbed a buffoon because of his dress, dialect and mannerisms.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (3rd mvt) - arr. Mahler Ave Maria, WAB 6 Fantasie in G major, WAB 118 Requiem, WAB 39 (Dies Irae) Symphony No 00 in F minor, WAB 99 (2nd mvt) - arr. Mahler Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (4th mvt) Prelude in E flat major, WAB 127 No 2 Postlude in D minor, WAB 126 No 1 Libera me, WAB 22 Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53 Prelude and Fugue in C minor, WAB 131 Te Deum, WAB 45 March in D minor, WAB 96 - arr. Edwin Horn Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (1st mvt) String Quartet in C minor (3rd mvt) Symphony No 1 in C minor, WAB 101 (3rd mvt) Tota pulchra es, WAB 46 Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 7 in E major, WAB 107 (4th mvt) Prelude in C major, WAB 129 Locus iste, WAB 23 Symphony No 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (3rd mvt) Symphony No 6 in A major, WAB 106 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 8 in C minor, WAB 108/2 (1st mvt) Virga Jesse floruit, WAB 52 Pange lingua, WAB 33 Mass No 2 in E minor, WAB 27 (Sanctus) Mass No 3 in F minor, WAB 28 (Agnus Dei) Symphony No 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, ‘Romantic’ (1st mvt) Symphony No 9 in D minor, WAB 109 (2nd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bs92
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week Donald Macleod lifts the lid on the life and music of Anton Bruckner, focusing upon different themes to better understand both the man and the music.
Anton Bruckner was one of the great symphonists, and yet recognition for his talents as a composer came late in life. He was an Austrian by birth, and was noted for his improvisatory skills at the organ. In fact, he received invitations to travel abroad to France and England, where he demonstrated his skills at the organ console. Yet, although as a composer he would become recognised as one of the most innovatory figures of the second half of the 19th century, during his lifetime he was not only plagued by doubt especially made manifest through the harsh reactions of the Viennese music critics, but was also often dubbed a buffoon because of his dress, dialect and mannerisms.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (3rd mvt) - arr. Mahler Ave Maria, WAB 6 Fantasie in G major, WAB 118 Requiem, WAB 39 (Dies Irae) Symphony No 00 in F minor, WAB 99 (2nd mvt) - arr. Mahler Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (4th mvt) Prelude in E flat major, WAB 127 No 2 Postlude in D minor, WAB 126 No 1 Libera me, WAB 22 Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53 Prelude and Fugue in C minor, WAB 131 Te Deum, WAB 45 March in D minor, WAB 96 - arr. Edwin Horn Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (1st mvt) String Quartet in C minor (3rd mvt) Symphony No 1 in C minor, WAB 101 (3rd mvt) Tota pulchra es, WAB 46 Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 7 in E major, WAB 107 (4th mvt) Prelude in C major, WAB 129 Locus iste, WAB 23 Symphony No 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (3rd mvt) Symphony No 6 in A major, WAB 106 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 8 in C minor, WAB 108/2 (1st mvt) Virga Jesse floruit, WAB 52 Pange lingua, WAB 33 Mass No 2 in E minor, WAB 27 (Sanctus) Mass No 3 in F minor, WAB 28 (Agnus Dei) Symphony No 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, ‘Romantic’ (1st mvt) Symphony No 9 in D minor, WAB 109 (2nd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bs92
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week Donald Macleod lifts the lid on the life and music of Anton Bruckner, focusing upon different themes to better understand both the man and the music.
Anton Bruckner was one of the great symphonists, and yet recognition for his talents as a composer came late in life. He was an Austrian by birth, and was noted for his improvisatory skills at the organ. In fact, he received invitations to travel abroad to France and England, where he demonstrated his skills at the organ console. Yet, although as a composer he would become recognised as one of the most innovatory figures of the second half of the 19th century, during his lifetime he was not only plagued by doubt especially made manifest through the harsh reactions of the Viennese music critics, but was also often dubbed a buffoon because of his dress, dialect and mannerisms.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (3rd mvt) - arr. Mahler Ave Maria, WAB 6 Fantasie in G major, WAB 118 Requiem, WAB 39 (Dies Irae) Symphony No 00 in F minor, WAB 99 (2nd mvt) - arr. Mahler Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (4th mvt) Prelude in E flat major, WAB 127 No 2 Postlude in D minor, WAB 126 No 1 Libera me, WAB 22 Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53 Prelude and Fugue in C minor, WAB 131 Te Deum, WAB 45 March in D minor, WAB 96 - arr. Edwin Horn Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (1st mvt) String Quartet in C minor (3rd mvt) Symphony No 1 in C minor, WAB 101 (3rd mvt) Tota pulchra es, WAB 46 Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 7 in E major, WAB 107 (4th mvt) Prelude in C major, WAB 129 Locus iste, WAB 23 Symphony No 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (3rd mvt) Symphony No 6 in A major, WAB 106 (2nd mvt) Symphony No 8 in C minor, WAB 108/2 (1st mvt) Virga Jesse floruit, WAB 52 Pange lingua, WAB 33 Mass No 2 in E minor, WAB 27 (Sanctus) Mass No 3 in F minor, WAB 28 (Agnus Dei) Symphony No 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, ‘Romantic’ (1st mvt) Symphony No 9 in D minor, WAB 109 (2nd mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bs92
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and works of legendary organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude.
Buxtehude was a musical star in his own time, whom Johann Sebastian Bach walked almost 300 miles just to meet and learn from. Yet, the facts of Buxtehude’s own story are far from straight forward. Doubts remain over so many details in the composer’s life. We can’t even be sure when or where he was born, leading to three different countries claiming him as their own, and for a musician who perhaps above all was famed for his organ music, it is remarkable that not one single organ piece by him was published in his lifetime. In this Composer of the Week series, Donald Macleod pieces together what we do know about Buxtehude, the pre-eminant European composer before Bach, and finds a multifaceted personality and ground-breaking musician who worked his way across Europe via three different churches dedicated to St Mary, and who – once he settled in Lubeck - acted as a kind of centre of gravity for other musicians of his age.
Music Featured:
Praeludium in G minor, BuxWV149 Benedicam Dominum, BuxWV 113 Chaconne in E minor, BuxWV 160 Aperite mihi portas justitiae, BuxWV 7 Sonata in B flat major, BuxWV273 Chorale Prelude 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott', BuxWV 184 Att du, Jesu, will mig hora, BuxWV 8; Herren var Gud, BuxWV 40 Prelude in A minor, BuxWV 153; War Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BuxWV 222 Klinget fur Freuden, BuxWV 119 Gott, hilf mir, BuxWV 34 Canzona in C major, BuxWV 166 Harpsichord suite in G major, BuxWV 240 Mein Gemut erfreut sich, BuxWV 72 O frohliche Stunden, o herrlicher Tag, BuxWV 120 Klag-Lied of seven strophes, "MuB der Tod denn auch ent- binden’, BuxWV 76 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste Gericht' – Act II Aria “Weg mit allen irdischen Schatz” Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75 - Ad Facium "Illustra faciem tuam" Chorale “Nun lob meine Seele den Herren”, BuxWV 213 Wie Wird erneuert, wie wird erfreuet, BuxWV 110 (Incl. Trumpets!!) Auf, Saiten, auf!, BuxWV 115 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste Gericht' Schwinget euch himmelan, BuxWV 96 Trio Sonata for violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord in E minor, BuxWV 258 (Op. 1, No. 7) Drei schone Dinge sind, BuxWV 19 La Capricciosa - 32 variations in G major, BuxWV.250 for keyboard Divertissons nous aujourd’hui, BuxWV 124 Herr, wenn ich nur dich hab, BuxWV 38 Prelude in E minor, BuxWV142
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dietrich Buxtehude (c1637-1707) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bcfc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald explores composer Claudio Monteverdi, one of the most important figures in the development of Western music.
As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. Across this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi’s career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way.
Music Featured:
Toccata (Orfeo) Surge propera amica mea (Sacrae cantiunculae) O bone Iesu, illumine oculos meus (Sacrae cantiunculae) Surgens Iesu (Sacrae cantiunculae) Iusti tulerunt spolia impioru (Sacrae cantiunculae) Non si levav’ancor l’alba novella (2nd book of Madrigals) E dicea l'una sospirand'all'hora (2nd book of Madrigals) O come e gran martire (3rd book of Madrigals) O primavera (3rd book of Madrigals) Occhi, un tempo (3rd book of Madrigals) Rimanti in pace (3rd book of Madrigals) Questi vaghi concenti Vespro della Beata Vergine (Ave maris stella a 8) Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda De la Bellezza le dovute lodi, SV 245 Anima mia, perdona (4th book of madrigals) Che se tu se il cor mio (4th book of madrigals) Cruda Amarilli (5th book of madrigals) Ah, dolente partita! (4th book of madrigals) Quel augellin che canta (4th book of madrigals) Pur ti miro (L’incoronazione di Poppea, Act 3 Sc 8) Orfeo (Act 5 : Final ritornello and Moresca) Orfeo (Act 3: excerpt) Lamento d’Arianna Missa da capella a sei voci “In illo tempore” (Kyrie and Gloria Il Ballo della Ingrate (Overture) Misero alceo, SV 114 (6th book of Madrigals) Zefiro torna, SV 108 (6th book of Madrigals) Presso un fiume tranquillo, SV 116 (6th book of Madrigals) Dixit Dominus (Vespers, 1610) Tirsi e Clori (7th book of Madrigals) Litanie della Beata Virgine, SV 204 Oblivion soave (L'incoronazione di Poppea, Act 2) Gloria a 7 (Selve morale e spirituale) Ardo avvampo, mi struggo, ardo, accorrete, Madrigali guerrieri, No 7 (8th book of Madrigals) Lamento della ninfa, Madrigali amorosi, No 9 (8th book of Madrigals) Torna, torna, deh torna Ulisse (Il ritorno d’Ulisse, Act 1 Sc 1) Beatus Vir
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019knl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s life as a set of themes and variations, beginning with his very first musical excursions in the form in the early 1790s.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed piano music in the form of themes and variations across his entire career - from his earliest published work to his late, titanic “Diabelli Variations”, lasting nearly an hour. And Beethoven’s life can itself be seen as a set of variations on a theme: recurring episodes of unrequited love, artistic anguish, angry fallings-out and constant striving for the highest pinnacle of musical achievement. Yet Beethoven’s piano variations often lie in the shadow of his 32 great sonatas for the instrument. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right - shining a light on this remarkable corpus of work, as well another often-overlooked genre: his piano bagatelles.
Diabelli Variations (Theme and 1st variation) Variations in C Minor on a theme of Ernst Christoph Dressler, WoO 63 Variations in G on “Quant’e piu bello”, WoO 69 Piano Trio no 2 in G, Opus 1 No 2 (2nd mvt) Piano Concerto no 2 in B Flat, Op 19 (3rd mvt) Six Bagatelles, Op 126 Variations in D on “Rule Britannia!”, WoO 79 Variations in F, Op 34 Christ On The Mount Of Olives, Op 85 (excerpt) Seven Bagatelles, Op 33 Bagatelle in C Major, Woo 54 “Lustig-Traurig” Clarinet Trio, Op 38 (5th mvt) An die Hoffnung, Op 32 Eroica Variations, Op 35 Triple Concerto in C Major, Op 56 (2nd and 3rd mvts) Tarnopolsky: Echoes Of The Passing Day Bagatelle in A Minor (“Für Elise”), WoO 59 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80 Mass in C Major: Credo Variations on an original theme (March from the “Ruins of Athens”), Op 76 Eleven Bagatelles, Op 119 Diabelli Variations, Op 120: Theme Diabelli Variations, Op 120: Variations 1-10 Diabelli Variations, Op 120: Variations 11-14 Franz Liszt: Variation 24 for Diabelli’s Waltz F.X. Mozart: Variation 28 for Diabelli’s Waltz Schubert: Variation 38 for Diabelli’s Waltz Diabelli Variations, Op 120: Variations 15-18 Diabelli Variations, Op 120: Variations 25-33
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Steven Rajam
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019c66
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Ravel’s meteoric rise to fame and early chamber music - including a long-lost violin sonata, and a unique arrangement for four ondes martenots.
The music of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) is much loved for its remarkable orchestral colours and brilliant virtuosity, heard vividly in works like Bolero, Daphnis and Chloe and Gaspard de la Nuit. But his chamber music, intimate, crystalline, and beautiful, is often overlooked. This week Donald Macleod puts that right, as he introduces every one of Ravel’s works for small instrumental ensemble; an array of work that spans the composer’s colourful life and career.
Music Featured:
Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré Violin Sonata No 1 in A minor Sites Auriculaires (No 2, 'Entre Cloches') Chanson du Rouet Si morne! Shéhérezade (Overture) String Quartet in F major (1st mvt) Noël Des Jouets Deux Epigrammes de Clement Marot String Quartet in F Major (2nd - 4th mvt) Miroirs (No 3, 'Une Barque sur l'Ocean') Introduction and Allegro Deux Melodies Hebraiques (No 1, 'Kaddische') Piano Trio in A Minor (1st mvt) Trois chansons Piano Trio in A Minor (2nd mvt) Le Tombeau de Couperin (Prelude and Rigaudon) Piano Trio in A Minor (3rd and 4th mvts) Deux Melodies Hebraiques (No 2, 'L 'enigme eternelle') Frontispie L’Heure Espagnole (excerpt) La Valse (version for 2 pianos) Sonata for Violin and Cello Sarabande (Pour le Piano) L’Eventail de Jeanne (Fanfare) Tzigane L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (excerpts) Trois Chansons Madécasses Violin Sonata No 2 in G major
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Steven Rajam
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00194q9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod begins the second leg of his “Tour de France” in three weeks focused on French composers across the centuries. This week, Donald introduces us to the remarkable life story and unsung musical innovations of Hélène de Montgeroult.
There aren’t many composers who can claim that music saved their life – at least, in the literal sense. But for Hélène de Montgeroult, it was her astounding powers of improvisation that got her out of the stickiest situation imaginable, hauled in front of the guillotine during the French Revolution. This week, we’ll follow her rollercoaster tale and hear how she had her own revolutionary impact on the piano literature. Described as a precursor of Romanticism, anticipating the language of Schubert and Mendelssohn, audiences said her playing “made the keys speak”. She broke ground as the first female professor at the Paris Conservatoire and left behind 600 pages of music, including a complete course for piano which elevated the technical study into a miniature lyrical artform. As Donald pieces together her tantalising story, he’s joined by pianist Clare Hammond, who has spent recent years getting to know Montgeroult and recording an album of her études.
Music Featured:
Etude No 66 in C minor Etude No 101 in C sharp major Sonata in E flat, Op 1 No 2 Sonata in D major, Op 5 No 1 (1st mvt) Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 (2nd mvt) Etude No 38 in A minor Etude No 65 in E flat minor Etude No 17 in E flat major Etude No 55 in F minor Etude No 19 in F major Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 (1st and 3rd mvt) Sonata in F sharp minor, Op 5 No 3 Etude No 107 in D minor Sonata in F minor, Op 5 No 2 Etude No 114 in F minor Sonata in G minor, Op 2 No 1 Thème varié dans le genre moderne Sonata in D major, Op 5 No 1 (2nd-4th mvts) Etude No 82 in C minor, Etude No 104 in G sharp minor Etude No 74 in C minor Etude No 26 in G major Etude No 73 in D major Fugue No 1 in F minor Fugue No 3 in G minor Etude No 110 in A major Etude No 112b in A flat major Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 Etude No 106 in B major Etude No 62 in E flat major Fantaisie in G minor Sonata in C major, Op 2 No 2 Etude No 112 (1st mvt) Etude No 111 in G minor
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Cardiff
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018ylr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod begins three weeks focused on French composers, in honour of this month’s ‘Tour de France’ cycle race.
"I have followed the theatre since the age of twelve", so said Rameau to a young composer who wrote to him for advice. It's an intriguing insight into a man who didn't produce his first opera until the age of fifty. Quite why it took him that long isn't clear. Up to that point he had been a church musician, following in his father's footsteps, holding a succession of posts mainly in the South of France. He also taught and established himself as a theoretician of some note. A brief, early sojourn in Paris, a mecca for any theatrical hopeful, ended abruptly when he was still in his twenties. It wasn't until he returned to Paris in 1723 that Rameau was able to start writing music for theatrical entertainments, at first for the popular Fairs, and then finally in 1733 for the Paris Opera. In the midst of constant cultural rows over the merits of French and Italian operatic style, Rameau flourished as a theatre composer. At one point he was so successful the management of the Paris Opera decreed no more than two of his works should be mounted per season, to allow other composers to get a look in! He completed his final opera, a masterpiece, Les Boréades in 1763, the year before he died at the age of eighty. Across the week Donald Macleod focuses on this remarkable period in Rameau's life, from the first of his theatrical works to his last.
Music Featured:
Naïs (Overture) Naïs (Prologue: Lancez, lancez la foudre) Achante et Céphise (Act: excerpt) Un horizon serein (Les Boréades) La poule (Suite in G minor) Hippolyte et Aricie (Act 3: Quels biens!) Hippolyte et Aricie (Act 4, Sc 1 to 3) Dardanus (Overture) Castor et Pollux (Act 2: excerpt) Castor et Pollux (Act 4, Sc 3) Dardanus (Act 1, Sc 1: Cesse, cruel Amour, de regner sur mon âme) Dardanus (Act 2, Sc 3) Dardanus (Act 4, Sc 1) Les fetes d'Hébé (excerpt) Les surprises d’amour (Ouverture) Les surprises d’amour (Act 1, Sc 6: The Abduction of Adonis) Hippolyte et Aricie (Act 1, Sc 1: Temple sacre, séjour tranquille) Platée (Act 1, Sc 5 and 6: excerpt) Platée (Act 2, Sc 2 to 4) Le Temple de la Gloire (Act 3, Finale) Les indes galantes (excerpt) Zaïs (Act 4, Sc 3 to 4) Anacréon (Sc 6) Pygmalion (Sc 3) Pygmalion (Sc 4) Les fêtes de Polymnie (Prologue, Sc 3) Zoroastre (Act 3: excerpt) Achanté et Céphise (Act 3: excerpt) Achanté et Céphise (Act 3: excerpt) Les Boréades (Act 2: excerpt) Les Boréades (Act 4: Entrée de Polymnie)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018qjv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys one of the most famed Spanish composers of the Renaissance, Tomás Luis de Victoria.
Tomás Luis de Victoria has become the most famed Spanish composer of the Renaissance and ranks alongside Palestrina and Lassus as one of the greatest composers of the 16th century. He was a singer, organist, scholar, teacher, and a priest but it was in composition that he made his most significant impact. His motets, Offices for the Dead and music for Holy Week are admired for their great beauty and intensity and his musical talent thrust him into the orbit of Spain’s royal family and the most senior clerics in Rome. His devotion to God sat at the heart of his creative life; and he wrote, “there is not a single thing as useful as music, which, reaching our hearts soft but deeply, provides a clear benefit not only for our soul but also for our body.”
Music Featured:
O magnum mysterium Ave Maria Missa pro defunctis (Taedet animan meam) Missa pro defunctis (excerpt) Missa pro defunctis (excerpt) Magnificat octavi toni O Magnum Mysterium Vadam et circuibo civitatem a 6 Ascendens Christus in altum Super flumina Babylonis Missa O magnum mysterium Ave maris stella a 4 Gaude Maria Nigra sum sed formosa Ardens Est Cor Muem Magnificat septimi toni Lamentations for Maundy Thursday Conditor alme siderum a 4 Aurea luce a 4 O Ildephonse Pange Lingua ‘more hispano’ a 4 Victimae paschali Laudes a 8 Veni, Sancte Spiritus a 8 Missa pro Victoria a 9 Missa Surge Propera a 5 (Credo) O quam gloriosum O vos omnes Missa pro defunctis (excerpt) Versa est in luctum Libera me (Absolution) Missa Salve regina a 8 Alma Redemptoris Mater
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018862
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Dvořák’s American years and uncovers what he achieved during his time there.
Antonín Dvořák became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly Romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvořák was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, from 1892 – 1895, Dvořák composed many of his most celebrated works, including his 9th symphony and his cello concerto. Before leaving, he’d started work on his Cello Concerto, inspired by his yearning for the Bohemian countryside. Back at home, Dvořák also completed his String Quartet No 13 which some have seen to be his final work to have musical associations with America.
Dvořák’s had set out to encourage American musicians to look to their own traditions rather than simply following behind Europe. He may not have been entirely successful but he did encourage others in that aim, such as Harry T. Burleigh. Burleigh said of Dvořák that he’d assisted in changing attitudes of African American’s towards their own folk tradition, and most importantly, that Dvořák "was a man of the people".
Music Featured:
Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 “From the New World” (excerpt) Piano Trio No 4 in E minor, Op 90 “Dumky” (Lento maestoso) Carnival Overture, Op 92 Requiem, Op 89 (Introitus) Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 13 (excerpt) Silent Woods, Op 68 No 5 Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (excerpt) Requiem, Op 89 (Confutatis Maledictis) Symphony No 6 in D, Op 60 (Scherzo: Furiant) Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (Allegretto grazioso – Molto vivace) Te Deum, Op 102 Southland Sketches (excerpt) - Harry T. Burleigh Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 “From the New World” (excerpt) Sonatina for violin and piano, Op 100 (Larghetto) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Arr. Harry T. Burleigh Go Down Moses – Arr. Harry T. Burleigh Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 “From the New World” (Largo) String Quintet, Op 97 “American” (excerpt) Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 “From the New World” (Allegro con fuoco) Humoresques, Op 101 No.7 (excerpt) Suite in A, Op 98B (Allegro) String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 “The American” (Vivace) Humoresques, Op 101 (excerpt) Biblical Songs, Op 99 (excerpt) Among the Fuchsias, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope - Harry T. Burleigh Worth While, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope - Harry T. Burleigh Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (excerpt) Lullaby, B194 - Dvořák Arr. J. Suk String Quartet No 14, Op 105 (Molto vivace) Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Adagio ma non troppo) String Quartet No 13 in G, Op 106 (excerpt) Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Finale)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Luke Whitlock
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dvořák and America https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00182rp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Handel’s crucial relationship with the British monarchy, and how he and the Georgian Kings helped forge a new sense of British culture and identity.
What could be more quintessentially British than a rousing chorus of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus? Or his anthem Zadok the Priest, which has been performed at every British coronation since 1727? Yet, though the composer became was a naturalised British subject, he was born in Germany and kept his German accent all of his life. The same was true of the two Kings Handel served, George I and George II. This week, as we head towards a royal jubilee weekend, Donald Macleod explores Handel’s crucial relationship with the British monarchy, and how he and the Georgian Kings helped forge a new sense of British culture and identity.
Music Featured:
Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus Agrippina, Act 2: "Pensieri, voi mi tormentate" Handel: Concerto Grosso in B flat, Op 3 No 1 Rinaldo, Act 1: “Cara Sposa” ‘Utrecht’ Jubilate Te Deum in D, ‘Queen Caroline’ (Mvts 1 & 2) Water Music (excerpt) Radamisto, Act 2: “Ombra caro di mia sposa” I will magnify thee Overture to Admeto Riccardo primo, re d’Inghilterra, Act 2 ‘T’amo si’ My Heart is Inditing Ariodante Act III: ‘Dopo Notte’ and Finale Zadok the Priest Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline: I. Introduction, II. The Ways of Zion do Morn Messiah: ‘Every valley shall be exalted’ and No 4 ‘And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed’ Israel in Egypt: (extracts from Parts II and III) Concerto Grosso No 12 in B minor ‘Dettingen’ Te Deum: ‘Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day’ Occasional Oratorio: Overture Handel Organ Concerto Op 4 No 1: II. Allegro Judas Maccabaeus, Part 2: ‘See! The Conquering Hero Comes’, ‘Sing Unto God’ and ‘O Lovely Peace’ Music for the Royal Fireworks Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Handel and the Crown https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017m2m
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This month, Donald Macleod takes a new look at one of Britain’s best loved composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, as part of Radio 3's 'Vaughan Williams Today' season - marking the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Over the course of four weeks and twenty programmes, Donald will be delving into Vaughan Williams' life story and work in intriguing detail, and he’ll also be talking to some of the leading authorities on Vaughan Williams to share and explore fresh perspectives on a variety of overlooked and less well known aspects of his life and work, forming a comprehensive and absorbing portrait of a composer whose body of work has had such an enduring impact on British cultural life.
In this, the final week of Composer of the Week’s landmark series, Donald will focus primarily on the years 1948-1958, the final decade of Vaughan Williams’ life. The composer was, by this point recognised as the Grand Old Man of English music, and for a younger generation of British composers had begun to represent the establishment. He was also beginning to feel his age, but was still managing to surprise critics with some of his new works, and he showed little sign of slowing down, continuing to lead a busy life, and launching into new endeavours too: foreign travels which included a major tour of the US, a major house move, and, following the death of Adeline, a second marriage. Donald will also be speaking to Vaughan Williams experts Ceri Owen and Alain Frogley about Adeline Fisher and Ursula Wood, Vaughan Williams two wives, and about Vaughan Williams’ legacy, and the changing reception to his music since his death.
Music Featured:
Symphony no. 6 in E minor - I. Allegro Prayer to the Father of Heaven An Oxford Elegy (excerpt) Concerto Grosso for strings Pilgrim’s Progress - House Beautiful Sons of Light - III. The Messengers of Speech Four Last Songs 3 Impressions – II. The Solent Songs of Travel Three Shakespeare Songs Romance in D flat for harmonica & strings Old Hundredth Silence and Music Symphony 7 ‘Sinfonia Antartica’ - III. Landscape - Lento Turtle dove; Dark-Eyed Sailor; John Dory Symphony no 8 in D minor - II. Scherzo alla marcia; III. Cavatina Vision of Aeroplanes Symphony no. 9 in E minor - IV. Andante tranquillo Prelude on Three Welsh Hymn Tunes Symphony no. 9 - II. Andante Sostenuto The Lover’s Ghost Suite from 49th Parallel (excerpt) Nocturne: Whispers of Heavenly Death A London Symphony (1913 version) – IV. Finale (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Producer Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016rjd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This month, Donald Macleod takes a fresh look at one of Britain’s most popular composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, as part of Radio 3's 'Vaughan Williams Today' season - marking the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Alongside programmes which delve into Vaughan Williams' life story and music in fascinating depth, over the course of four weeks and twenty programmes, Donald will also be talking to some of the leading authorities on Vaughan Williams to share and explore share new perspectives on a variety of overlooked and less well known aspects his life and work, forming a comprehensive and absorbing portrait of a composer whose body of work has had such an enduring imprint on British cultural life.
In the third week of this landmark series, Donald focuses on the years 1931-1947, a dramatic period in not just Vaughan Williams’ life, but in the wider world too, encompassing the second World War. Vaughan Williams was 67 when Britain and France declared war on the Reich, so too old for active service, but he threw himself into contributing wherever he could to the war effort. Musically, this was another period when the composer suffered from a crisis of failing inspiration and creative drought as the political turmoil deepened around him, but it would also give rise to some of his finest music, including three of his best regarded Symphonies – numbers 4, 5 and 6.
Music Featured:
Into the Woods my Master Went Fantasia on Greensleeves Piano Concerto in C major - I. Toccata; II. Romanza Symphony no. 4 in F minor – III. Scherzo; IV. Finale con epilogo fugato The Running Set 5 Tudor Portraits - V. Jolly Rutterkin Two Hymn-Tune Preludes Festival Te Deum in F Riders to the sea – Act I: “…and may he have mercy on my soul” Serenade to Music (Orchestral Version) Epithalamion - The Lover’s Song Epithamalion - Song of the Winged Love Bushes and Briars Symphony no. 5 in D major - IV. Passacaglia Dona Nobis Pacem - I. Agnus Dei, II. Beat! Beat! Drums!, III. Reconciliation Coastal Command Suite - Finale 5 variants of Dives and Lazarus 49th Parallel - The Invaders Partita for Double String Orchestra - IV. Fantasia Concerto for Oboe and Strings in A minor - III. Finale Symphony No 3, 'Pastoral Symphony' (excerpt) Song of Thanksgiving (excerpt) Symphony No.6 in E minor - II. Moderato; III. Scherzo Symphony no. 2 “A London Symphony” – IV. Andante con moto (excerpt) Symphony no. 7 “Sinfonia Antartica” - V. Epilogue (excerpt) Symphony no.1 “A Sea Symphony” - I. A Song for all Sea, all Ships (excerpt) Symphony no 9 in E minor – IV. Andante tranquillo – poco animato (excerpt) Symphony no.5 in D major – III. Romanza (excerpt) Symphony no.5 in D major – I. Preludio Symphony no 6 in E minor – III. Scherzo (excerpt) Symphony no. 4 in F minor – I. Allegro (excerpt) Symphony no.1 ‘A Sea Symphony’ - I. A Song for all Sea, all Ships (excerpt) Symphony no. 6 in E minor- IV. Epilogue Symphony no. 8 in D minor – IV. Toccata
Presented by Donald Macleod Producer Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016rjd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
All this month, Donald Macleod takes a fresh look at this much loved composer as part of Radio 3's 'Vaughan Williams Today' season, celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth. He’ll unpack Vaughan Williams' life story in fascinating detail over the course of four weeks and leading authorities on the composer will join him to share their new perspectives. They'll be exploring some of the overlooked aspects of his life and music, as well as the qualities that have left such an enduring imprint on British cultural life. This week Donald chronicles Vaughan Williams’ life through the years 1914 to 1930.
When War was declared, although he was 42 Vaughan Williams immediately joined up. He was accepted as an ambulance orderly with the rank of private. Throughout the War, wherever he was posted throughout Europe, he made music with anyone and everyone. He spent much of his spare time starting up a singing class, training a choir, getting together whoever was available, whenever they had a break in their duties. Even though he didn’t “compose” during the war years, his own music did stir. He said of his 3rd Symphony, “a great deal of it incubated when I used to go up night after night with the ambulance wagon at Ecoivres and we went up a steep hill and there was a wonderful Corot-like landscape in the sunset – it’s not really lambkins frisking at all, as most people take for granted.”
Music Featured:
A Cotswold Romance (The Men of Cotsall) Lord Thou Hast Been Our Refuge Symphony No 3 "Pastoral Symphony" - IV. Lento Motion and Stillness (4 Poems by Fredegond Shove) 'Four Nights' and 'The New Ghost' (4 Poems by Fredegond Shove) The Lark Ascending O Clap Your Hands Concerto Accademico Piano Suite in G Major (excerpt) Mass in G minor In Windsor Forest (Falstaff And The Fairies) The Pilgrim's Progress - Act IV Scene 2 “The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains’ (excerpt) The Pilgrim's Progress - Act III Scene 1 “I buy the truth!” (excerpt) Riders to the Sea (Where is she?) Riders to the Sea (They are all gone now) Job – A Masque for Dancing (excerpt) Valliant for Truth Old King Cole Sancta Civitas Merciless Beauty, Three Rondels by Geoffrey Chaucer Flos Campi O vos omnes Job – A Masque for Dancing 3 Poems by Walt Whitman (Nocturne) 3 Choral Hymns Sir John in Love (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Rosie Boulton
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016rjd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This month, Donald Macleod takes a fresh look at Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the UK’s most significant music figures, as part of Radio 3's 'Vaughan Williams Today' season, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of the UK's most significant musical figures. This month, Donald Macleod takes a fresh look at this much loved composer as part of Radio 3's 'Vaughan Williams Today' season, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth Donald will be telling Vaughan Williams' life story and exploring his music in fascinating detail over the course of four weeks and twenty programmes. Interleaved with Donald's in-depth narrative accounts, some of our leading authorities on Vaughan Williams will be joining him to share new perspectives. They'll be unpacking the overlooked and less well known aspects of a composer whose body of work and diverse interests have made such an enduring imprint on British cultural life.
The first week of this landmark series will focus on Vaughan Williams' formative years, and his earliest works. It could be said that Vaughan Williams was pre-destined to be a leading figure in the musical life of Great Britain. He was born in 1872 with, in his own words, "a small silver spoon in his mouth" and his mother was part of the Wedgwood and Darwin dynasties. Charles Darwin was Vaughan Williams' great uncle. Raised, after his father's early death, in the matriarchal family home Leith Hill Place in Surrey, young Ralph was encouraged in the pursuit of knowledge from an early age. The values he was exposed to growing up are reflected in his social awareness later on. He wrote music for every kind of setting, from the concert hall to the village hall. We’ll follow his development from his very first attempt at writing music, Robin's Nest, to the assurance of his London Symphony.
Music Featured:
The Lark Ascending (excerpt) A vision of aeroplanes (excerpt) The Robin’s Nest Quintet in D major - I: Allegro moderato Bucolic Suite - II. Andante; IV. Finale Songs of Travel - 3. The Roadside Fire; 4. Youth and Love In the Fen Country Songs of Travel - 1. The vagabond Heroic elegy & Triumphal Epilogue - I: Andante sostenuto Folk Songs from the Eastern Counties - No 2; No 13; No 15 Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 in E minor Five mystical songs - The Call Toward the Unknown Region The Water Mill The last invocation A Sea Symphony - III: The Waves; I: A song for all Seas (excerpt) The Garden of Proserpine (excerpt) Five mystical songs - Love bade me welcome The Wasps - Overture On Wenlock Edge - I: On Wenlock Edge; III: Is my team ploughing? The sky above the roof L’amour de Moy Quant li louseignolz jolis String Quartet No 1 in G minor - I: Allegro moderato Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis - I: Largo sostenuto Phantasy Quintet - IV: Burlesca, alla moderato A London Symphony - Scherzo Linden Lea Serenade in A minor - IV: Romance Harnham Down On Wenlock Edge - Oh, when I was in love with you; Bredon Hill A Sea Symphony - II. On the Beach at Night Alone
Presented by Donald Macleod Producer Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016rjd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and guest Sarah Willis explore some of the greatest “one-hit wonders” in classical music - Johann Pachelbel, Engelbert Humperdinck, Paul Dukas, Gregorio Allegri, Henryk Górecki, Tomaso Albinoni, Giovanni Pergolesi, Pietro Mascagni, Carl Orff and Julius Fučík.
Classical music is littered with composers who are famous for just a single piece of music. In a special week of Composer of the Week programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by Berlin Philharmonic horn player Sarah Willis to explore ten of these composers and examine episodes from their lives, alongside their compositions – both their popular hits and some of their less familiar music. They also try to isolate why certain works have captured the popular imagination of audiences around the world.
Music Featured:
Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue for 3 violins and continuo in D major Pachelbel: Christ lag in Todesbanden Humperdinck: Erinnerung Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (excerpts) Humperdinck: Königskinder, "Verdorben! Gestorben!..Ihr Kindlein, sie sind gefunden" Dukas: La Peri Fanfare Dukas: L’apprenti sorcier Dukas: Ariane et Barbe-bleu, Act III: Adieu Allegri: Canzone Scamfortina Allegri: Missa ‘Che fa oggi il mio sole’: Agnus Dei Allegri: Miserere Górecki: Symphony No 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs),1st Mvt. Górecki: Little Requiem for a Certain Polka, Op 66, 3rd Mvt. Górecki: Symphony No 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs), 2nd Mvt. Górecki: Miserere Albinoni: Overture to Zenobia Albinoni (compl. Giazotto): Adagio in G minor Albinoni: Concerto in B flat major for oboe and strings Albinoni: Concerto in F major for oboe and strings Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (excerpt) Pergolesi: Conversione di San Guglielmo (Sinfonia) Pergolesi: Dixit Dominus, Opening chorus Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (excerpt) Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (Easter Hymn, Inneggiamo & Intermezzo) Mascagni: Rapsodia Satanica, Prologue Orff: Camina Burana, 'O Fortuna' Orff/Keetman: Schulwerk (excerpts) Orff: De temporum fine comoedia Orff: Carmina Burana (excerpt) Fučík: Entry of the Gladiators Fučík: Miramare Fučík: Triglav
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for One Hit Wonders https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001695t
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod talks to Peter and Emilie Bernstein about their father, award winning Hollywood film composer Elmer Bernstein, who wrote for films during the 1980s and 1990s.
Born in 1922, Elmer Bernstein created the music for more than 150 films. His big break was one of Hollywood's biggest pictures, Cecil B DeMille's swan song, the 1955 biblical epic, "The Ten Commandments". At the same time as working on that enormous canvas for DeMille, Bernstein was composing the first in a series of ground-breaking jazz infused scores, "The Man with the Golden Arm". He went on to write the music for the Hollywood adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", Westerns which include The Magnificent Seven, surely one of the best known title themes in the history of cinema, before he became the go to composer for John Wayne. His scores for action adventures include "The Great Escape" and a moving depiction of the inner life of a prisoner in "Birdman of Alcatraz". Nominated on numerous occasions, he won an Oscar for "Thoroughly Modern Millie". In the 1980s he delighted younger generations of cinema goers with scores such as "National Lampoon's Animal House", "Ghostbusters" and "Airplane!", before deciding to make a return to more serious drama. Projects with Martin Scorsese included the film of Edith Wharton's novel "The Age of Innocence", and he also created a remarkable portrait of the artist Christy Brown in "My Left Foot". His last score, for which he received a final Oscar nomination, was for Todd Haynes' "Far from Heaven" in 2002. He died just two years later in 2004.
As well as a hugely successful career as a film composer Elmer Bernstein assumed several leadership roles. He also financed a scheme to preserve Hollywood film scores. Among the music he preserved was Max Steiner's King Kong.
Donald Macleod marks the centenary of this gifted and versatile film composer in conversation with Peter and Emilie Bernstein, two of Elmer Bernstein's children. They offer a fascinating insider's view to the film music industry alongside a personal portrait of their father.
Music Featured:
The March from Stripes Prelude to The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (excerpt) To Kill a Mockingbird (excerpt) Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra for two Christophers: II: Reflections The Man with the Golden Arm (excerpt) Walk on the Wild Side: Main title The Magnificent Seven (excerpt) To Kill a Mockingbird (excerpt) True Grit (excerpt) How Now Dow Jones: A Little Investigation The Great Escape: Main title Overture to Hawaii The Birdman of Alcatraz Summer and Smoke (excerpt) Big Jake (excerpt) Zulu Dawn: River Crossing Ghostbusters theme Suite from Airplane! Heavy Metal: Taarna’s Theme Ghostbusters (excerpt) My Left Foot (excerpt) The Grifters (excerpt) Far from Heaven: Autumn in Connecticut Far From Heaven (excerpt) Rambling Rose (excerpt) Devil in a Blue Dress (excerpt) Cape Fear (excerpt) The Age of Innocence: Main title
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015v23
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Debussy's life as he approaches his thirties.
Donald Macleod explores Debussy's life as he approaches his thirties, a challenging period both personally and musically.
One of the twentieth century's most original minds, the French composer Claude Debussy has had a profound influence on the course of music. Born in 1862, his precocious talent gained him admittance to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire as a ten year old, one of the youngest pupils in the piano class. There were soon indications of his independence of mind. His student years are littered with reports which, while recognising his gifts also found him to be careless and scatterbrained. Debussy found it difficult to focus on his lessons because he felt frustrated with the rules of composition he was told to follow. He wanted to express himself differently, and if he broke the rules to achieve that, well, in his view, so be it.
This week Donald Macleod begins his stories at the point in Debussy's life where, the young man has dispensed with institutional restrictions. He was free to choose his own path. No more rules, no more regulations. There were still some practical considerations he would have to factor in to his plans. Having fulfilled, for the main, the requirements of the Prix de Rome, he needed to make a professional name for himself, and most urgently, earn some money! All in all, it would prove to be a difficult decade.
Music Featured:
Deux Arabesques Romance (Silence Ineffable) La damoiselle élue, Poem Lyric (Introduction; Élue s'appuyait) String Quartet in G minor, op 10 (1st mvt) Rodrigue et Chimène, Act 1 (excerpt) Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Images oubliees, No 2 (Souvenir du Louvre) Trois Mélodies de Verlaine Pour le piano (Prelude, Sarabande, Toccata) String quartet in G minor, op 10 (2nd mvt) Proses Lyriques, No 4 (De soir) 6 Épigraphes Antiques Images Oubliees, No 3 (Quelques aspects de "Nous n'irons plus au bois") Proses lyriques, No 3 (De fleurs) Overture to Wagner’s ‘The Flying Dutchman’ (arr for two pianos) Pelléas et Mélisande, Act 4, Scene 4 Pelléas et Mélisande, Act 1 (excerpt) Nocturnes, No 1 (Nuages) Pelléas et Mélisande, Act 1 (excerpt) Pelléas et Mélisande, Act 1, Scene 3 Nocturnes, No 2 (Fêtes) Lindaraja for 2 pianos Pelléas et Mélisande, Act 3, Scene 1 Images, No 2 (Hommage à Rameau) La mer, No 3 (Dialogue du vent et de la mer) Estampes, No 1 (Pagodes) Le Diable dans le beffroi (excerpt) Masques pour piano Fantaisie for piano and orchestra (1st mvt) Pelléas et Mélisande Act 5 (excerpt) La mer, No 3 (Dialogue du vent et de la mer)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Johannah Smith, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claude Debussy (1862-1918) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015546
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Henriëtte Bosmans' rise to fame as both a pianist and a composer.
Henriëtte Bosmans seemed destined for a life in music from the moment of her birth, in 1895. Her father was the principal solo cellist in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and her mother a piano teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory. Bosmans developed a flourishing career and won international success with her Concert Piece for Violin and Orchestra. As a concert pianist she performed alongside conductors such as Ernest Ansermet and George Szell.
Bosmans’s mother was a Jew and, although Bosmans didn’t consider herself Jewish, her ancestry played a significant role in the events of her life. She lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, when tens of thousands of Amsterdam Jews were deported to concentration camps, including her fellow citizen, Anne Frank. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by Bosmans expert Dr Helen Metzelaar and also Dr Laurien Vastenhout from Amsterdam’s Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide.
Music Featured:
Prelude No 3, 4 & 6 (from Six Preludes) Cello Sonata (excerpt) String Quartet Poème for cello and orchestra Arietta (from Two Recital Pieces) Trio for piano, violin and cello Im Mondenglanze ruht das Meer Le diable dans la nuit Concertino for piano and orchestra Prelude No 5 (from Six Preludes) Cello Sonata (excerpt) Cello Concerto No 2, UK première Lead Kindly Light Gebed Danse Orientale (from Two Recital Pieces), UK première Trois Impressions for cello and piano Dit eiland Complainte du petit cheval blanc Aurore Concertstuck for violin and orchestra Concertstuck for flute and chamber orchestra La chanson du chiffonnier Das macht den Menschen glücklich Een lied voor Spanje Violin Sonata, UK première
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Henriette Bosmans (1895-1952) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014y4m And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the richly evocative musical landscape of Ottorino Respighi
This week, we’re invited to explore the richly evocative musical landscape of Ottorino Respighi. The colourful inventiveness of his most popular music was often inspired by images, places or stories, like his trio of ‘Tone Poems’: Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, and Roman Festivals. These works and others were frequently championed by celebrated conductor, Arturo Toscanini, and Respighi rose to become one of the leading Italian composers of the twentieth century. He remains hugely popular with orchestras and audiences today. Respighi’s trademark orchestral brilliance betrays the influence of his Russian mentor, Rimsky Korsakov. He was also fascinated by early music and sometimes incorporated antique styles into his works. In this series, Donald Macleod explores Respighi’s life and music from different perspectives, including his associations with Bologna, Rome and the USA, the important presence of his wife, Elsa, and also his complicated relationship with Toscanini.
Respighi was born in Bologna in 1879, and the city would have a lasting influence upon the composer, even after he’d moved to Rome. It was here, as a young man, that Respighi first discovered his interest in the music of the Renaissance and Baroque, which would have a great impact on his future compositions. Also in Bologna, he began performing in the Theatre Orchestra, a job which eventually led him to St. Petersburg where he encountered, Rimsky-Korsakov. Bologna also boasted a number of second-hand bookshops, where Respighi enjoyed spending his time. Over the years he amassed several thousand volumes, some of which inspired operas and songs.
Music Featured:
Adagio con variazioni, P. 133 Violin Sonata in B minor, P. 110 (Moderato) Burlesca per Orchestra, P. 59 Notte. P. 55a Nebbie, P. 64 Aretusa, P. 95 Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No 1, P. 109 (Balleto detto “Il conte Orlando”) Il tramonto, P. 101 Fountains of Rome, P. 106 Violin Sonata in B minor, P. 110 (excerpt) Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No 2, P. 138 (Danza Rustica) Pines of Rome, P. 141 Concerto Gregoriano, P. 135 (Finale) Belfagor overture, P. 140 Poema autunnale, P. 146 Deità silvane, P. 147 No 1 (excerpt) Trittico botticelliano, P. 151 Gli uccelli, P. 154 (The Hen) Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3, P. 172 (excerpt) Prelude and Fugue in D major, P 158 (after J.S. Bach’s BWV 532) Notturno, P. 44 Roman Festivals, P. 157
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ottorino Respighi (1879 - 1936) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014npm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Edward Gregson and Alan Bush
This week, Donald Macleod is in conversation with British composer, Edward Gregson, who offers a fascinating window into his own story and also the life and work of his mentor, Alan Bush. We’ll see how both composers have made significant contributions to Britain’s musical story, and we explore the events that led to the very different trajectories of their careers.
Edward Gregson knew that classical music would be his life after encountering Brahms’s music as a teenager. He studied composition with Alan Bush, and his natural instinct for melody and brilliant orchestral colour have made him a popular choice with audiences and performers across the world. He also prides himself in rising to a challenge, including taking on the leadership of one of Britain’s major musical conservatoires.
In the early part of the twentieth century, Alan Bush seemed destined to become of the regular stalwarts of Britain’s music scene, alongside his contemporaries William Walton and Michael Tippett. It was not to be. Bush's conversion to communism put him at odds with the British establishment and sent his career in a very different direction. His story is intriguing and frustrating in equal measure but, Edward argues, Bush’s ever-present political agenda shouldn’t detract from the intrinsic quality of his music.
Music Featured:
Gregson: Concerto for Orchestra (III. Toccata) Gregson: Quintet for Brass, (1st mvt) Gregson: Music for Chamber Orchestra (I. Lento maestoso) Gregson: Connotations Gregson: Six Little Pieces for piano (Nos. 1-4) Gregson: The Kings go Forth (I. The Church) Bush: Concert-Piece for cello and piano (opening) Bush: Relinquishment Bush: Dialectic Bush: Piano Concerto (extract) Bush: Symphony No 1 (1st mvt) Gregson: Stepping Out Gregson: Violin Concerto (2nd mvt) Gregson: Shadow of Paradise Gregson: Make a Joyful Noise Gregson: Clarinet Concerto (Part 1) Bush: Three Concert Studies (I. Moto Perpetuo) Bush: Violin Concerto (II. Andante espressivo) Bush: Symphony No 2, ‘The Nottingham Symphony’ (III. ‘Castle Rock’ & IV ‘Goose Fair’) Bush: Voices of the Prophets (Nos. 1-3) Bush: Africa - Symphonic movement for piano and orchestra (extract) Gregson: Symphony in two movements (I. Toccata) Gregson: String Quartet No 1 (1st mvt) Bush: Symphony No 4, ‘Lascaux Symphony’ (II. ‘The Children’) Gregson: Dream Song
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edward Gregson (b 1945) and Alan Bush (1900-1995) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014g7k
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Elgar's own belief that he was an outsider from British society
Elgar is the composer we turn to in times of national celebration, of pride (Pomp and Circumstance Marches) and of public grief (Nimrod). He mingled with royalty and was made a knight of the realm, seemingly a pillar of the Edwardian and early 20th Century British establishment. And yet, for most of his life he felt himself to be a misfit. This week, Donald Macleod explores some of the reasons for that sense of unbelonging.
Music Featured:
Chanson du matin My love dwelt in a northern land Serenade for Strings (I. Allegro piacevole) Sea Pictures (I. Sea Slumber Song; II. In Haven (Capri); III. Sabbath Morning at Sea) Variations on an Original Theme “Enigma” (Var.7 (Troyte) – 14 (Finale - EDU)) Bavarian Dance No.1 From the Bavarian Highlands (V. On the Alm) The Dream of Gerontius, Part 2: “I see not those false spirits” … “Praise to the holiest” Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D The Apostles, Part 2, Scene 4: The Betrayal, In Gethsemane There is Sweet Music Introduction and Allegro In Smyrna Symphony No.1 in A flat (I. Andante (Nobilmente e semplice) – Allegro) Pomp and Circumstance March No.4 in G The Wand of Youth Suite (I. Fairies and Giants) Violin Concerto in B minor (I. Allegro) Piano Quintet in A minor (II. Adagio) Cockaigne (In London Town) – Overture Nursery Suite (I. Aubade; VI. The Merry Doll) Violin Sonata in E minor (III. Allegro non troppo) Cello Concerto in E minor Pomp and Circumstance March No.5 in C
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Graham Rogers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edward Elgar (1857-1934) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001408x
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod lifts the veil on neglected yet prolific composer, Marianna Martines
Marianna Martines lived and worked in Vienna alongside some of classical music’s greatest names. She was tutored by Haydn, played piano duets with Mozart, corresponded with Padre Martini and Farinelli, and was frequently invited to perform for the Imperial Court. For nearly forty years, she was mentored by Metastasio, Europe’s most celebrated opera librettist. Martines became a significant personality in Viennese cultural circles, with her works regularly performed in the city and commissions and honours coming her way from across Europe. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by Dr Jeremy Llewellyn to lift the veil on this long neglected yet prolific and highly celebrated composer and discover the unique perspective her story provides on cultural life in Vienna during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Music Featured:
Dixit Dominus (excerpt) Keyboard Concerto in E Joseph Haydn: Symphony No 1 in D Sonata in E for harpsichord Sonata in A for harpsichord WA Mozart:Missa solemnis in C minor, K139 Overture in C Sonata in G for harpsichord (Allegro brillante) Come le limpide onde (excerpt) Keyboard Concerto in A Dixit Dominus (excerpt) Keyboard Concerto in G Il primo amore Sonata in G for harpsichord (Allegro assai) La Tempesta Santa Elena al Calvario (excerpt) Il nido degli amori WA Mozart: Sonata for two pianos in D, K448 (Allegro con spirito) Orgoglioso fiumciello
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Marianna Martines (1744-1812) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013s39
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod reflects on Franz Liszt's Hungarian story - he spent little time there and couldn't speak the language but just how important to his music was the land of his birth?
Music Featured:
Hungarian Rhapsody No 8 in F sharp minor Die Drei Zigeuner Symphonic Poem: From the Cradle to the Grave Fantasy on Motifs from Beethoven's 'Ruinen von Athen' Variation on a Theme of Diabelli Hungarian Rhapsody No 10 in E - 'Preludio' Hungarian Rhapsody No 5 in E minor 'Heroide-elegiaque' Six Grandes Etudes de Paganini - No 6 "La Campanella" Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Themes Hungarian Rhapsody No 15 'Rakoczy March' Arbeiterchor Symphonic Poem - 'Hungaria' Liebestraum No 1 'Hohe Lieb' 'Magyarok Istene' (version for organ) 2 Légendes - No 2 'St Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots' Hungarian Coronation Mass - II. 'Gloria' Hungarian Rhapsody No 9 in flat 'Pesther Carnival - II. Finale presto Piano Concerto No 2 in A Hungarian Rhapsody No 6 in D flat Hungarian Rhapsody No 4 in d minor (orchestal arrangement) Die Legende von der Heiligen Elisabeth - Part 2 ("Death of Elisabeth"; "Chorus of Angels") Hungarian Portraits - "Mosonyi Grabgeleit" Cardas Macabre (arr. for Hungarian folk instruments) Seven Sacramenta - Responsories V. 'Extreme unctio' Hungarian Rhapsody No 11 in a minor
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Wines
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Liszt (1811-1886) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013hz8
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully was the most influential French composer of the 17th Century, a key figure in the court of Louis XIV. This week, Donald Macleod explores how Lully rose from humble origins in Italy to become the most powerful musician in France, a story of lies, ambition and intrigue.
Music Featured:
Phaëton, LWV 61, Overture Le Carnaval, LWV 52, Overture Le Carnaval, LWV 52 (Air “Son dottor per occasion”) Dies Irae, LWV 64/1 Dances - Les noces de village, LWV 19 (excerpts) Psyché, LWV 56 (Finale) Atys, LWV 53, Overture Anon - Les Nuits Ballet: Ouverture Ballet royal de Flore, LWV 40 (excerpt) Ballet royal des amours déguisés, LWV 21 (Air “Ah! Rinaldo, e dove sei?”) L’amour malade, LWV 8 Jubilate Deo - Motet de la paix, LWV 77/16 Alcidiane, LWV 9, Ouverture Armide, LWV 71 (End of Act II) Ballet Naissance de Venus, LWV 27 (excerpt) Le Triomphe de l’amour, LWV 59 (excerpts) Miserere, LWV 25 Les Plaisirs de l'île enchantée, LWV 22 (Divertisment No 5) Le Carrousel de Monseigneur, LWV 72 (Marches Militaires) La Princesse d’Elide, LWV 22 (Quand l’amour a nos yeux) Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, LWV 43 (excerpt) Psyché, LWV 45, Act I “Deh, piangete al pianto mio” Cadmus et Hermione, LWV 49 (Marche pour le sacrifice; ‘C'est vainement que l'on espère’) Te Deum, LWV 55 (Sinfonie and Te deum laudamus) Thesée, LWV 51 (end of Act V) La Bourgeois Gentilhomme, LWV 43 (La cérémonie turque) Armide, LWV 71, Overture De Profundis, LWV 62 (Requiem aeternum)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00137m6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod chats to composer Errollyn Wallen about her life and work
Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen has been called a “renaissance woman of contemporary music”. She’s a remarkably versatile and prolific composer, pianist and songwriter and one of our most in-demand musical voices today. She was the first black woman to have a piece performed at the Proms in 1998 and her music opened the 2012 Paralympic games. She's even been performed in space, aboard NASA’s STS115 mission. Wallen writes in a kaleidoscopic range of styles; her music constantly crosses and re-crosses musical boundaries and it brims over with a sense of adventure and delight. This week, Donald Macleod gets to know Errollyn as she dials into his studio from her Scottish lighthouse where she retreats to concentrate on her work.
Music Featured:
I Wouldn’t Normally Say It’s a Quarter to Nine Percussion Concerto (2nd movement – excerpt) Louis’ Loops Photography NNENNA My Granny Sarah Woogie Boogie Dervish Concerto Grosso Horseplay (1st and 2nd movements) In Our Lifetime TIGER Lines It all depends on you (excerpt) The Girl in My Alphabet Three Ships (IV – Some Trouble) Red (Homage to Rodrigo) Greenwich Variations What’s Up Doc? Daedalus Five Postcards About Here Tree Of Crumpling Rocks Are you worried about the rising cost of funerals? (i. beehive; iv. guru) Peace on Earth Jerusalem, our clouded hills gun gun gun Mighty River Cello Concerto (excerpt) See That I am God
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Errollyn Wallen https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00131m7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the operas of Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini was man of the theatre to his fingertips. Born in Lucca in 1858, into a distinguished family of church musicians, Puccini was never destined to follow in his forebears’ footsteps. His fate was sealed when as a teenager he walked thirty miles to hear Verdi’s Aida. He knew immediately that theatre was his calling and from that point on he wrote almost exclusively for the stage.
A perfectionist and an often unreasonable taskmaster, Puccini agonised over each of his operas. Beginning with Manon Lescaut, the opera that launched Puccini internationally, this week Donald Macleod follows the off and the on-stage dramas of La Boheme, Tosca, Madam Butterfly, La fanciulla del West, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Il tabarro and the opera he left incomplete at his death in 1924, his final masterpiece, Turandot. The stories on stage are interleaved with events in his personal life, from an early scandal over his affair with a married woman and some very dodgy skulduggery in his business dealings, to the suicide of one of his servants, a tragedy of such proportion, he was plunged in to a deep depression, haunted by the events for the rest of his life.
This week, Donald Macleod celebrates a composer whose music expresses every human emotion, there's a host of landmark recordings, including the voices of Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Gheorghiu, Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna. We'll hear Mimì's touching calling card from La Boheme, in the classic Victoria de los Angeles version, while Renato Scotto pours all Madam Butterfly's hopes into the heart-breaking Un bel dì. There's the raw pain of Sister Angelica mourning her dead son, and the dark desperation of a jealous husband in Il tabarro. On Wednesday Callas and Gobbi’s anguished, sadistic torture scene in Tosca still has the power to shock us as much as it did on its first night in 1900. It's high stakes and nail-biting tension in La fanciulla del West as Minnie trades the life of her outlaw lover on the outcome of a card game. Joan Sutherland’s icy Princess Turandot, a magnificent pairing with Luciano Pavarotti’s Prince Calaf comes on Friday along with a certain aria made famous by the 1990 world cup, heard here in the hands of another Puccini specialist, Jussi Björling.
Music Featured:
Manon Lescaut, Act 1: Donna non vidi mai Le Villi, Act 1: Preghiera: Angiol di dio Messa di Gloria (Credo) Crisantemi Manon Lescaut, Act 2: Dispettosetto questo Riccio!; In quelle trine morbide Manon Lescaut, Act 4: Sola, perduta, abbandonata; Fra le tue bracce amore La Bohème, Act 1: Mi chiamano Mimì La Bohème, Act 1: Pensier profondo!; Legna!; Si può Capriccio sinfonico La Bohème, Act 3: Donde lieta uscì; Dunque è proprio finita….Addio, dolce svegliare Tosca, Act 1 (excerpt) Tosca, Act 1: Ah! Finalmente (excerpt) Vissi d’arte, Act 2 (excerpt) Tosca, Act 2 (excerpt) Tosca, Act 3 (excerpt) Madama Butterfly, Act 1 (excerpt) Madama Butterfly, Act 1: Viene la sera; Vogliatemi bene Gianni Schicchi (O mio babbino caro) Gianni Schicchi (excerpt) Il tabarro (Nulla silenzio!) La fanciulla del West, Act 1 (excerpt) La fanciulla del West, Act 2: Una partita a poker! Suor Angelica (excerpt) Turandot (Nessun Dorma) Madam Butterfly, Act 2: Un bel dì vedremo Madam Butterfly, Act 2: Una nave da guerra; Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio; Or vieni ad adornar Turandot, Act 1: In Questa Reggia; Ascolta straniera; Gloria o vincitore! La Boheme, Act 4: Fingevo dormire
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012rn4
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Mozart’s prolific final years.
Five years before Mozart’s premature death aged 35, the composer felt at the top of his game. He was performing regularly in Vienna and his music was beloved throughout the city. However, the Austro-Turkish War between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire would soon have a negative impact on Mozart’s prospects, along with changing musical taste in the Austrian capital. The nobility had more important things to do than hold concerts and commission new music. Money was in shorter supply. As a composer for hire, Mozart had to change tack and write chamber music for publication and for performance in middle class homes, rather than concertos for the nobility.
Music Featured:
Horn Concerto No 4 in E flat major, K 495 (I. Allegro maestoso) Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K 491 (I. Allegro) Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in F major, K 497 (I. Adagio - Allegro di molto) Symphony No 38 in D major, K 504 “Prague” (I. Adagio – Allegro) Symphony No 39 in E flat major, K 543 (I. Adagio – Allegro) Adagio in B minor, K 540 Divertimento in E flat major, K 563 (II. Adagio) Clarinet Quintet in A major, K 581 (II. Larghetto) Piano Sonata No. 17 in B flat major, K 570 (I. Allegro) Gigue in G major, K 574, "Leipziger Gigue" Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K 492, Act 1 (excerpt) Symphony No 41 in C major, K 551, "Jupiter” (II. Andante cantabile) Don Giovanni, K 527, Act II (excerpt) Così fan tutte, K 588 (excerpts) Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, Act II: Allegro Ave verum corpus, K 618 6 German Dances, K 600 (No 1 in C Major; No 3 in B-Flat Major; No 6 in D Major) Kyrie in D minor, K 341 Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat major, Op 17, K 595 (I. Allegro) String Quintet No 6 in E flat major, K 614 (I. Allegretto di molto, IV. Allegro) Fantasia in F minor for mechanical organ, K 608 (arr. for wind quintet) La Clemenza di Tito, K 621, Act I: Quintetto con poro) Clarinet Concerto in A major, K 622 (I. Allegro, II. Adagio) Requiem in D minor, K 626 (completed by F.X. Sussmayr)(except)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012pn0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns once said “I produce music as an apple tree produces apples.” In his day, that fruit was gobbled up all across Europe where the composer was acclaimed as the greatest of all French musicians. Liszt called him the greatest organist in the world. Yet in France, and in his home city of Paris, he was not always so highly regarded, despite his strong bond with his homeland. This week, as we mark the centenary of his death, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Saint-Saëns, charting the changing relationship with France of one of the greatest musicians that the country has ever produced.
Music Featured:
Samson and Delilah, Op 47 (Bacchanale) Le Soir Piano Quintet in A minor, Op 14 (III. Presto) Le muse et la poete, Op 132 Piano Trio No 2 in E minor, Op 92 (I. Allegro non troppo) Symphony in F major “Urbs Roma” (II. Molto Vivace) Fantaisie in D-flat major, Op 101 Tarantella in A minor, Op 6 The Carnival of the Animals (Aquarium; The Swan; Finale) Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 22 Danse Macabre, Op 40 Marche Heroique, Op 34 (2 piano version) Phaeton, Op 39 Allegro appasionato in B minor, Op 43 Le Deluge, Op 45 (Prelude) Requiem, Op 54 (Sanctus; Benedictus; Agnus Dei) Reverie Henry VIII, Act 2: “Reine! Je serai reine!” Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 78 “Organ Symphony” (Finale) Suite Algerienne, Op 60 Clarinet Sonata in E flat major, Op. 167 (III. Lento) Ascanio – Act V, Scene 2: Tableau 7 (excerpt) Desir de l’orient Piano Concerto No 5 in F, Op 103 'Egyptian' (III. Molto Allegro) L’Assassinat du duc de Guise, Op 128 Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op 28 Calme des nuits, Op 68, No 1
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012gl1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by the composer Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage is a man with a reputation for shaking up the world of British classical music - a composer with a distinctive and rebellious creative voice. His work vividly fuses influences of jazz, soul and contemporary pop with music that remains boldly and defiantly avant-garde. It’s music that packs a punch, yet whose visceral impact accompanies a deep lyricism and emotion. Over four decades, Turnage’s work has tackled social commentary: domestic violence, drug abuse, and the refugee crisis. But he’s also a composer with a subversive streak, with an opera exploring the life of former Playboy model Anna-Nicole Smith, and orchestral pieces inspired by his beloved Arsenal football club and pop superstar Beyoncé.
Music Featured:
Greek, Act 1: Breakfast Quartet On Opened Ground (1st mvt) Night Dances (3rd mvt, Nocturne) Greek, Act 1: Prologue and Wine Bar Music; Act 2: Journey to the Sphinx… Three Farewells (All Will Be Well) Blood On The Floor (Blood On The Floor) Set To Three Screaming Popes Twice Through The Heart (Part Two) Your Rockaby (excerpt) True life stories (Tune for Toru) The Silver Tassie, Act 1: Oh Bring To Me A Pint Of Wine Slide Stride The Silver Tassie, Act 2, Scene 2 (excerpt) The Silver Tassie, Act 4 Scene 3 Scorched (Let’s Say We Did) Remembering (4th mvt) Hammered Out From The Wreckage Anna Nicole, Act 1 (excerpt) Texan Tenebrae Twisted Blues With Twisted Ballad (Reflections on “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin) Milo, for solo cello Piano Concerto (2nd mvt, "Last Lullaby For Hans") UNDANCE (excerpts) Concerto for Two Violins "Shadow Walker" (2nd & 3rd mvts) Speranza (4th mvt, Tikvah)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Steven Rajam, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mark-Anthony Turnage (b 1960) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00126xb
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod uncovers the story of a forgotten luminary of 19th century music
Composer of the Week explores the remarkable life and music of Emilie Mayer, who was known in her lifetime as the Female Beethoven. Born in Germany, in 1812, Mayer is considered by some to be the most prolific female composer of the Romantic period. She was held in high regard by the musical establishment of her time and appointed co-director of the Opera Academy in Berlin. Royalty frequently attended Mayer’s concerts and awarded her gold medals for her music and other artistic endeavours. In 1883 when Mayer died, she was buried in a place of honour, near to Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn. Donald Macleod is joined by Katy Hamilton throughout the week, to explore Mayer's life and the environment in which she flourished.
Music Featured:
Overture in C Piano Sonata in D minor (excerpt) Piano Quartet in E flat (Allegro) Symphony No 1 in C minor (Adagio – Allegro) Symphony No 2 in E minor (Un poco adagio – Allegro assai) String Quartet in G minor, Op 14 (Scherzo) Piano Concerto in B flat (excerpt) Symphony No 2 in E minor (excerpt) Tonwellen (Waltz) Symphony No 3 in C, “Military” (excerpt) String Quartet in G minor, Op 14 (Allegro appasionato) Symphony No 4 in B minor (excerpt) Symphony No 4 in B minor (Allegro appassionato) Piano Quartet in E flat major (Finale Allegro) Piano Trio in B minor, Op 16 (Scherzo) Symphony No 6 in E (excerpt) Piano Concerto in B flat (Allegro) Symphony No 6 in E (Adagio – Allegro con spirito) Notturno, Op 48 Overture to Faust, Op 46
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00120z9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
As part of his 80th birthday celebrations in 2010, Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim looked back over his life and work, with Donald Macleod. The result is a fascinating retrospective of half a century of creativity, with the artist himself as tour guide. Along the way, he explodes a few myths about the inner workings of musical theatre.
Sondheim starts by talking about his childhood, his parents' divorce, his near-adoption by the Hammerstein family and his apprenticeship with Oscar Hammerstein, the lyricist of Oklahoma! Then there's the rollercoaster ride of his early career: his first, abortive Broadway show; two amazing breaks, when he was commissioned to write the lyrics for first West Side Story, then Gypsy; his unhappy collaboration with Richard Rogers; and his major creative breakthrough with Company, a musical with situations and characters but no conventional plot, and the first appearance of characteristic Sondheim subject-matter - the virtual impossibility of forming good relationships. As one British critic observed, "It is extraordinary that a musical, that most trivial of forms, should be able to plunge as Company does, with perfect congruity, into the profound depths of human perplexity and misery.".
Next, and in typical Sondheim fashion, Stephen expands the notion of what the musical could be, with razor-sharp language and cracking tunes to boot: Follies, in which a reunion of Ziegfield-style Follies stars in a derelict theatre becomes a metaphor for the death of the American dream; A Little Night Music, a musical about relationships written almost entirely in waltz-time, that spawned Sondheim's most famous song, 'Send in the Clowns'; and Pacific Overtures, a 'kabuki musical' with an all-Japanese cast - an exploration of the 19th-century westernization of Japan, seen from the Japanese perspective.
Sweeney Todd is widely regarded as Sondheim's masterpiece, an extraordinarily powerful work which he has modestly described as "a small and scary evening about the need for revenge.". Sweeney Todd was a huge success and is widely performed today, from schools (in a special educational edition) to opera houses. Whereas Merrily We Roll Along, failed to catch the public mood. It is a tale of disintegrating friendships and compromised idealism, narrated, in a characteristic structural twist, backwards. Despite a marvellous score, it remains Sondheim's biggest flop to date. Among other topics, Sondheim also discusses his long-time collaboration with director Hal Prince, the logistics of working with an orchestrator, and the heart attack he suffered in 1979, just three weeks after the opening of Sweeney.
Next, the musical that grew out of a painting; a tangled web of fairytales; and a positively murderous show about the assassins, and would-be-assassins, of US presidents. The painting in question is Seurat's hugely famous A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and the work it inspired was the Pulitzer-prize-winning Sunday in the Park with George, a deeply personal show about the joys and the costs of creation. The fairytales are the ones familiar to every child, but in Into the Woods they are woven together in an extraordinarily intricate way, before completely unravelling in the second act. Assassins caused a huge furore when it was unveiled in 1990, not least because it happened to coincide with the opening salvo of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm - under such circumstances, a show that climaxed with the assassination of JFK was bound to be interpreted as deeply unpatriotic. Sondheim also talks about the logistics of mounting a Broadway production, and the pleasures of "trancing out" during the creative process.
Finally, Passion, a kind of reversal of the Beauty and the Beast myth, which Sondheim has described as "one long rhapsody, a straightforward, non-ironic love story"; The Frogs, a contemporary take on Aristophanes originally staged in the swimming pool at Yale University (with Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver in the chorus line); and Road Show, a musical about the Mizner brothers which proves the old adage that "musicals aren't written, they're re-written" - it's currently in its fourth incarnation.
Donald Macleod explores a crucial decade in Sibelius’s life
The 1910s were a crucial decade in Sibelius’s life. He would write some of his greatest works during these ten years, including his fourth and fifth symphonies and the beginnings of his sixth. Sibelius’s meditations on the symphony and its role in his creative life are a recurring theme in the week’s programmes.
This period also reflects Sibelius’s life in microcosm, including his battles with alcohol and indebtedness; his need for the stimulus of foreign travel, and the periods of creative inertia, which would decisively return during his later years.
We travel around the world with Sibelius, returning to Finland at the outbreak of the first world war, which would have a major impact on his life and work, not least with the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and Finland’s subsequent independence: these were formative events for Sibelius.
We also home in on Sibelius’s personal life and relationships during the 1910s, including his money troubles coming to a head, and the return of alcohol to his life from 1917, after years of abstinence.
Music Featured:
In memoriam, Op 59 (revised version 1910) Symphony No 4 in A Minor, Op 63 (1st & 2nd mvts) String Quartet in D Minor, Op 56, "Voces Intimae" (2nd & 3rd mvts) Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op 47 (3rd mvt) Kallion kirkon kellosavel (The Bells of Kallio Church), Op 65b Two Serenades Op 69 Rakastava (The Lover), Op 14 Piano Sonatina in F-Sharp Minor, Op 67, No 1 Luonnotar (Daughter of Nature) Op 70 Barden (The Bard), Op 64 Lemminkainen Suite, Op 22 (4th mvt) The Oceanides, Op 73 6 Partsongs, Op 18 (version for mixed chorus) (Nos 1, 3, 4 & 6) Two Pieces for Violin and Orchestra, Op 77 Jokamies (Everyman), Op 83 Symphony No 5 in E-Flat Major, Op 82 Drömmarna (The Dreams), JS 64 Jaakarien marssi (Jager March), Op 91a (version for orchestra) Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra, Op 87 Oma maa (Our Native Land), Op 92 Symphony No 6 in D Minor, Op 104
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011rwj
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and guest, Kevin Le Gendre follow the jazz adventures of Carla Bley
One of the most original voices in jazz, composer, arranger, performer and band-leader Carla Bley has been determinedly pursuing her own musical path for more than sixty years. Her back catalogue of some fifty plus recordings tell the story of a musician who's responded in her own unique style to all the current trends, from free and experimental jazz in the 60s and 70s to 80s soul, blues and R&B. In later decades, she's written for and created big bands recalling the musical landscapes of Count Basie and the Duke and in the last 20 years, she's refined a distilled, intimate style for smaller chamber ensembles, in particular performing in a Trio with her life partner, bassist Steve Swallow and the British saxophonist Andy Sheppard. Little wonder then, her fellow musicians affectionately call Bley 'Countess Bleysie' and 'Bleythoven'. Featuring a selection of recordings suggested by Carla Bley, Donald Macleod and Kevin Le Gendre follow Bley's musical adventuring from her early days writing for Paul Bley and Gary Burton, to her latest album for the Carla Bley Trio, released in 2020.
Music Featured:
King Korn Carla Bley/Paul Bley: Ictus Donkey Ida Lupino Escalator Over the Hill (Hotel Overture; Why; Little pony soldier) Walking Batterie Woman Dreams so Real Blunt Object Silent Spring Reactionary Tango in 3 parts Song sung Long Útviklingssang Walking Batteriewoman (vers. for piano and bass) Wildlife (Horns; Paws without Claws; Sex with Birds) The Girl Who Cried Champagne Lawns The Girl Who Cried Champagne ( Part 1) Fleur Carnivore Strange Arrangement Who Will Rescue You? On The Stage In Cages Doctor Wrong Key Donkey And then one Day Vashkar Wildlife
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carla Bley (b 1936) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011lmc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of composer, Luigi Cherubini
An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position which gave him considerable influence over successive generations.
Music Featured:
Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna, Overture Il Giocatore:, Intermezzo Mass in F minor (Chimay) (excerpt) Sonata for harpsichord no 3 in B flat major Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum BV virginis a 8 voci Il Giulio Sabino, Sinfonia (3rd mvt) Horn sonata No 2 in F major Symphony in D major (1st mvt, Largo – Allegro) Mass No 2 in D minor (Kyrie) Il Giulio Sabino, Act 1: Aria, I mesti affetti miei Overture in G major Lodoïska, Act 1: Aria, Triomphons avec noblesse Démophon, Overture Lodoiska, Act 2 (excerpts) Eliza, ou Le voyage aux glaciers du Mont St. Bernard, Overture Clytemnestre, recit Aux lois d’Agamemnon Marcia per il signore Baron di Braun Faniska, Overture Chant sur la mort de Joseph Haydn (excerpt) Les deux journées, ou le porteur d’eau, Act 2 (excerpt) Medea, Act 3 Finale Les Abencérages, Overture Anacréon, Overture Requiem No 1 in C minor (excerpt) String Quartet No 2 (1st mvt, Lent – Allegro) Requiem No 2 in D minor for male chorus & orchestra (Agnus Dei)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011bml
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
To mark Sofia Gubaidulina’s 90th birthday, Donald Macleod and Gerard McBurney explore five different aspects of her progressive and distinctive music. Gubaidulina has been living in Germany since 1992 and is still busy composing today. When she was born in 1931 in Tatarstan, the Soviet Union was under Stalinist rule. Up until her emigration, she worked as a composer under the strictly regulated conditions determined by Soviet cultural policies. This week, we get an insight into the life of a composer behind the Iron Curtain, as Gubaidulina developed her own creative path, un-swayed by any hint of ideological pressure.
Music Featured:
Musical Toys Allegro rustic for flute and piano Offertorium Piano sonata (1st mvt, Allegro) Pantomime for Double Bass and piano Seven words for Cello, Bayan and Strings (Est ist Vollbracht) 5 Etudes for harp, double bass and percussion (Nos 1, 4 & 5) Vivente – non vivente Artyomov: Archipelagos of Sounds in the Ocean of Time (excerpt) Sheptalki Concordanza Johannes Passion (The word) Rejoice! Sonata for Violin and Cello (5th mvt, Listen to the small voice within) Stimmen….. Verstummen (8th Mvt) In Croce Alleluja (Vjeruju (Credo); Da ispolnjatsja usta maja: quarter note) Hommage to Marina Tsvetayeva for a capella chorus (The Day’s burden has sunk beside the Waves) Rubaiyat Galgenlieder (excerpt) Hommage a TS Eliot (excerpt) Garden of joy and sorrow for flute, harp, spoken voice ad lib. (excerpt) Glorious Percussion (excerpt) Hour of the Soul (1976/1988) for solo percussionist, mezzo-soprano and large orchestra (excerpt) Canticle of the Sun (excerpt) In Tempus Praesens for violin and orchestra (excerpt) Quasi hoquetus
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sofia Gubaidulina (b 1931) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00113yq
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod tries to get to the heart of JS Bach’s character, warts and all.
Johann Sebastian Bach, who is now almost universally recognised as one of the giants of classical music, was not always so celebrated. In his own lifetime he received some public recognition but this contrasted with his regular complaints of unjust humiliations at the hands of his contemporaries and his employers. Was the composer hard done by or were these problems of his own making?
This week, Donald Macleod tries to get to the heart of Bach’s character, warts and all, through five different periods in the composer’s life. We’ll be hearing from some of Bach’s most glorious music, as Donald ponders what the composer’s character might mean for our understanding of the man and his art.
Music Featured:
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244, “Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder” Solo Violin Sonata No 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 (I, Adagio) Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150 Passacaglia and fugue in C minor, BWV 582 Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11, “Ach bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben” Ein Feste Berg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 (Opening Chorus) Coffee Cantata, BWV 211, “Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern” Capriccio in E Major, BWV 993 Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor, BWV1041 Sonata in A minor, BWV 965, after Reincken Suite No 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 – Overture Toccata & Fugue in F major, BWV 540 Christen, atzet diesen Tag, BWV 63, "Höchster, schau in Gnaden an" Prelude & Fugue in E flat major, BWV 852 from The Well-Tempered Clavier Brandenburg Concerto No 6 Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996 (Bourée) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 Suite No 1 in G major for solo Cello, BWV 1007 Ich habe genug, BWV 82 - "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen" Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder, BWV 135 “Weicht, all’ihr Ubeltater” Fantasia in G, BWV 572 Orchestral Suite No 3 (Air) Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Gloria in excelsis & Et in terra pax) Musical Offering , BWV 1079 (Sonata for Flute, Violin and Continuo) The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 (Contrapunctus XIV)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010g9g
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman and his music.
When this week’s composer died homeless and alone in 1990, almost no one knew, not even his friends, and his work threatened to disappear with him. Julius Eastman had lit up America’s contemporary music scene as a spellbinding performer and a visionary composer whose music is difficult to pigeonhole. A gay, black man in the predominantly white world of new music, Eastman was often misunderstood. His musical voice fused minimalism with pop and the avant-garde, and was inextricable from his identity politics - a sound that was provocative then and remains so today. He collaborated with luminaries such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Maxwell Davies and Meredith Monk but also faced many struggles, leading to his premature and tragic decline. This week, Donald Macleod shares his long-overdue story, with insights from American baritone Davone Tines, a performer and champion of Eastman’s music.
Music Featured:
Stay On It (excerpt) Piano 2 (1st movement) Gay Guerrilla If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? (excerpt) Colors (extract) Ensemble Tra I Tempi Michael Veltmann, conductor Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music (Men’s Conclave – WaOhs) Peter Maxwell Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King (Scotch Bonnet, Spanish March) Prelude to the Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc Colors Joy Boy Stay On It Fugue No 7 Arthur Russell: Instrumentals, Part I Dinosaur L: No, Thank You! Femenine (Part 1 – Prime) Evil N* Touch Him When Piano 2 (2nd movement) The Holy Presence of Joan of Arc Buddha Femenine (Final section, Must Return)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Julius Eastman (1940-1990) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00106ny
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Wagner's journey towards building the Bayreuth Festival.
This week, Donald Macleod follows Wagner on his decades-long journey to realise his dream of building his own music theatre, and establishing a festival there dedicated to his music. We see how Wagner’s revolutionary ideas and vaulting ambition struggled against the reality of securing supporters, raising finances, and inspiring audiences.
Music Featured:
Das Rheingold, Scene 1: “Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lach in den Grund” Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Tannhäuser: Act 3 Scene 1: “Allmächt’ge Jungfrau, hör mein Flehen!” and Scene 2 “O du, mein holder, Abendstern” Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod Das Rheingold: End of Scene 3 “Ohe! Ohe! Schreckliche Schlange…“ Die Walküre: Act 2, “Hinweg! Hinweg! Flieh die Entwihte!...” Tannhauser: Act 2 Finale Lohengrin: Act 3, “In fernem Land” Das Rheingold, Scene 4, Finale (Entry of the Gods into Valhalla) Lohengrin: Act 3, “Treulich geführt ziehet dahin” (Bridal March) Tristan and Isolde: Act 2, “O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe…” (Love duet) Die Walküre, Act 3 opening (The Ride of the Valkyries) Siegfried: Act 3, “Mit zerfochtner Waffe wich mir der Feige” Gotterdämmerung: Prologue, Sunrise and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey Siegfried: Act 3, “Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!” (Brünhilde’s awakening) Die Walküre: Act III, Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Funeral March Götterdämmerung: "Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort“ (Brunhilde’s Immolation Scene) Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Act 3, Scene 5 “Morgenlich Leuchtend” (Walther’s Prize Song) Parsifal: Prelude to Act 1 Parsifal: Act 1, Entry to the knight’s castle Meistersinger: Act 3, Scene 4, “Selig wie die Sonne” (Quintet) Parsifal: Act 2, Scene 2 (Klingsor’s magic garden) Parsifal – Good Friday Music
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor, for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Richard Wagner (1813-1883) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010040
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Béla Bartók.
Music Featured:
For Children Piano Concerto No 3 Contrasts Hungarian Sketches Kossuth 14 Bagatelles, Nos 4 & 5 Piros Alma / Red Apple 44 Duos for Two Violins (No 44, Transylvanian Song) Allegro Barbaro Romanian Folk Dances for Orchestra Transylvanian Dance String Quartet No 2 (i Moderato; ii Allegro molto capriccioso) Orchestral Suite No 2 (ii Allegro scherzando) Three Hungarian Folk Tunes The Miraculous Mandarin Suite Village Scenes (i Wedding; ii Lullaby) Dance Suite Two Portraits (ii One grotesque – Presto) Out of Doors (iii Musettes; iv The Night's Music; v The Chase) Piano Concerto (i Allegro moderato; ii Andante) Cantata Profana Mikrokosmos Bulgarian Rhythm No 1 (Vol 4, No 113) Study in Chords (Vol 3, no 69) Perpetuum Mobile (Vol 5, No 135) Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion Sixth String Quartet (iii Mesto – Burletta – moderato; iv Mesto) Sonata for Solo Violin (i Tempo di ciaccona) Concerto for Orchestra (v Finale)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams, for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Béla Bartók (1881-1945) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ztnr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores some of the challenges Telemann faced as he struggled for success
Georg Philipp Telemann was one of the most celebrated musicians of the 18th century. In Europe, his fame eclipsed that of his close contemporaries Handel and Bach and he left behind him a vast legacy of works. This week, Donald Macleod turns the spotlight on this often forgotten musical superstar, exploring the many challenges he met, the influence of his family and friends and the composer’s involvement in promoting his own music.
Music Featured:
Concerto in E minor for recorder, flute, strings and continuo, TWV52:e1 (Presto) Sonata for violin and basso continuo in G, TWV 41:G1 (Allegro & Adagio) Ouverture Suite in A minor, TWV 55:a2 Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, TWV 6:6 (Tod! Wo ist dein Stachel?) Seig der Schönheit, TWV 21:10 (excerpt) Trumpet Concert, TWV 51:D7 (Adagio) Germanicus (Rimembranza crudel) Concerto for 2 violins in G, TWV 52:G2 Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G2 (excerpt) Brockes Passion, TWV 5:1 (excerpt) Overture Suite in G, TWV 55:10 “Burlesque de Don Quixotte” (excerpt) Flute Quartet in A minor, TWV 43:a3 Herr, ich habe lieb die Stätte deines Hauses, TWV 2:2 Concerto for Oboe in C minor, TWV 51:c1 Trio in G minor, TWV 42:g5 (Essercizii musici) Trio in G major, TWV 42:G11 (Vivace) Das Seliges Erwägen, TWV 5:2 (excerpt) Concerto for 2 Oboes and Bassoon in C, TWV 53:C1 (Concerto alla Francese) Quartet No 10 in B minor, TWV 43:h2 (excerpt) Deus judicium tuum, TWV 7:7 Violin Concerto in D, TWV 51:D10 (Vivace) Quartet in G, TWV 43:G2 Fantasie in A minor, TWV 33:19 Fantasie in E minor, TWV 33:4 Ouverture-Suite in C, TWV 55:C3 (Wassermusik) (excerpt) Ino, TWV 20:41 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zbym
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod turns his attention to Rachmaninov’s great choral works
Rachmaninov has been seen as the last great champion of Russian Late Romanticism. He was a celebrated pianist and conductor, as well as a composer, and his musical legacy includes his hugely popular piano concertos. This week, Donald Macleod turns his attention to Rachmaninov’s great choral works and his story during the periods in which they were composed. These choral masterpieces are both sacred and secular, and include the cantata Spring, the choral symphony The Bells, Three Russian Songs, the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and the iconic All-night Vigil. Donald explores what inspired Rachmaninov while he was writing this music, including creative collaborations, beautiful poetry, and places in Russia and abroad.
Music Featured:
How Fair this Spot, Op 21, No 7 Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18 (Adagio sostenuto) Suite No 2 for two pianos, Op 17 Spring, Op 20 Before my window, Op 26, No 10 Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor, Op 30 (Allegro ma non tanto) Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op 31 No’s 6-10 Etudes-tableaux, Op 33, No 8 (Moderato) Lilacs, Op 21, No 5 The Muse, Op 34, No 1 It Cannot Be, Op 34, No 7 The Bells, Op 35 Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Op 36 (Allegro molto) Vocalise, Op 34, No 14 All-night Vigil Op 37 (excerpt) To Her, Op 38, No 2 Daisies, Op 38, No 3 A-u!, Op 38, No 6 Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor, Op 1 (Allegro vivace) Kreisler, arr. Rachmaninov, Liebeslied Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor, Op 40 (Allegro vivace) Three Russian Songs, Op 41 All-night Vigil Op 37 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zbym
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and Andrew Graham-Dixon build a picture of music and art in Josquin's time
The humanist Cosimo Bartoli described Josquin as the Michelangelo of Music. A master of polyphonic choral writing, Josquin was as widely admired in his own lifetime as posthumously. While Josquin was a dominant force in music, the Franco-Flemish area with which he’s associated, also produced some remarkable painters, who, like Josquin and his fellow composers, exported their style, technical accomplishments and influence across Europe. This week, to mark the 500th anniversary of Josquin’s death, Donald Macleod visits the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square with art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon, to build a picture of Josquin’s music and the places he lived and worked, which also stimulated painters to produce equally outstanding Art. To accompany the series the paintings they discuss can be viewed on the Radio 3 website.
Considering his standing, it’s surprisingly difficult to map Josquin’s life. His birthdate was possibly 1450 or perhaps 1455 and it’s thought he was a choirboy at the collegiate church of St. Géry in Cambrai. Documents show he died in 1521, by which time he was probably in his seventies. He spent his last years as provost of the Collegiate church of Notre Dame in Condé sur l’Escaut, a town near Saint Quentin, right on the border with what’s now Belgium. In between times, Josquin may have had an association with the royal courts of King René in Aix-en Provence and Louis XI of France, before working for the influential Sforza family in Milan and becoming the first maestro di cappella for Ercole d’Este in Ferrara.
Music Featured:
Ave Maria …virgo Serena Missa l’ami Baudichon (Credo) Adieu mes amours Nymphes des Bois, arr. Ariel Abramovich, Anna Maria Friman, John Potter, Lee Santana Pater noster La Bernardina Guillaume se va chaufer O bone et dulcissime Jesu Illibata dei virgo nutrix Memor esto verbi tui, “Psalm 118” Que vous madame Petite camusette Baises moy ma doulce’amye Adieu mes amours Tu solus qui facis mirabilia Fama malum Vultum tuum deprecabuntur (Intermerata virgo; Ora pro nobis virgo) Qui velatus facie fuisti Missa L’homme arme super voces musicales (Sanctus) Missa fortuna Alma Redemptoris mater / Ave regina Missa l’homme armé sexti toni (Gloria) Missa La sol fa re mi (Credo) Domine non secundum peccata Stabat Mater a 5 El grillo Inviolata, integra et casta es Virgo salutiferi genitrix a 5 Missa Hercules Dux Ferriae (Sanctus; Benedictus) Praeter rerum serium Miserere mei Deus secundum
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Josquin and Art https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000z63f
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Antonín Dvořák.
In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought, Romantic sensibilities, Antonín Dvořák’s music shone with grace and joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvořák as one of the 19th century’s most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvořák was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.
Music Featured:
Cigánské melodie, Op 55 No 4 (Songs my mother taught me) Slavonic Dances Op 46 (excerpt) Hussite Overture, Op 67 Violin Concerto in A minor, Op 53 (Finale) Symphony No 6 in D, Op 60 (Scherzo) Stabat Mater, Op 58 (excerpt) Symphony No 7 in D minor, Op 70 (excerpt) Terzetto, Op 74 (Tema con variazioni) Slavonic Dances, Op 72 No 2 (Dumka) Piano Quintet in A major, Op 81 (excerpt) Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 (excerpt) Carnival Overture, Op 92 Piano Trio No 4 in E minor, Op 90 (Dumky) Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 “From the New World” (excerpt) String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 (excerpt) Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Finale) Humoresque in G flat, Op 101 No 7 The Water Goblin, Op 107 Song to the Moon, Op 114 (Rusalka) (1900) String Quartet No 13 in G, Op 106 (excerpt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ycqy
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod in conversation with award winning American composer Jennifer Higdon.
If you were to ask Jennifer Higdon what her biggest musical influence might be, she’s more likely to cite Lennon and McCartney than Bach or Beethoven. Born in 1962 in New York, the soundtrack of her childhood was the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Peter Paul and Mary, the Rolling Stones, and reggae. A move to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to a farmhouse in rural Tennessee, added bluegrass and country music. It wasn’t until Higdon was in her teens that her musical curiosity directed her towards classical music. Formal studies followed, and she began to compose when she was 21 years old. Coming to classical music later on, has been, according to Higdon, a significant factor in her own musical language. She’s now one of the most performed living American composers. Having just completed her second opera and a concerto in the past year, Higdon is much in demand, with commissions on her books that take her right up to 2024.
Recorded at the end of May, speaking to Donald Macleod from Articulate Studios in Philadelphia, USA, in an extended interview Jennifer Higdon gives a fascinating insight into her life and her musical preoccupations. Starting with strings on Monday, they move on to vocal writing, the influence of colour on music, the natural world and writing concertos, an area which has now become something of a speciality.
Music Featured:
Dance Card (No 5, Machina Rockus) String Poetic (II: Nocturne, arr for cello and piano) String Poetic (III: Blue Hills of Mist) Echo dash Voices Viola Sonata (II: Declamatory) Concerto for Orchestra (2nd mvt) Love Sweet (No 2, The Giver of Stars; No 5, A Fixed Idea) O magnum mysterium The Singing Rooms (III: The Interpretation of Dreams (excerpt); IV: Confession) Cold Mountain (Chorus: Our Beautiful Country) A Quiet Moment Love Came Down Blue Cathedral (excerpt) Scenes from the Poet’s Dreams (No 4, In the Blue Fields they sing) City Scape (III: Peachtree Street) Blue Cathedral Piano Trio (I: Pale Yellow; II: Fiery Red) City Scape (II: River sings a song to trees) Scenes From the Poet’s Dreams (II: Summer Shimmers Across the Glass of Green Ponds) Autumn Music Secret & Glass Gardens (excerpt) Splendid Wood (excerpt) All Things Majestic (I: Teton Range) Violin Concerto (III: Fly Forward) Concerto 4-3 for String trio and Orchestra (I: The Shallows) Percussion Concerto (excerpt) Zaka (excerpt) Concerto for Orchestra (3rd mvt) Harp Concerto (III: Lullaby)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jennifer Higdon (born 1962) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000y70t
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla was not well suited to the role of national musical icon. He was at his happiest, living a simple, monkish existence in his spartan Granada villa; fussing over his music in pleasant isolation or enjoying the company of a few close friends. He was generous but withdrawn, quietly and devotedly religious, and had a horror of being dragged into the violent political conflicts that wracked Spain during the first half of the twentieth century. Falla’s enormous talent and unique musical voice meant he was thrust into the very centre of cultural life, despite himself. He was compelled to navigate his way alongside some of music’s most colourful and potent characters, and through momentous historical events.
Music Featured:
La Vida breve (Intermezzo from Act 1) Allegro de concierto Siete canciones populares Españolas No 7 Polo La Vida Breve (Act 2) Nancy Fabiola Herrera, mezzo-soprano (Salud) Cristina Faus, mezzo-soprano (La Abuela) Aquiles Machado, tenor (Paco) José Antonio López, baritone (Tío Sarvaor) Raquel Lojendio, soprano (Carmela) Josep Miquel Ramon, baritone (Manuel) Sequndo Falcón, flamenco (El Cantaor) Gustavo Peña, tenor (Una voz en la fraqua) El Amor Brujo: Ritual Fire Dance (arr. Falla for piano) El pan de Ronda que sabe a verdad Oración de las madres que tienen a sus hijos en brazos El corregidor y la molinera (extract) El Amor Brujo (complete) Noches en los jardines des España, III. En los jardines de la Sierra de Cordoba Siete canciones populares Españolas: No 1 El paño moruno Noches en los jardines des España, I. En el Generalife Fantasia Bética El sombrero de tres picos (Part II) Harpsichord Concerto Soneto a Córdoba El retablo de maese Pedro Psyche Homenaje “Le tombeau de Debussy” Balada de Mallorca Atlántida: La Salve en el Mar Homenajes El sombrero de tres picos (Part I)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Chris Taylor
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xr43
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod pulls back the curtain on Berlioz’s greatest obsession
Donald Macleod explores the women who shaped Hector Berlioz’s life and work
Hector Berlioz was one the most innovative and rebellious musicians of 19th century France. He was a man of unwaveringly high expectations, in his wider life as well as his music. As the quintessential Romantic, one friend said that love was the “alpha and omega of his existence”. This week Donald Macleod looks at Berlioz through the passions and relationships that shaped who he was and what he created, exploring the romantic obsessions of an especially obsessive man. We’ll also hear a movement of his Symphonie Fantastique each day – Berlioz’s best known work, and the musical embodiment of his most powerful infatuation.
Music Featured:
Marche Funèbre pour la dernière scène d‘Hamlet (Tristia, Op 18) Irlande (La belle voyageuse) Romeo et Juliette – Scène d’amour Lelio – Choeur d’ombres Symphonie Fantastique (1st movement – Reveries – Passions) Fleuve du Tage Tempest Fantasy Symphonie Fantastique, arr. Liszt for piano (2nd movement) Harold in Italy (1st movement - “Harold aux montagnes”) Requiem: Lacrimosa Chanson de Brigands (Lelio) Symphonie Fantastique (3rd movement - Scene aux champs) Benvenuto Cellini: Overture La Mort d’Ophélie Marche Hongroise Nuits d’été (1. Villanelle, 5. Absence) Symphonie Fantastique (4th movement – Marche au supplice) L’Enfance du Christ, Part II : La fuite en Egypte Béatrice et Bénedict, Act II No 10 : “Dieu, que viens j’entendre?....Il m’en souvient “ Au Cimetière (Nuits d’été) Rêverie et caprice for violin Les Troyens : Act IV, Nos 34b-37 ("O blonde Ceres…Nuit d’ivresse") Le dépit de la bergère, H. 7 Symphonie Fantastique (5th movement – Songe d’une nuit de sabbat)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xlhc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the musical life of Benjamin Britten
Music Featured:
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (Nos 7 & 8) Phantasy Quartet Nocturne (On This Island) Ballad of Heroes (2nd mvt) Suite for Violin and Piano (Lullaby; Waltz) Hymn to St Cecilia Calypso Young Apollo for Piano and Strings Violin Concerto in D minor (1st & 2nd mvt) An American Overture Ceremony of Carols (Nos 7 & 8) Peter Grimes, Prologue Peter Grimes, “Old Joe has gone fishing” Four Sea Interludes, Op 33a Dark Tower (extract) Oliver Cromwell (Folk Song Arrangements) The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Peter Grimes, “Embroidery in Childhood” Albert Herring, “Albert the Good” Saint Nicolas (excerpt) Noye’s Fludde, “It is good for to be still” Lachrymae (reflections on a song by John Dowland) Canticle ii: Abraham and Isaac Nocturnal after John Dowland (Passacaglia) War Requiem, Requiem aeternam War Requiem, Sanctus Symphony for cello and orchestra (2nd mvt) Third Suite for Cello(Passacaglia) Death in Venice (excerpt) String Quartet No 3, Op 94 (3rd & 4th mvts)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xd01
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod explores Purcell’s work during his short life in the context of the turbulent times in which he lived. This was a period of intense political and social change, encompassing three different monarchies, the plague, the great fire of London, and the arrival of another deadly pandemic.
Music featured:
Blow up the trumpet in Sion, Z10 Welcome, vicegerent of the mighty king, Z340 Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z135 Sonata a 4 No 4 in D minor, Z805 Theodosius, or The Force of Love, Z606 Morning Service in D, Z232: Te Deum Rejoice in the Lord alway, Z49 “Bell Anthem” Lord, What is Man? Z192, "A Divine Hymn" Thou wakeful shepherd, Z98 "A Morning Hymn" Now that the sun hath veiled his light, Z193, "An Evening Hymn on a Ground" Morning Service in D, Z232: Jubilate Deo I was glad when they said unto me, Z19 Now does the glorious day appear Z332 (opening chorus) Love’s goddess sure was blind, Z331 (excerpts) From hardy Climes and dangerous Toils of War Z325 (excerpts) March and Canzona in C minor, Z860 Dido and Aeneas, Z626 (excerpts) The Fairy Queen, Z629 (excerpts) The Indian Queen, Z630 (excerpts) King Arthur, Z628, "The British Worthy" (excerpts) The Prophetess, or The History of Dioclesian, Z629 (excerpt) Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Z. 860i Incassum Lesbia, incassum rogas, Z83 Play Music for Abdelazer (excerpts) From Rosy Bowers
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Henry Purcell (1659-1695) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000x6k2
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the 19th-century French singer, pianist, composer and influential society figure, Pauline Viardot.
“When I want to do something, I do it in spite of water, fire, society, the whole world”, an indicator if ever there was one, of the inner steel of this week’s composer.
Born in 1821, Pauline Viardot possessed an array of exceptional qualities. As one of the opera stars of her age, she was admired from Paris to St Petersburg as a sublime interpreter of Rossini, Bellini, Handel and Gluck. Beyond her incomparable voice, her twice weekly artistic salons were a high point in Parisian cultural life. She knew, and was admired by Chopin, George Sand, Delacroix, Liszt, Fauré, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saëns to name but a few. While having, according to Saint-Saëns, an unnecessarily modest view of her talent, she was also an accomplished composer. A talented linguist with five languages at her command, her compositions include a substantial body of songs, one or two instrumental works and a series of highly appealing operettas.
This week Donald Macleod will be exploring different facets of her extraordinary life. We’ll be hearing from a range of Viardot’s compositions as well as some of the operatic roles she made famous. He’ll be examining her role in Parisian cultural circles, and her friendships with leading writers among them Charles Dickens, and in particular Ivan Turgenev, and composers such as Berlioz, Saint-Saens, Meyerbeer and Gounod, all of whom created roles specifically for her incredible voice.
Music Featured:
Les filles de Cadix Scène d’Hermione, Act IV: Je ne t’ai point (pas), Cruel? Manuel Garcia Snr: La figlia dell’aria: È non lo vedo…. Son regina Liszt: El Contrabandista Rondo Fantastique sur Un Thème Espagnol, S.252 Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act 2, Don Basilio! Cosa veggo? …… briconi, birbanti Rossini: Otello, Act 3, Sc 1, Canzone del Salice: Assisa a pie d'un salice Madrid Hai luli Six Morceaux (I Romance; II Bohèmienne; III: Berceuse) Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Act 2, Ah! qual colpo inaspettato! Plainte d’amour (Mazurka in F sharp minor, Op 6, No 1) L’Oiselet (Mazurka Op 68, No 2) La Séparation (Mazurka no 14 in G minor Op 24, No 1) Rossini: La Cenerentola, Overture 3 Mörike Songs (no 1. In der Frühe; No 2. Nixe Binsefuss) Berçeuse-cosaque Golden glow of the mountain peaks Do not sing, my beauty, to me Rossini: Il barbiere di siviglia, Act 1, No 5,Una voce poco fa Le dernier sorcier, Act 1, No 1 Par ici; No 2 Chanson de Lelio; No 3 Romance de la Reine 12 songs of Pushkin, Fet and Turgenev (No 1, Tsvetok) 5 poems of Lermontov & Turgenev (No 1, Na zare) 10 poems of Pushkin, Lermontov, Koltsov, Tyutchev and Fet (No 3, Ya lyubila yego) 12 poems of Pushkin, Fet and Turgenev (No 4, Polunochnyye obrazy) Bellini: La sonnambula, Act 1 (excerpts) Évocation Le dernier sorcier, Act 2 Finale Gounod: Sapho, Act 3, O ma lyre immortelle…. Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila, Act 1, Printemps qui commence (Dalila, The Old Hebrew) Meyerbeer: Le prophète, Act 5 Sc 2, 3 & 4 Fauré: Puisqu’ici-bas toutes âme Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, Act 2, O sink herneider, Nacht der liebe Brahms: Alto Rhapsody Violin Sonatina in A Minor (Allegro finale) Cendrillon (excerpts) Gluck, ed Berlioz: Orphée, Act 1, Sc 4, Amour, viens rendre à mon âme
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Pauline Viardot and Her Circle https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wysc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Robert Simpson - once described as "Britain's most important composer since Vaughan Williams", and "one of the century's most powerful and original symphonists" - was a man of integrity, a champion of lesser-known composers, and a man who lived his own life by strict principles: pacifism, socialism and what he called "anti-pessimism". This week, in Simpson's centenary year, Donald Macleod looks back at the life and work of Robert Simpson - from his childhood in the Salvation Army, to his experiences as a conscientious objector during the Second World War. He explores Simpson's writings on music and on life, and his time working at the BBC, before his break from the Corporation and from this country. Along the way we'll hear from Simpson's considerable body of work, which included no fewer than 11 Symphonies and 15 String Quartets.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 4 (II. Presto) In Media Morte in Vita Sumus Energy (IV. Allegro molto; V. Presto vivo) Symphony No 6 (excerpt) Canzona for Brass Symphony No 1 (excerpt) String Quartet No 10 “for peace” (III. Molto Adagio) Symphony No 5 (Canone II – Adagio) Piano Sonata (III. Allegro Vivace) Allegro Deciso for String Orchestra The Four Temperaments (I. Scherzo (Sanguine); II. Intermezzo Allegro (Phlegmatic)) Symphony No 3 (II. Adagio – Andante – Allegretto) String Quartet No 6 (I. Adagio) Symphony No 8 (II. Scherzo) Michael Tippett, His Mystery Variations on a theme by Carl Nielsen Eppur si muove for organ (Ricercar) String Quartet No 13 (IV. Andante) Symphony No 9 (excerpt) Quintet for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and String Trio (I. Adagio tranquillo) Symphony 7 (excerpt) Vortex
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Robert Simpson (1921-97) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wkyc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores some of the many turning points in Fauré’s career
Gabriel Fauré’s story begins during the second half of the 19th century, when the musical world was dominated by the heavily romantic voices of composers like Wagner, Brahms and Liszt. Fauré became a key protagonist in a musical revolution that opened audiences ears to new modes of expression - modern, refined and utterly French. As a composer, and as a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, he left a huge legacy on the music of the twentieth century. This week Donald Macleod explores some of the many turning points in Fauré’s career, and how those events affected his life and his art.
Music Featured:
Tarentelle, “Aux cieux la lune monte et luit” Op 10, No 2 Violin Sonata No 1 in A, Op 13 Élégie in C minor, Op 24 Berceuse, Op 16 Après un rêve, Op 7, No 1 Automne, Op 18 No 3 Poème d’un jour, Op 21 No 1-3 Souvenirs de Bayreuth Piano Quartet No 1 in C minor, Op 15 Ballade in F sharp, Op 19 Les roses d’lspahan, Op 39, No 4 Papillon, Op 77 Pavane, Op 50 Clair de lune, Op 46, No 2 Spleen Op 51, No 3 Mandoline, Op 58, No 1 Requiem, Op 48 Le parfum impérissable, Op 76, No 1 Dolly Suite, Op 56 Fantaisie, Op 79 Pelléas et Mélisande, Op 80 Nocturne No 6 in D flat, Op 63 Cantique de Jean Racine, Op 11 Le Chanson d’Ève, Op 96, No 1-5 Pénélope (Prelude) Violin Sonata No 2 in E minor, Op 108 (Andante) Masques et bergamasques, Op 112
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w2x8
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Robert Schumann’s early training was focused towards his ambition to become a celebrated concert pianist, but a hand injury quickly put that career option out of reach. Schumann turned instead to composition and put all that piano study to good use, writing many important works for his own instrument. This week, Composer of the Week unpacks the moments in Schumann’s life when he was creating some of his most famous and notable piano works, including one of the most iconic Romantic pianos concertos of all time.
Music Featured:
So wahr die Sonne scheinet, Op 37 No 12 (from Zwölf Gedichte aus Liebesfrüling) Symphony in G minor, WoO 29 (Zwickau) Allegro in B minor, Op 8 Carnaval, Op 9 Kreisleriana, Op 16 No 8 (Schnell und spielend) Fantasy in C, Op 17 No 1 Drei Gesänge, Op 31 Kinderszenen, Op 15 Myrthen, Op 25 No 1 (Widmung) Symphony No 1 in B flat, Op 38 (Spring) (excerpt) Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op 26 No 5 (Finale) Piano Quintet in E flat, Op 44 The Merry Peasant, Op 68 No 10 (from Album für die Jugend) Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54 Symphony No 2 in C major, Op 61 (Scherzo) Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Op 63 (excerpt) Manfred Overture, Op 115 Drei Fantasiestücke, Op 111 Missa Sacra in C minor, Op 147 (Gloria & Credo) Introduction and Allegro, Op 134
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Robert Schumann (1810-1856) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vy3d
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod explores Aaron Copland’s most productive decade, and features some of his best loved works in full. During this time Copland hit his prime. He became recognised as America’s leading composer, winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music and an Academy Award for his work in Hollywood.
He toured Europe and South America, absorbing diverse influences from each, and composed key works including his Symphony No.3, Appalachian Spring, Lincoln Portrait, Fanfare for the Common Man and Rodeo.
We get a sense of how Copland’s personal and professional interests developed over the 1940s and learn about his friendships and challenges during and in the aftermath of World War II.
Music Featured:
John Henry: A Railroad Ballet for Orchestra Quiet City Piano Sonata Our Town Music for Movies Lincoln Portrait Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes Danzón Cubano - (version for 2 pianos) Las Agachadas (The Shake-Down Song) Sonata for violin and piano Fanfare for the Common Man Appalachian Spring Suite (version for 13 instruments) Letter From Home The Red Pony Suite Third Symphony (2nd & 3rd mvt) The Heiress Suite Preamble for a Solemn Occasion Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson (Nos 4, 5 & 12) An Outdoor Overture (version for wind ensemble) Four Piano Blues Clarinet Concerto
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Aaron Copland (1900-1990) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vplc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Satie
This week, Donald Macleod looks at Satie as a trailblazer and humourist as well as his penchant for composing in threes, his copious, playful and highly idiosyncratic writings and his serious side.
Music featured:
Trois Gymnopédies (No 1, Lent et douloureux) Trois Sarabandes (No 2) uspud – ballet chrétien (3rd act) Le piège de Méduse Relâche – ballet instantanéiste Vexations (très lent) Embryons desséchés (No 1, ‘d’Holothurie’ – Allez un peu) Parade (ballet réaliste) Sports et divertissements La Belle Excentrique – fantaisie sérieuse Cinéma – entr’acte symphonique de Relâche (reduction for piano duet by Darius Milhaud) Les trois valses distinguées du précieux dégoûté Pièces froides Choses vues à droite et à gauche {sans lunettes} Trois Gnossiennes Trois mélodies Trois Morceaux en forme de poire, for piano 4 hands Première pensée Rose+Croix Messe des pauvres (Kyrie eleison) Quatre Ogives The Dreamy Fish Avant-dernières pensées Sonatine bureaucratique Mercure – ‘Poses plastiques’ in 3 tableaux by Picasso Cinq Nocturnes Socrate (Pt 1, Portrait de Socrate) Socrate (Pt 2, Les Bords d’Illissus) Socrate (Pt 3, Mort de Socrate) ‘Les Anges’ (Trois mélodies)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Erik Satie (1866-1925) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vgtw
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Chopin’s time in Britain
Chopin made just two trips to Britain, both in later life. These visits are often portrayed as a disaster - a calamitous mistake of no worth to Chopin which hastened the composer’s death. This week, Donald Macleod explores these two trips in depth, during which the virtuoso pianist gave six of the thirty public concerts he gave during the whole of his life, and also made many private appearances meeting the great and the good of British society.
Music Featured:
Mazurka No 47 in A minor, Op 68 No 2 Etude in C sharp minor, Op 10, No.4 “Torrent” Etudes, Op 25 (Nos 3, 10 & 12) Variations on “La Ci Darem la mano”, Op 2 (version for piano and orchestra) Impromptu No 1 in A flat, Op 29 Scherzo No 2 in B-flat minor, Op 31 Mazurka in F minor, Op posth. 68, No 4 (Andantino) Barcarolle, Op 60 Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Mazurka No 16 in A flat major, Op 24, No 3 Mazurka No 18 in C minor, Op 30, No 1 Mazurka No 19 in B minor, Op 30, No 2 Mazurka No 31 in A flat major, Op 50, No 2 3 Waltzes, Op 64 Prelude in C sharp minor, Op 45 Fantasy on Polish Airs, Op 13 Ballade No 2 in F, Op 38 Piano Concerto No 1 (I. Allegro Maestoso) Two Nocturnes, Op 55 Mazurka No 44, Op 67, No 1 Wiosna, Op 74, No 2 Krakowiak, Op 14 Nocturne Op 37, No 2 Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano (II. Scherzo) Berceuse in D flat major, Op 59 Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21 (III. Allegro Vivace) Ballade No 4 in F minor, Op 52 Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Op 35 Etudes, op.25 No 1 & No 2 17 Polish Songs, Op 74, No 13 “Nie ma czego trzeba” (I Want What I Have Not)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000v86m
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles
Donald Macleod surveys the string quartets of Joseph Haydn.
From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn’s 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn’t the inventor of the form, he’s fully deserving of the epithet, the “father of the string quartet” as he elevated the form to new heights. It’s his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn’s quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn’s opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career.
Music featured: String Quartet in E flat, op 33 no 2 ("The Joke") The Seven Last Words of Christ Hob XX.2 arr. for string quartet String Quartet, op 54 no 1 in G Symphony no 98 Symphony no 94 in G major (Surprise) String Quartet, op 50 no 4 in F sharp minor Symphony in G, Hob 1 no 8 (Le soir) Piano Trio no 40 in F sharp minor, Hob.XV:26 Symphony no 92 (Oxford) String Quartet, op 64 no 6 in E flat major l’anima del filosofo String Quartet no 56 in E flat major op 71 no 3 Hob III: 71:1 String Quartet op 54 no 3 Symphony no 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, (Oxford symphony) Quartet op 64 no 5 in D major (The Lark) Miseri noi! Misera patria! (Cantata), Hob.XXIVa:7 String Quartet no 50 in B flat major, Opus 64 no 3 3 German dances IX:12 - version for 3 part string orchestra (excerpt) Quartet in C, no 72, opus 74 no 1 Symphony no 99 String Quartet, Op. 71 No. 2 in D major Piano Sonata in E flat major, Hob XVI:49 (written 1789, pub 1790) String Quartet no 59 in D major op 74 no 3 (Rider) String Quartet in G major, Op 76 No 1 Recollection Hob. XXVIa:26 Symphony No. 101 in D major 'The Clock' Berenice che fai? String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor 'Fifths'
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Johannah Smith
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000v1sr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid soundworlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
Music featured:
Habanera Pavane pour une infante defunte Alborada del Gracioso (Miroirs) Piano Trio Don Quichotte a Dulcinée D’Anne jouant de l’espinette Jeux d’eau String Quartet (1st and 2nd movements) Miroirs (III. Une barque sur l‘océan; V. Vallée des cloches) Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet Valses nobles et sentimentales, or Adélaïde (I. Modéré – tres franc) Trois beaux oiseaux Deux mélodies hébraïques (I. Kaddisch) Le Tombeau de Couperin La Valse Daphnis et Chloé: Part III (Lever du jour) Sonatine (II. Mouvement de minuet) Violin Sonata in G major Piano Concerto in G major Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré Ma Mere L’Oye Suite Tzigane L'enfant et les sortilèges: Duo miaulé (Cat Duet) Bolero
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tdt2
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod looks at Handel’s life and work during an important decade of his life. The 1730s saw Handel create some of his best-loved works, but also saw him fall out with singers and patrons in London, endure a stroke and attendant poor mental health, and mourn the death of one of his chief supporters, Queen Caroline.
Music Featured:
Esther HWV 50b (revised version 1732) (excerpts) Trio Sonata in C Major, HWV 403 Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 (Act I: Aria: Hush, ye pretty warbling quire) Concerto Grosso in D major Op. 3 No. 6 HWV 317 Orlando, HWV 31: Act II ScXI (Ah! Stigie larve; Vaghe pupille) Arianna in Creta HWV 32 (Act 2, Scene 12: Aria-Andante “Son qual stanco pellegrino”) Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op. 6, No. 1, HWV 319 Ariodante HWV 33 (excerpts) Deborah HWV 51 (excerpts) Alcina HWV 34 (Ombre Pallide) Alexander’s Feast HWV 75 (Part 1: Air and Chorus: Bacchus, ever fair and young; The many rend the skies (Chorus) Harp Concerto in B-flat major, Op. 4 No. 6 HWV 294 Organ Concerto Opus 4 No. 1 in G minor, HWV 289 (I. Larghetto, e staccato; IV. Andante) Atalanta HWV 35 (Act II Scene 2: Aria: Lassa! ch'io t'ho perduta) Arminio HWV 36 (Act III: Mira il ciel, vendrai d’Alcide) Giustino HWV 37 (Act I: Aira: Un vostro sguardo; Act II: Duet: Mio bel tesoro!) Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No.3 in E minor HWV 321 Il trionfo del Tempo et del Disinganno HWV 46ª (Part 2: Aria: Lascia la spina) Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline: The Ways of Zion do Mourn: (Introduction and Chorus: The Ways of Zion Do Mourn) Serse HWV 40 (excerpts) Saul, HWV 53 (Act III Scene 5) Organ Concerto in F major (No. 13), “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale” HWV 295 (1st & 2nd mvts) Trio Sonata Op. 5 No. 6 in F major HWV 401 (4th, 5th & 6th mvts) Israel in Egypt HWV 54 (excerpts)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000t5w7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the English composer Ruth Gipps.
Ruth Gipps was born in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1921. Her Swiss-born mother was an accomplished pianist and, recognising her daughter’s aptitude, taught her piano from an early age. Gipps was four years old when she gave her first public performance, at Grotrian Hall in London. It was from that moment on, she said later, that she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that playing the piano was her job and that she wanted to be a composer.
A highly gifted and versatile musician, on 25th March 1945, Gipps took part in a public concert as the soloist in Glazunov’s Piano Concerto before re-joining the woodwind section of the City of Birmingham Orchestra as an oboist for the premiere of her first symphony. Four more symphonies were to follow. But a troublesome injury to her hand, which she had sustained in childhood, brought her career as a concert pianist to an end in the 1950s. By this stage she had achieved some notable successes as a composer. The recipient of several composition prizes, an early high point was the selection of her orchestral work “Knight in Armour” by Sir Henry Wood for the Last Night of the Proms broadcast in 1942.
Awarded a doctorate in music in 1947, Gipps held teaching posts at London’s Trinity College of Music, the Royal College of Music and Kingston Polytechnic and did terms as Chair of both the Composers’ Guild and the newly founded British Music Information Centre. There’s little doubt though that Gipps faced considerable gender discrimination in several of the fields in which she excelled. On discovering her enjoyment of conducting, she overcame this by founding two orchestras, the London Repertoire Orchestra in 1955, and then the Chanticleer Orchestra.
A composition pupil of Vaughan Williams, Gipps defined her music as, “a follow-on from her teacher, Bliss and Walton, the three giants of British music since the Second World War.” While all these composers can be heard in her music, her music has its own distinctive and original qualities. Publicly outspoken, Gipps remained firmly anti-modernist. She regarded 12-tone music, serial music, electronic music and avant-garde music as utter rubbish. From the late 1950s the musical establishment felt her music was out of step with the times, and they bypassed her work. She did have some admirers, including Sir Arthur Bliss, whom she had first met in 1942, who continued to support and admire her music but in general it fell to her own resourcefulness to get her music heard, arranging performances, which she would then conduct with her own orchestras.
Across the week Donald Macleod is joined by Victoria Rowe, the keeper of Gipps’ archive and her daughter-in-law. Together they build a picture of Gipps as a child performer, a young student, an educator, a conductor and a composer. The series features specially recorded material from the BBC’s performing groups, including Gipps’ second, third and fourth symphonies. There’s also a brand-new recording of Cringlemire Garden, for string orchestra, and two more new releases, both of which explore her chamber music. All three recordings are planned for release later this year, to mark the centenary year of her birth.
Music Featured:
The Fairy Shoemaker The Kelpie of Corrievreckan Op 5b Quintet Op 16 Piano Concerto in G minor Op 34 Clarinet Concerto in G minor Op 9 (III: Vivace) Symphony No 2 (excerpt) Knight in Armour Rhapsody in E flat Op 23 Jane Grey Fantasy Op 15 Sonata Op 45 (4th movt) Cringlemire Garden Seascape for 10 wind instruments An Easter Carol Op 52 Gloria in excelsis Op 62 Symphony No 3 (3rd & 4th movts) Symphony No 4 Op 61 (II: Adagio – piu mosso – Tempo I (Adagio)) Sonata for cello and piano, Op 63 (excerpt) Theme and Variations, Op 57a Symphony No 4 Op 61 (1st movt) Horn Concerto, Op 58 David Pyatt, horn Octet for Wind, Op 65 (2nd movt: Waltz) Opalescence, Op 72 Pan and Apollo, Op 78 Wind Sinfonietta, Op 73 Symphony No 4, Op 61 (IV: Finale)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sxbl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the young Richard Strauss
During Richard Strauss’s lifetime the sound and form of music altered radically. He was born at the tail end of the 19th century and saw the emergence of twelve tone music and atonality from younger composers like Arnold Schoenberg and his pupil Alban Berg. Strauss belonged to a previous generation and his music came to be regarded as conservative in style, but at the start of his career, Strauss had been seen as something of a modernist, breaking the mould with his series of innovative orchestral tone poems, and with the dissonant soundworld of operas such as Salome and Elektra.
This week Donald Macleod follows the young Strauss’s pathway leading up to and including the tone poems, seeing how an immersion in music across his formative years influenced his ideas about orchestral writing, as well as opening up opportunities that helped him to establish a professional career as a conductor.
Featured music:
Oboe Concerto in D (3rd mvt: Allegro (excerpt)) Festmarsch in E flat major, Op 1 Horn Concerto No 2 in E flat major AV 132 (III: Rondo (Allegro molto) Symphony No 1 in D minor TrV 94 (II: Andante) Concerto for violin in D minor (I: Allegro) Concert Overture in C minor Op 80 TrV125 Suite in B flat major Op 4 (III: Gavotte. Allegro) Symphony No 2 in F (I: Allegro ma non troppo) Burlesque in D minor for piano and orchestra 8 Gedichte aus "Letzte Blätter", Op 10, TrV 141 (No. 3, Die Nacht) Aus Italien op 16 (1887) (I: Auf der Campagna) 5 piano pieces Op 3 (IV: Allegro) Serenade in E flat Op 7 for 13 wind instruments Piano Quartet in C minor Op 13 TrV 137 (IV: Finale Vivace) Tod und Verklärung, Op 24 TrV 158 Morgen! Op 27 Overture to Act 2, Guntram (excerpt) Prelude to Act 1, Guntram Also sprach Zarathustra, Op 30 , TrV 136 Gesang der Apollopriesterin Op 33 Ein Heldenleben, Op 40 (Ein Held) Freundliche Vision Op 48 No 1 Violin Sonata in E flat Op 18 (II: Improvisation – Andante cantabile) Ein Heldenleben Op 40 (excerpt) Der Abend, Op 34
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Richard Strauss (1864-1949) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000spn0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Felix Mendelssohn was one of the most gifted and versatile musicians the world has ever seen. As a child prodigy he was likened to Mozart and he grew to become one of the most famous and beloved composers in Europe, during the middle of the 19th century. His life was cut tragically short, at the age of 38, while he was at the very height of his powers. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on the final five years of Mendelssohn’s life, and follows the composer through his extremely hectic work schedule which undoubtedly contributed to his early demise.
Music Featured:
Lied ohne Worte in E minor, Op 62 No 3 (Trauermarsch) Paulus, Op 36 (excerpt) Cello Sonata No 2 in D, Op 58 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op 61 (excerpt) O for the wings of a dove! (From Hear My Prayer) Lieder ohne Worte in B flat, Op 62 No 2, 5-6 Lieder ohne Worte in E flat, Op 67 No 1 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64 Organ Sonata No 5 in D, Op 65 Wenn sich zwei Herzen scheiden, Op 99 No 5 Lieder ohne Worte in C, Op 67 No 4 Lieder ohne Worte in A, Op 85 No 5 Lieder ohne Worte in D, Op 102 No 2-3 Piano Trio No 2 in C minor, Op 66 Athalie, Op 74 (Overture & War March) Lied ohne Worte in D minor (Reiterlied) Rondo Brilliant in E flat, Op 29 Lauda Sion, Op 73 Nachtlied, Op 71 No 6 Jubilate, Op 69 Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 56 “Scottish” (Vivace non troppo & Adagio) String Quartet in F minor, Op 80
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000shr0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod finds connections between Mozart’s operas and the composer’s own life
Born in 1756, the theatre was a life-long passion for Mozart. Starting at the tender age of just 11, in the space of 22 years he produced an astonishing 24 theatrical works. His destiny was to follow in his father’s footsteps, as a court musician. Instead, by 1781, after a disagreement over his frequent absences from court, Mozart parted ways with his employer, the Elector of Cologne. He left Salzburg and servitude behind, to set himself up in Vienna, a thriving centre for music. The following year he triumphed with his comic singspiel, Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The succession of works that followed include many of the mainstays of operatic repertory, among them The Magic Flute, which was completed in the year of his death, at the age of 35 in 1791.
This week Donald Macleod finds connecting points between the characters Mozart created for the stage and the composer's own experiences in life. He examines how Mozart struggled to be a dutiful son, and how he tackles honour and duty in Idomeneo, Lucio Silla and Mitridate. The ideas of enlightenment that influenced Mozart's own views find expression in the balance of power he depicts between servants and the ruling classes in The Marriage of Figaro. The composer’s thorny path to marriage with Constanze also finds him examining the complexities of love in Die Enführung aus dem Serail and Così fan tutte. Donald ends with Mozart's masterly representation of temptation and evil, as characterised by the ultimate bad boy Don Giovanni and the scheming and manipulative Queen of the Night.
Music Featured:
Overture to Le nozze di Figaro Le nozze di Figaro, Act 1: Cinque, dieci …. Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino La finta giardiniera, Act 1: Appena mi vedon Così fan tutte, Act 1: Scene 3 (excerpt) Don Giovanni , Act 1: Notte e giorno faticar Don Giovanni, Act 1: Ah! Chi mi dice mai...Madamina, il catalogo è questo Don Giovanni, Act 1: Champagne Aria Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Act 2: Martern aller Arten Le nozze di Figaro, Act 2: Esci ormai, garzon malnato …Signore! Cos’è quell’stupore? Le nozze di Figaro, Act 3: Hai già vinto la causa….. Vedró, mentr’io sospiro Don Giovanni, Act 1: Finale, Riposate, vezzose ragazze La clemenza di Tito, Act 1: Parto, parto Die Zauberflöte, Act 1: Bei mannern, weiche Liebe fühlen Idomeneo, Act 1: Estinto e Idomeneo ….tutte nel cor vi sento ..Pieta! Numi pieta! Così fan tutte, Act 1: Finale, Ah che tutta in un momento … Dammi un bacio Le nozze di Figaro, Act 2: Porgi Amor Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Act 2: Wenn der Freude Tränen fliessen … Ach Belmonte! ach mein Leben! Don Giovanni, Act 1: O sai che l’onore Lucio Silla, Overture Lucio Silla, Act 1: Dall sponda tenebrosa; E tollerare io posso; Il desio di vendetta Mitridate, Rè di Ponto, Act 2: Lungi da te, mio bene La Clemenza di Tito, Act 1: Come ti piaci imponi La Clemenza di Tito, Act 2: Deh per questo istante solo; Ove s’intese mai più contumace; Se all’impero, amici Dei Die Zauberflöte, Act 2:Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Act 1: Solche hergelauf’ne Laffen Le nozze di Figaro, Act 1: La Vendetta… via, resti servita Idomeneo, Act 3: Ha vinto amore …. d’Oreste, d’Aiace Die Zauberflöte, Act 1: Finale, Wie stark ist nicht dein zauberton ...Es lebe Sarastro! Sarastro soll leben Don Giovanni, Act 2: Finale II, Già mensa è preparata ... Ah dov’è il perfido?
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000s8w7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain’s most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies which span almost fifty years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting Ninth. This week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th Century - paying special attention to the symphonies.
Music Featured:
The Robin’s Nest Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Prayer to the Father of Heaven A Cambridge Mass (Credo : Credo in Unum Deum) A London Symphony (original 1913 version) (IV. Andante con moto) Linden Lea Bushes and Briars God that madest heaven and earth The Lark Ascending (original piano and violin version) Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 On Wenlock Edge (On Bredon Hill) A Sea Symphony (Scherzo: The Waves) Dona Nobis Pacem - Reconciliation Symphony No 3, “A Pastoral Symphony” (II. Lento moderato) English Folk Song Suite (III. March, "Folk Songs from Somerset") Job (Introduction; Sarabande of the Sons of God; Epilogue) Music for the film 49th Parallel (Prelude (closing titles)) Symphony No 6 (Epilogue) Romance Four Last Songs (Tired) Flos Campi (VI. Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum) Symphony No 5 (IV. Passacaglia) String Quartet No 2 (II. Romance) Toward the Unknown Region Come down O Love Divine (Down Ampney) Sinfonia Antartica (Intermezzo (with introductory lines)) Hodie (This Day) - No Sad Thought His Soul Affright Songs of Travel (Nos 1, 6 & 9) Symphony No 9 (IV. Andante tranquillo) Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000s1kx
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Franz Schubert’s short life spanned a crucial period in music history as the elegant, classical stylings of Mozart and Haydn were giving way to the drama and passion of the romantic era. Schubert came to embody that transformation, in music that was all about personal expression and individual inspiration. This week, Donald Macleod throws the spotlight on Schubert’s chamber music and explores the stories around five key works for small ensembles.
Music Featured:
Pensa, che questo istante, D76 Symphony No 2 in B flat major, D125 (III. Menuetto & IV. Presto vivace) Fantasie in G minor, for four hands, D9 Kyrie in D minor, K49 String Quartet No 10 in E flat major, D87 Klage, D436 Andenken, D423 Widerhall, D428 Die Bürgschaft, D435 (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in B flat, D485 (Andante con moto & Menuetto) String Quartet No 11 in E, D353 March in E major, D606 Overture in D major, D556 Salve Regina in A major, D676 Erlafsee, D586 Atys, D585 Piano Quintet in A major, “Die Forelle” D667 (Scherzo, Thema, Finale) Rosamunde, D797 (The Full Moon Shines) Die schöne Müllerin, D795 (Das Wandern, Ungeduld & Trockne Blumen) String Quartet No 13 in A minor, D804 “Rosamunde” (Allegro ma non troppo & Andante) Sonata for piano duet in C, Grand Duo D812 (Scherzo & Allegro Vivace) Fugue in E minor, D952 Auf dem Strom, D943 String Quintet in C, D956 (Adagio & Scherzo) String Quartet No 14 in D minor, D810 “Death and the Maiden” (Andante con moto)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Schubert (1797-1828) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rvh9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
In a first for Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Joseph Martin Kraus. Kraus has been called the Swedish Mozart; he was born in the same year as Mozart, in 1756, and survived him by just twelve months. Originally from Germany, Kraus found work as a composer based at the Swedish royal court and quickly came to be regarded as one of the leading music directors in all Europe. Haydn said that he knew of only two geniuses, Mozart and Joseph Martin Kraus.
Music Featured:
Soliman II Overture Miserere in C minor, VB 4 (excerpt) String Quartet in B flat major, VB 181 Sinfonie in C major, with Violin obligato, VB 138 Proserpin, VB 19 (Overture) Azire, VB 18 (excerpt) Sinfonie in C minor Flute Quintet (Largo & Allegro con brio) La Pesca, VB 44 Symphony in E flat major, VB 144 La Tempesta, VB 63 (Ma tut remi) Du temps, qui détruit tout, VB 58 Sonata in E flat major, VB 195 (Allegro ma non troppo presto) Riksdagsmarsch, VB 154 Piano Sonata in E major, VB 196 (Vivace) Soliman II (excerpts from Act II (Nr.6) & Act III (Nr.16-19)) Funeral Cantata (Part One) Cantata La Gelosia, VB46 (excerpt) Symphony in C minor, VB 148 (Symphonie funèbre) Funeral Cantata (Part Two) String Quartet in E major, VB 180 (Allegretto)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rltv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week Donald Macleod reflects on five aspects of Tchaikovsky. The rich vein of fairy tale and fantasy, his love of literature and his long-standing love-affair with Italy. Also, the composer’s relationship with the man he called ‘Modya’, his beloved younger brother, Modest. In 19th-century Russia, music was a key strand in national identity. Tchaikovsky’s ancestral Russian roots were a matter of great pride to him, but just how Russian a composer was he?
Music featured:
The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 1 Scene 2, March of the Toy Soldiers) The Snow Maiden, Op 12 (No 2, Dance and Chorus of the Birds) Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 No 13e, Danse des cygnes: Pas d'action (Odette et le prince)) The Slippers (Act 1 scene 2, extract – Oksana’s aria) The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (Act 1 No 5 (‘The Palace Garden’), No 6 (‘Valse’)) The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 2 No 12, Divertissement) 12 Romances, Op 60 (No 5, ‘Simple Words’) Manfred Symphony, Op 58 (2nd mvt, Vivace con spirito) Eugene Onegin, Op 24 (Act 1 scene 2) Hamlet, overture-fantasia, Op 67 Six Romances, Op 73 (No 2, ‘Night’) Six Romances, Op 38 (No 6, ‘La Pimpinella’) Piano Trio in A minor, Op 50 (1st mvt, Pezzo elegiaco. Moderato assai—Allegro giusto) String Sextet in D minor (‘Souvenir de Florence’), Op 70 (2nd mvt, Adagio cantabile e con moto) Capriccio Italien, Op 45 Six Romances, Op 38 (No 2, ‘It was in the early spring’) 12 Pieces for Piano, Op 40 (No 1, Etude) The Queen of Spades, Op 68 (Act 3 scenes 6 (conclusion) and 7) 12 Pieces for Piano, Op 40 (No 8, ‘Valse’) Iolanta, Op 69 (No 7, Scene and Duet of Iolanta and Vaudémont) Sixteen Songs for Children, Op 54 (No 10, ‘Lullaby in a storm’) Scherzo à la Russe, Op 1 No 1 Symphony No 2 (‘Little Russian’) (2nd mvt, Andantino marziale, quasi moderato) String Quartet No 1 in D, Op 11 (2nd mvt, Andante cantabile) All-Night Vigil (No 16, The Great Doxology) The Year 1812, Op 49 Six Romances, Op 6 (No 6, ‘None but the Lonely Heart’)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rbt0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Grieg's music through the places from which he took inspiration.
On 9th September 1907, it’s estimated that some forty to fifty thousand people turned out to pay their respects and watch Edvard Grieg’s cortège pass through the streets of Bergen. It’s an image that speaks of the enormous affection and esteem in which Grieg was held at the time of his death.
Bergen was where Grieg was born in 1843, and in a speech he made 60 years later, he acknowledged that his music was drawn from the life of its people, the surroundings of the town and its natural beauty.
This week Donald Macleod’s exploring Grieg’s life through the contrasting environments he needed to find the inspiration to write music. Donald begins his survey in Bergen, before assessing the decade Grieg spent in Oslo, the solitude he found in the picturesque Hardanger region and in the house he had built in the mountains. But Grieg had another, contradictory side to his nature, he was also a restless spirit and a keen traveller.
Music Featured:
2 Elegiac Melodies, Op 34, (Varen) Piano concerto in A minor (3rd movt - Allegro moderato molto e marcato) 4 Psalms, Op 74 (Jesus Kristus er opfaren) 4 piano pieces, Op 1 (Allegro con leggerezza) String Quartet in G minor, Op 27 (3rd movt - Intermezzo) Holberg Suite, Op 40 Lyric pieces, Op 12 (Arietta) Sigurd Jorsalfar: Three orchestral pieces, Op 56 (Intermezzo: Borghild’s Dream) Piano Sonata in E minor, Op 7 (I. Allegro moderato) In Autumn, Op 11 Haugtussa, Op 67 Grieg, arr. J. Halvorsen: Folkelivsbilder, Op 19 (Bridal procession) Humoresque, Op 6, No 2 Album Leaves, Op 28 Norwegian Dances, Op 35 The Mountain Thrall, Op 32b Lyric Pieces Op 54: No 3 Trolltog; No 4 Notturno; No 6 Klokkeklang Fra Monte pincio Piano Concerto in A minor (2nd movt - Adagio) Violin Sonata No 3 (Allegro animato – Prestissimo) Peer Gynt Suite No 2, Op 55 6 songs, Op 25 No 2 (En Svane) Symphonic Dances op 64 No 4 (Andante) Lyric pieces, Op 71 (Remembrances) Melodies of the Heart, Op 5 (No 1,To brune Ojne; No 3, Jeg elsker Dig) Ballade in G minor (in the form of variations on a Norwegian folktune), Op 24 Cello Sonata in A minor Op 36 (Allegro molto e marcato) Slåtter, Op 72: (Nos 1- 4)
Presented by Donald MacLeod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qlk0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod introduces personal highlights of his year-long celebration of Beethoven
Donald Macleod embarks on the final week of his year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, selecting his personal highlights of conversations he's had with special guests over the course of 25 series.
Composer of the Week has this year, every alternate week, explored the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth. In this, the final week of 25 series devoted to the extraordinary composer, Donald Macleod looks back over the year, and presents his personal highlights from the interviews he carried out over the course of 125 programmes. From historian Simon Schama to conductors Marin Alsop and John Eliot Gardiner, and pianists Jonathan Biss and Angela Hewitt, Donald was joined by experts and performers who gave remarkable insights into the unique human being that was Beethoven. This week he brings together some of the conversations that stayed with him, building a picture of Beethoven the man, the composer, the interpretation of his music since his death, the times he lived in, and what he means to us today.
Composer of the Week has been returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Mass in C, Op 86 - Sanctus Piano Concerto No 4 in G, Op 58 (Andante con moto & Rondo vivace) Violin Sonata No 5 in F, Op 24 “Spring” (4th movement: Rondo) Piano Sonata No 27, Op 90 Maigesang, Op 52 No 4 Piano Sonata No 4 in E flat, Op 7 (2nd movement: Largo, com gran espressione) Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 (1st movement) String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 (4th movement: Grave, ma non troppo tratto) Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 (2nd movement: Largo) Fidelio Act 2 Nr 14 & Nr 15 String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 (3rd movement: Lento assai, cantate e tranquillo) Sonata No 26 in E flat, Op 81A “Les adieux” (The Absence & The Reunion) Wind Octet in E flat, Op 103(1st movement: Allegro & 2nd movement: Andante) Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur, Op 48 No 4 (The Heavens are Telling) Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 “Eroica” (2nd movement: Marcia funebre. Adagio assai) Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 in C minor (4th movement: Prestissimo) 11 Bagatelles, Op 119 No 3 in D major (A l’Allemande) String Quartet Op.130 (I.Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro) Piano Sonata No 30 in E major, Op.109 (1st movement: Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo) Symphony No 4 in B flat, OP 60 - 4th movement: Allegro ma non troppo Fidelio Act 1 - Finale
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: In Perspective https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q853
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by Sir George Benjamin to discuss his musical influences
Composer of the Week marks the sixtieth birthday of the celebrated British composer Sir George Benjamin. This week, Benjamin joins Donald Macleod in the studio to provide listeners with personal insights into his music and distinguished career. They discuss the composer's musical connections, his inspirations, his interest in collaboration, the compositional process, and his work as a pianist, conductor and teacher.
Music Featured:
Viola, Viola Piano Sonata (Vivace) Palimpsests Written on Skin (XIV & XV The Protector of Agnès & The Boy / Angel 1) Panorama Tape A Mind of Winter Dance Figures Dream of the Song Piano Figures At First Light Written on Skin (VIII The Protector of Agnès) Upon Silence Ringed by the Flat Horizon Into the Little Hill (Scene VI & VII) Lessons in Love and Violence (Sc.3 Please everyone be seated) Sometime Voices Three Inventions for Chamber Orchestra Shadowlines Lessons in Love and Violence (Sc.1 Not when you grip my neck) Duet for Piano and Orchestra
Presented by Donald Mcleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
Photo credit: Matthew Lloyd
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Benjamin https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q36p
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod reaches the final chapters of his year-long biography of Beethoven. The composer’s remaining years, 1825-1827, were marred by failing health and a traumatic family crisis but also saw Beethoven pushing resolutely forward in his art. He continued to surprise and astonish, producing a series of extraordinary late string quartets.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Piano Sonata No. 29 Op.106 ‘Hammerklavier’ (I. Allegro) String Quartet in E flat, Op.127 (III. Scherzando vivace) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (III. Molto Adagio) Kühl, nicht lau, WoO.191 Ars Longa, vita brevis, WoO.192 Piano Concerto No. 4 in G (II. Andante con moto) Piano Trio in D, Op. 70 No. 1 ‘Ghost’ (I. Allegro vivace e con brio) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (II. Allegro ma non tanto) Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’ (I. Allegro Assai) Grosse Fugue, Op. 133 String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 (IV. Alla danza tedesca ) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (V. Allegro appassionato) String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 (II. Presto & III. Andante con moto ma non troppo) Septet, Op. 20 (I. Adagio – Allegro con brio) String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131 (I. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto expressive) String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131 (mvts. V-VII) String Quartet in E flat Op. 127 (IV. Finale, Allegro) Piano Trio in D, Op. 70 No. 1 ‘Ghost’ (III. Presto) String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 (V. Cavatina & VI. Finale) Mass in C, Op. 86, I. Kyrie String Quartet in F, Op. 135 (I. Allegretto & II. Vivace) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (I. Assai sostenunto – Allegro) Andante maestoso in C major, WoO.62 Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat (II. Adagio) Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight’ (I. Andante sostenuto) Beethoven. Symphony No. 5 in C minor (IV. Allegro)
Presented by Donald Mcleod Produced by Chris Taylor
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Pain and Persistence https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pw2z
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, joins Donald Mcleod to discuss Beethoven’s symphonies
They have been described as “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man”, “an expression of monumental intellect and innermost feeling”, and “music [which] sets in motion the machinery of awe, of fear, of terror, of pain.” There is no question that Beethoven’s nine symphonies changed music forever. The colossal legacy of these works has hovered over generations of composers since, leading Johannes Brahms to exclaim “You can't have any idea what it's like always to hear such a giant marching behind you!”
Over this week of programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner, founder of the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, to delve into the world of these nine sublime works.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21 ( I. Adagio Molto – Allegro Con Brio) Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21 (III. Menuet segue IV. Finale) Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36 (I. Adagio Molto – Allegro Con Brio) Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36 (II. Larghetto segue III. Scherzo) Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” (I. Allegro con brio) The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43 (Finale (excerpt)) Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” (IV. Finale) Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (I. Adagio – Allegro Vivace) Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (II. Adagio) Cherubini: Hymne au Panthéon 'Grand Chœur à la gloire des martyrs de la liberté et de ses défenseurs' (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (I. Allegro con brio) Rouget de Lisle: Hymne dithyrambique sur la conjuration de Robespierre et la révolution du 9 thermidor, Paris, 1794 (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in C minor Op 67 (III. Scherzo segue IV. Finale) Symphony No 6 in F major, Op 68 “Pastoral” (movements III-V) Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace) Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (II. Allegretto) 12 Irish Songs, WoO 154 (No.8. Save Me From the Grave and Wise (excerpt)) Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (II. Allegretto scherzando) Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (IV. Allegro vivace) Missa Solemnis in D major, Op 123 - Credo (from Et Incarnatus Est to end) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 (I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 (IV. Finale)
Presented by Donald Mcleod Produced by Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Freedom and Joy https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pgb5
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
James P. Johnson is known as the Father of Stride Piano, and composed the most iconic work that captures the essence of the Roaring Twenties, the Charleston. Both pianist and composer, he not only wrote jazz but also music for theatrical shows, symphonic works and opera too. He performed alongside jazz greats such as Fats Waller, Willie The Lion Smith and Sidney Bechet, and also collaborated with George Gershwin as well. Johnson was an early pioneer in the recording industry, and made many studio recordings as a soloist and with his own jazz band. Yet despite all of this, his name has been largely forgotten today. One possible reason for this is that being a transitional figure between ragtime and jazz, he’s been hard to categorise.
This week, Donald Macleod will explore five periods in Johnson’s life where Johnson strove to achieve a different role: recording artist, theatre composer, performer and teacher, and also a Tickler - a ragtime saloon pianist.
Music featured:
Charleston Carolina Shout Fascination Concerto Jazz A Mine Caprice Rag Empty Bed Blues Daintiness Rag Twilight Rag Steeplechase Rag There’s No Two Ways About Love My Sweet Hunk O’Trash Charleston Alabama Stomp My Headache My special friend is back in town Lonesome Swallow Guess who’s in town Victory Stride Drums Harlem Strut Snowy Morning Blues Keep off the grass Havin’ a ball A Porter’s Love Song to a Chambermaid Toddlin’ Home Runnin’ Wild Medley After Tonight Old Fashioned Love If I could be with you Jingles I Need Lovin’ Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody Backwater Blues Charleston Stop That Dog Lock and Key Sweet Mistreater Don’t Cry Baby Riffs You’ve Got to be Modernistic Sippi Charleston American Symphonic Suite Put Your Mind Right On It Go Harlem A Porter’s Love Song to a Chambermaid Hungry Blues Harlem Hotcha Ain’tcha Got Music Harlem Symphony Lonesome Reverie Gut Stomp Blues for Fats You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart Charleston
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for James Price Johnson https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p7mr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years of 1822-1824 – a period during which the composer completed his greatest late masterpieces. It was also a time at which Beethoven became acutely aware of his own mortality, struggling with both his dwindling finances and his deteriorating health, and sought help from, among others, his brother Johann and a new secretary - Anton Schindler.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Symphony No. 9, Op. 125 (II. Molto Vivace – Presto) Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Sanctus - Pleni sunt cœli - Osanna Music for Consecration of the House, WoO. 98 Fidelio, Op.72 - O namenlose Freude! Piano Sonata no 32 in C minor, Op.111 Bundeslied, Op. 122 “In allen guten Stunden” String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 (I. Maestoso – Allegro) Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Credo: Credo - Et Incarnatus Est Bagatelles, Op 119 nos. 1-6 Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Gloria Gratulations Menuett, WoO 3 Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Credo: Et ressurexit Opferlied, Op.121b Diabelli Variations, Op.120 (Nos 30, 32 & 33) Symphony no. 9, Op.125 (I. Allegro ma non troppo) Ta ta ta, WoO162 Consecration of House Overture, Op.124 Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Agnus Dei: Dona Nobis Pacem Waltz in E-flat major, WoO 84 Symphony no.9, Op.125 (III. Adagio molto e cantabile) Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 'Tempest' - III. Allegretto Missa Solemnis, Op.123 – Kyrie: Kyrie Eleison Der Kuss, Op.128 Symphony No. 9, Op.125 (IV. Presto - Allegro ma non troppo) Bagatelles for piano, op.126
Presented by Donald Mcleod
Producer: Sam Phillips
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Titan https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p01c
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod steps into the French baroque with Desmarets and Boismortier
Donald Macleod discovers the stories of two very colourful figures of the French baroque, Henri Desmarets and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.
Born a generation apart, Boismortier and Desmarets are perhaps lesser known figures of the French baroque, but together they provide a fascinating picture of life and music-making in the reigns of the Sun King and Louis XV after him.
Boismortier’s success came from what seems to be a natural ability to keep his finger on the pulse: his music followed all the latest trends and styles. He made a small fortune supplying music to the amateur market. They were works that fall cleverly under the fingers, and he advanced his profits by publishing them for any number of different combinations of instruments. That’s not to say he didn’t dip his toe into deeper waters: he wrote cantatas, motets and stage works, of which the comic opera about Don Quixote is probably the best known. After a golden career in 1753 at the age of 63, Boismortier retired to enjoy life on a beautiful estate 45 minutes outside Paris.
That kind of material comfort was not to be Henri Desmarets’s destiny. Born in 1661, he started out as a page at the Sun King’s court. What was shaping up to be a promising career fell off the tracks after he eloped with one of his pupils. Her furious father got an order for his arrest, arranged for him to be attacked in the street, and dragged him through the courts. The furore finally ended when the couple fled into exile. In his absence Desmarets was condemned to death. He eventually settled at the Court of Lorraine. There’s little doubt his fall from grace had a detrimental effect on his reputation. His operas and masses show him to be a talented and innovative composer. He was one of the very first composers known to have written for double choir and orchestra.
Music Featured:
Boismortier: Trio sonata in D, op 37 no 3 (I. Allegro) Desmarets: Mass for Two Choirs and Two Orchestras: Kyrie Desmarets: La Diane de Fontainebleau (excerpt) Boismortier: Flute sonata in B minor op 44/2 Desmarets: Te Deum (excerpt) Desmarets: La Diane de Fontainebleau – Marche Desmarets: La Diane de Fontainebleau (excerpt) Boismortier: Bassoon Concerto, Op 21 Boismortier: Les quatre saisons, Op. 5 (Cantata no 4: Hyver) Desmarets: De Profundis Desmarets: Didon (Act 5, Sc 1) A Nocte Temporis Desmarets: Théagène et Chariclée (Act 4, sc 1) Desmarets: Mass for 2 choirs and 2 orchestras (excerpt) Boismortier: Troisième suite de piéces de clavécin Boismortier: Les voyages de l’amour (Act 4, sc 2) Boismortier: Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse (First divertimento) Desmarets: Les amours de Momus (Lieux charmants) Desmarets: Usquequo Domino (Psalm XII) (excerpt) Desmarets: Vénus et Adonis (Act 3 Sc 3, excerpt) Desmarets: Vénus et Adonis (Act 5, sc 5 to 8, excerpt) Boismortier: : Exaudiat te Dominus (Psalm 19) Boismortier: Daphnis et Chloé (Act 3, excerpt) Boismortier: Daphnis et Chloé (Act 2, Sc 3, excerpt) Desmarets: Domine ne furore Boismortier: Concerto for 5 flutes in A minor, Op 15/2 Desmarets: Circé: Sommeil - Ah! Que le sommeil est charmant
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Desmarets and Boismortier https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nvbl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, the world-renowned pianist Angela Hewitt chooses five contrasting aspects of the piano sonatas to discuss with Donald Macleod. In 2020, Hewitt reaches the end of her survey of Beethoven’s piano works with the last recording in her acclaimed series of his 32 piano sonatas. Begun in 2005, her Beethoven odyssey has been taken at a deliberately measured pace, to give ample space and time to reflect on each sonata, each recording being a testament to her deep understanding of Beethoven. Well known for her award-winning interpretation of Bach’s music, she brings that special insight to Beethoven’s profound admiration for the composer, after which she explores the humour Beethoven injects into his music, the composer’s ability to write cantabile or singing style and how Beethoven responded to the advancement of the piano.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Piano Sonata No 1 in F minor, Op 2 No 1 (I. Allegro) Piano Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 2 No 2 (IV. Rondo: Grazioso) Piano Sonata No 3 in C major, Op 2 No 3 (II. Adagio) Piano Sonata No 3 in C major, Op 2 No 3 (IV. Allegro assai) Piano Sonata No 7 in D major, Op 10 No 3 (II. Largo e mesto) Piano Sonata No 3 in C major, Op 2 No 3 (III. Scherzo) Bach: Partita No 2 in C minor, BWV 826 (excerpt) Piano Sonata No 8 in C minor, Op 13 (Pathétique) (I. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio) Piano Sonata No 28 in A major, Op 101 (IV. Allegro Geschwind) Bach: Fugue No 17 in A flat major, BWV 862 (excerpt) Piano Sonata No 31 in A flat major, Op 110 (III. Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo) Piano Sonata No 30 in E major, Op 109 (III. Andante molto cantabile ed expressive) Piano Sonata No 25 in G major, Op 79 (II. Andante) Piano Sonata No 11 in B flat major, Op 22 (II. Adagio con molta espressione) Piano Sonata No 27 in E minor, Op 90 (I. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen) Piano Sonata No 28 in A major, Op 101 (I. Allegretto ma non troppo) Piano Sonata No 16 in G major, Op 31 No 1 (II. Adagio grazioso) Piano Sonata No 8 in C minor, Op 13 (Pathétique) (II. Adagio con espressione) Piano Sonata No 10 in G major, Op 14 No 2 (II. Andante) Piano Sonata No 16 in G major, Op 31 No 1 (I. Allegro vivace) Piano Sonata No 6 in F major, Op 10 No 2 (III. Presto) Piano Sonata No 18 in E flat major, Op 31 No 3 Piano Sonata No 23 in F minor (Appassionata), Op 57 (I. Allegro assai) Piano Sonata No 17 in D minor (Tempest), Op 31 No 2 (II: Adagio) Piano Sonata No 29 in B flat major (Hammerklavier), Op 106 (I. Allegro) Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat major, Op 81a (Les adieux) (II. Abwesenheit & III: Das Wiedersehen)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Piano Sonatas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nlwr
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
“Music is a study of my own self and of the human spirit”, so says the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Her passion for music is all consuming, with the inspiration to compose reflecting the breadth of her interests, in poetry, literature, fine arts, and cinematography to name but a few.
One of the foremost composers of our time, Kaija Saariaho was born in 1952 in Helsinki. She studied with the modernist Paavo Heininen, before founding the pioneering “Ears Open” group with fellow composer Magnus Lindberg. Her studies continued in Freiburg with Brian Fernyhough and Klaus Huber at the Darmstadt summer courses, and then at the ground-breaking IRCAM research institute in Paris.
Earlier this year Donald Macleod and Kaija Saariaho met up in Paris, the city where she’s made her home since 1982, to talk about five contrasting aspects of her music.
Music Included:
D’Om le vrai sens (excerpt) Notes on Light for cello and orchestra (II. Fire & III. Awakening) Noa Noa for flute and electronics D’Om le vrai sens, (III. L’Odorat & IV. Le Toucher) Orion for Orchestra (I. Memento mori) Nocturne for solo violin Cloud Trio (IV. Tranquillo ma sempre molto espressivo) Laterna Magica Circle Map (excerpt) Jardin secret II for harpsichord and tape Lichtbogen for nine musicians and live electronics (excerpt) Lonh for voice and electronics Circle Map (V. Dialogue VI. Day and Night) Quatre Instants (excerpt) Quatre instants (II. Douleur – Torment & III. Parfum de l’instant) Nuits, adieux for mixed choir and 4 soloists True Fire for baritone and orchestra (excerpt) Leino Songs L’amour de loin, Act 4 excerpt La passion de Simone for soprano solo, choir, orchestra and electronics (excerpt) Only the Sound Remains (excerpt) L’amour de loin, Act 5
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Cymru Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Kaija Saariaho https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nbdg
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
This week, Donald Macleod follows Ludwig van Beethoven through the years of 1816-1821; a period when the composer was groping towards yet another extraordinary and revolutionary flowering of his creativity. However, something was holding him back. Beethoven had resolved to become the legal guardian of his nephew, Karl, and to remove him from the care of his mother, Johanna. The resulting court battles would rumble on for five years, damaging everyone involved, consuming them all, and distracting Beethoven from his music.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Piano Sonata No.25, Op.79 (II. Andante & III. Vivace) String Quartet op.95 ‘Serioso’ (III. Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso) Sehnsucht, WoO.146 Cello Sonata Op.102, No.1 Variations on “Ich bin de Schneider Kakadu” by Wenzel Müller, Op.121a Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.16, Op.31 No.1 (I. Allegro Vivace) The Creatures of Prometheus (extracts) Abschiedsgesang WoO.102 Piano Sonata No.30, Op.109 The Miller of Dee WoO.157, No.4 Fugue for Strings Op. 137 Quintet for strings Op.104 (III. Menuetto & IV. Finale) Piano Sonata No.29, Op.106 “Hammerklavier” (II. Scherzo & III. Adagio Sostenuto) National Airs with Variations Op.107, No.5 Wolfgang Schulz, flute Rudolf Buchbinder, piano Bagatelle in Bb, WoO.60 God Save the King, Woo.157, No.3 Namensfeier Overture Op.115 Piano Sonata No.28, Op.101 So oder so WoO.148 Missa Solemnis: Benedictus Bester Magistrat, Ihr friert WoO.177 Tremate, empi, tremate Op.116 Bagatelles Op.119, Nos.7-11 Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel WoO.150 March for Military Band WoO.24 (extract) Piano Sonata No.31, Op.110
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Withdrawal https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000n5x6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by five guests to explore Beethoven’s wider world.
Beethoven’s lifetime was one of tumultuous change. In a week of programmes exploring this wider world around Beethoven, Donald Macleod is joined by five guests to discuss some of the various elements which combined to define the Spirit of the Age – the economy, the wider world of the arts, engineering, medicine and belief.
Guests:
Professor Nicholas Mathew - Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, an expert on music and politics in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and author of “Political Beethoven”
Ruth Padel – Poet, lifelong Soprano and author of “Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life”
Julian Allwood - Professor of Engineering and the Environment at Cambridge University
Professor Herwig Czech – Chair of the History of Medicine at MedUni Vienna
Dr Aakanksha Virkar Yates - Senior lecturer at the University of Brighton and expert in late nineteenth and twentieth-century British literature
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Violin Sonata 10 in G major, Op 96 (II. Adagio espressivo) Piano Concerto No 4 in G, Op 58 (I. Allegro Moderato) Symphony No 3 in E flat major “Eroica”, Op 55 (IV. Finale) Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat major, Op 81a “Les Adieux” (II. Abwesenheit) Sonata No 7 in D, Op 10 No 3 (IV. Rondo. Allegro) String Quartet No 1 in F major, Op 18 (II. Adagio affettuoso et appassionato) Fidelio, end of Act I Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93 (III. Tempo di menuetto) An die Ferne Geliebte, Op 98, Nos 2 and 3 The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43: Act II, No 10 'Pastorale Allegro' 25 Scottish Songs, Op 108 No 7 'Bonnie Laddie, Highland Laddie (2nd version)' Missa Solemnis, Sanctus Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36 (II. Scherzo - Allegro) 5 Variations on Rule Britannia, WoO 79 Grosse Fuge in B flat, Op 133 (orch. Manuel Hidalgo) Six Variations in D on an original theme “Die Ruinen von Athen”, Op 76 The Heavens are Telling (orchestration of Six Songs, Op 48 No 4 - Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur) Piano Sonata No 29 in B-flat major, Op 106 “Hammerklavier” (I - Allegro) Doktor speert das Tor dem Tod, WoO 189 Trio in E-flat major, WoO 38 (after the Septet, Op 20) (IV. Andante con Variazione) Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, WoO 87 (VII. Todt, Todt!) Piano Sonata No 23 in F minor, Op 57 “Appassionata” (III. Allegro ma non troppo) Symphony 7 in A major, Op 92 (II. Allegretto) String Quartet No13, Op 130 (V. Cavatina) Symphony No 4 in B flat major, Op 60 (III. Menuett) Piano Sonata No 28, Op 101 (I. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung) Der Glorreiche Augenblick, Op136 (Das Auge schaut) Der Freie Mann, WoO 117 Christ on the Mount of Olives, Op 85 (Chor der Krieger: "Wir haben ihn gesehen") Mass in C Major, Op 86 (Sanctus) String Quartet No 15 (III. Molto Adagio)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Spirit of the Age https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mq5x
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's life and music through the years 1813-1815.
This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years of 1813-1815 – a time of great change throughout Europe as Napoleon was overthrown. For Beethoven, it was undoubtedly the most successful period of his entire career, as he began, at last, to receive public recognition for his music. However, these years also saw him slump to an artistic nadir as he succumbed to the call for patriotic crowd-pleasers in the wake of this massive political change.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured:
Triumphal March for Kuffner’s Tarpeja, WoO 2a Trio in B flat major, Op 97 “Archduke” ( Allegro Moderato) An die Hoffnung, Op 94 Quartet in C major, Op 59’3 “Razumovsky” (Andante con moto quasi Allegretto) Incidental Music for the Ruins of Athens (Overture - Chorus of Dervishes - March and Chorus ) Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” – (Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai) Wellington’s Victory, Op 91 Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op 92 (arr. Winds) (Presto) Symphony no. 8 in F major, Op 93 (Allegretto scherzando - Tempo di menuetto ) Germania, WoO 94 The Ruins of Athens, Op 113 No 7 Symphony no. 8 in F major, Op 93 (Allegro Vivace e con brio) Piano Trio No. 7 in B flat major, Op 97 “Archduke” – (Scherzo - Andante cantabile) Fidelio, Op 72 - Overture (arr. Piano by I. Moscheles) Fidelio - Op 72 - Act I No 9 Fidelio, Op 72 - Act I No 10 Leonore Prohaska, WoO.96 Polonaise, Op 89 Cantata: Der Glorreiche Augenblick, Op 136 No 1, 4 & 6 Quartet no.8 Op 59’2 “Rasumovsky” (Allegretto) Piano Sonata no.27, Op 90 Kurz ist der Schmerz, und ewig ist die Freude, WoO163 Brauchle, Lincke, WoO167 Cello sonata no. 5 in D major, Op 102’2 – (Adagio con molto sentimento d'affetto) Piano Concerto no. 6 (fragment, completed by Nicholas Cook and Hermann Dechant) Fidelio, Op 72 Act II No 13
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Cymru Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Phoenix Rising https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mc2m
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and career of the piano prodigy Marie Jaëll.
For the first time in the history of Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Marie Jaëll [1846-1925]. Jaëll was a piano prodigy, a composer across a wide spectrum of genres including opera and chamber music, and a revolutionary when it came to the art of teaching and playing the piano. She knew many distinguished musicians including Liszt, Saint-Saëns, César Franck, Brahms, Fauré and Rossini, but hers is a name which has been largely forgotten. Donald Macleod uncovers Jaëll's music, and tells her story.
Music Featured:
Aube (Promenade matinale, esquisses pour piano) Dans le doute; Essaim de mouches; Entrainement (Promenade matinale, esquisses pour piano) Folies d’ours (La Légende des ours) Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor Reflets Chantants (Prisme. Problèmes en musique) Armour brûlant (La Légende des ours) Album Leaf Dans les flammes (18 Pièces d'après la lecture de Dante) Cello Sonata Dein (Five Lieder) Douze Valses et Finale Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Sphinx Reflets dansants (Prisme. Problèmes en musique) Cello Concerto in A Minor Ce qu’on entend dans le Purgatoire (18 Pièces d'après la lecture de Dante) Rêverie; Clair de lune (Les Orientales) 6 Melancholy Waltzes: No 5 in A minor; No 3 in G sharp minor Ce qu’on entend dans le Paradis (18 Pieces for piano after reading Dante) Pieces for Children Désirs ardents; Amour involontaire; Union malheureuse; Épilogue (La Légende des ours)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Marie Jaëll https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m477
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod meets professional musicians to get the performer’s eye view of Beethoven.
During Beethoven’s life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. In this episode, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven’s music and the challenges it presents.
Guests: Chi-chi Nwanoku (double bass), Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Adrian Bending (timpani), Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano), Sarah Willis (French horn). Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Symphony No 6 in F, Op 68 “Pastoral” (Donner. Sturm) Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92 (Allegro con brio) Septet in E flat, Op 20 (Scherzo) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 “Choral” (Presto) Fidelio, Act 1 No 1-3 Fidelio, Act 2 No 12 Fidelio, Act 2 No 14-15 Missa Solemnis, Op 123 (Agnus Dei) Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 (excerpt) Symphony No 4 in B flat, Op 60 (Adagio – Allegro vivace) Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 “Eroica” (Marcia funebre) Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (Allegro & Allegro - Presto) Piano Sonata No 13 in E flat, Op 27 No 1 (Andante) Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 (Largo) Piano Trio No 5 in D, Op 70 No 1 “Ghost” (Largo assai ed espressivo) Fantasia in C minor, Op 80 Horn Sonata, Op 17 Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 “Eroica” (Scherzo) Sextet in E flat, Op 81b (Rondo) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 “Choral” (Adagio molto e cantabile)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: How to Play Beethoven https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m06v
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Beethoven through the years 1810-1812.
This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through 1810-1812, a period of great financial hardship for all of Vienna in the aftermath of Napoleon’s second occupation of the city. Beethoven struggled through this economic depression, composing his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies with little hope of getting performances. The financial crisis wasn’t the only thing to afflict the composer either; alongside an increase in physical ailments, Beethoven also suffered a great emotional crisis which culminated in the letter he wrote to his unnamed ‘Immortal Beloved’. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Fantasie in G minor, Op 77 Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major, Op 73 “Emperor” (2nd and 3rd movements) Piano Trio No 7 in B flat major, Op 97 "Archduke" (4th movement) Egmont Overture, Op 84 To the Blackbird; The Dairy House (26 Welsh Songs, WoO 155) Sonata No 26 in E flat major, Op 81a “Les Adieux” (2nd and 3rd movements) Incidental Music to King Stephen, Op 117 (Overture & Victory March) Christ on the Mount of Olives, Op 85 (Final Trio and Choruses) Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (3rd movement) String Quartet No 10 in E flat major, Op 74 “Harp” (4th movement) Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 “Für Elise” Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 -(2nd movement) String Quartet No 11 in F minor, Op 95 Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (4th movement) An die Geliebte, WoO 140 Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (1st and 2nd movements) Piano Trio in B flat major, WoO 39 An de Ferne Geliebte, Op 98 3 Equali for Four Trombones, WoO 30 Kennst du das Land, Op 75 No 1 Violin Sonata No 10 in G major, Op 96 Meeresstille und Gluckliche Fahrt, Op 112 Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (4th movement) Freudvoll und Leidvoll (Incidental Music for Egmont, Op 84)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Creating the Myth https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000llpc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven's varied and rich correspondence.
More than 1,770 of Beethoven's letters still survive and, this week, Donald Macleod delves into five different areas of this extensive correspondence. We’ll hear exchanges with some of his closest friends and patrons, a secret admission about his hearing and the details of a petty argument that gets blown out of all proportion. Beethoven’s flirting gets him into trouble; he falls deeply in love and suffers the misery of rejection on more than one occasion. Plus, the composer writes to his idol, Goethe and finds himself embroiled in some shady dealings with his publishers.
The letters are read by Adrian Lester.
Music Featured: arr. Matiegka: Serenade in D, Op 8 Overture to Leonore Violin Sonata No 3 in E flat major, Op 12 No 3 String Quartet No 1 in F major, Op 18 No 1 March for Military Music in F major, WoO 18 'York March' Piano Trio No 7 in B flat major, Op 97 'Archduke' Cello Sonata No 3 in A major, Op 69 Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major, Op 73 'Emperor' Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, Op 27 No 2 An die Hoffnung, Op 32 Piano Sonata No 23 in F minor, Op 57 (Appassionata) Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 An die Ferne Geliebte Piano Sonata No 3 in C major, Op 2 No 3 Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op 47 Septet in E flat major, Op 20 (excerpt) Cello Sonata in A major, Op 69 Gesang aus der Ferne, WoO 137 Adelaide Opferlied, Op 121b Coriolan Overture Kennst du das Land (Goethe)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: In His Own Words https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l6lf
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod journeys through Johann Sebastian Bach’s relationship with the organ.
Johann Sebastian Bach is often acknowledged as one of the greatest composers of all time and yet, during his lifetime, he was often more famous as an organist. Bach became very much in demand as a performer and a teacher. He was often asked to advise on the design and renovation of expensive church instruments. He composed a great deal of music for organ and was particularly productive during his twenties and early thirties when working at the court in Weimar. All this week Donald Macleod examines Bach’s life and music through the lens of his life-long fascination with the organ, focusing particularly on his time in Weimar and exploring his role as performer organist, teacher, servant, entrepreneur and composer.
Music Featured: Brandenburg Concerto No 3, BWV 1048 (ohne Satzbezeichnung) Sonata No 2 in C minor, BWV 526 Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV 550 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 Concerto for Harpsichord in G minor, BWV 1058 Cantata No 162 ‘Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe’, BWV 162 Concerto in A minor, BWV 593 Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 Concerto for two violins and strings in D minor, BWV 1043 Toccata and Fugue in D minor (Dorian), BWV 538 St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 Brandenburg Concerto No 2, BWV 1047 The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Prelude and Fugue in C major), BWV 867 The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Prelude and Fugue in C minor), BWV 847 Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996 Concerto in D minor, BWV 596 (Vivaldi Violin Concerto Op 3 No 11) Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Osanna in excelsis, Agnus Dei, Dona Nobis Pacem) Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for J S Bach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l1dm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Ludwig van Beethoven through the years 1807-1809.
This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years of 1807-1809. This was a period which ended with the traumatic second occupation of Vienna by Napoleon’s forces, and a time when Beethoven himself was feeling increasingly restless in the city after his plans to gain financial stability were thwarted.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Coriolan Overture, Op 62 Mass in C major, Op 86 (Credo & Agnus Dei) Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op 57 “Appassionata” (III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto) Lob auf de Dicken, WoO 100 Quartet in E minor, Op 59 No 2 “Rasumovsky” (IV. Presto) Elegischer Gesang, Op 118 Symphony No 6 in F major, Op 68 “Pastoral Symphony” (1st and 2nd movements) Piano trio in D major, Op 70 No 1 “Ghost” (2nd movement) Six Goethe Songs, Op 75 No 6 (Der Zufriedene) 3 Songs, Op 83 No 3 (Mit einem gemalten Band) Mass in C major, Op 86 (Gloria) Piano Transcription of Violin Concerto, Op 61a (III. Rondo) Cello Sonata No 3 in A major, Op 69 (1st movement) Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (1st movement) In questa tomba oscura, WoO 133 3 Songs, Op 83 No (Wonne der Wehmut) Choral Fantasy, Op 80 Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, Op 58 (3rd movement) Piano Sonata No 24 in F sharp major, Op 78 “à Thérèse” Lied aus der ferne, WoO 137 March for Military Music, WoO 18 Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat major, Op 81a “Les adieux” (1st movement) Incidental Music to Egmont, Op 84 (1. Die Trommel geruhet; 2. Entr’acte I - Andante; 7. Clärchen’s Death; 9. Symphony of Victory) Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major, Op 73 "Emperor” (1st movement) Sehnsucht, WoO 134
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Philips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Restless Spirit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ktd9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and Anastasia Belina explore the lives and music of Augusta Holmès and Henri Duparc.
Imagine creating a grand spectacle that demands 1,200 performers, along with the most lavish sets and costumes. You might think that the figure behind such an extraordinary achievement would have staked a claim on immortality, yet despite achieving considerable fame in her own lifetime, this is not the fate that befell Augusta Holmès. Over the passage of time her name has disappeared into obscurity, whilst that of her direct contemporary, Henri Duparc has grown and prospered. These days he’s regarded as one of the leading figures of French song, yet it’s still the case that relatively little is known about his life.
In Duparc’s case his is a reputation built on the slenderest of musical means, some seventeen mélodies. By contrast, Holmès’ l’Ode Triomphale, which was written to mark the centenary of France’s 1789 revolution, is the largest of a generous collection of large scale orchestral works, to which you can also add four operas, the last of which was mounted at the Paris Opera in 1895, as well as considerable catalogue of songs.
To shed light on Holmès' music, several of her works have been recorded by the BBC Performing Groups, as part of the Forgotten Women Composers project, which was developed by the BBC in association with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Helping Donald Macleod uncover more about the little known Augusta Holmès and Henri Duparc, is Anastasia Belina, a music historian with a particular interest in nineteenth century music and women composers.
Music Featured: Duparc: Chansons triste Duparc: Aux étoiles Holmès: Trois petites pièces for flute and piano Holmès: Rolando Furieux Duparc: L’invitation au voyage Holmès: Molto lento Duparc: Sérénade, Le manoir de Rosemonde,Soupir Holmès: À Trianon Duparc: Sonata in A minor for cello and piano Holmès: Ouverture pour une comèdie Holmès: La Haine (excerpt) Duparc: La Vague et la cloche Holmès: Memento mei deus Duparc: Lénore, symphonic poem Duparc: Au pays où se fait la guerre Holmès: Irlande Duparc: Sérénade Florentine Duparc: Extase Holmès: Pologne Duparc: Le Galop, Romance de Mignon Holmès: La vision de la Reine Duparc: Phidylé Holmès: La Nuit et l’Amour (from Ludus pro Patria) Duparc: Élégie Holmès: Le château du rêve Duparc: Danse lente Holmès: Andromède Duparc: La via antérieure
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Holmes & Duparc, where you can also find links to the documents mentioned https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kn8f
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s sketches and letters to see what they reveal about his life and music.
This week Donald Macleod is joined by Beethoven scholar, Erica Buurman and biographer, Jan Swafford to investigate some the many documents and papers that Beethoven left behind after his death, which are now scattered in archives and collections across the world. Donald and his guests explore high-quality, digital facsimiles of Beethoven’s most personal records including his letters, notebooks and journals; scouring them for clues to his relationships, his work and his everyday life.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: String Quartet Op.18 No 2 (4th movement) Piano Sonata No 8, Op 13 ‘Pathétique’ Violin Sonata Op 30 No 2 (4th movement) Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’(4th movement) Violin Sonata No 5, Op 24 (2nd movement) Piano Sonata No 24, Op 78 (2nd movement) Andante Favori, WoO 57 Diabelli Variations, Op 120 (Vars. 18-24) Missa Solemnis: Credo Piano Sonata No 16, Op 31 No 1 (1st movement) Violin Sonata No 8, Op 30 No 3 III (3rd movement) Symphony No 2 (2nd movement) Variations for Piano, ‘Eroica’, Op 35 Sonata for Cello and Piano Op 69 (2nd movement) Fidelio: Act I No 1‘Jetzt, Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein‘ Piano Trio, Op 97 ‘Archduke’ (3rd movement) Triple Concerto, Op 56 (1st movement) String Quintet Op 29 (3rd movement) Trio in Bb, WoO 39 Symphony No 7 (4th movement) Piano Sonata No 16, Op 31 No 1 (2nd movement) String Quartet, Op 59 No 3 (1st movement)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Private Papers, where you can also find links to the documents mentioned https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kfjc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the triumphs, friends and foes of Beethoven’s ‘heroic’ phase.
This week, Donald Macleod follows Ludwig van Beethoven through the years of 1804-1806; the beginning of what many commentators have called his ‘heroic’ phase. Having weathered a profound psychological crisis, triggered by his failing hearing, Beethoven now throws himself into his composing with renewed energy and strength of spirit. However, that same passionate nature also leads to frequent conflicts. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Variations on an original theme, Op 35 ‘Eroica Variations’ Symphony No 3 'Eroica' String Quartet, Op 59 No 1, 'Rasumovsky', Violin Sonata in A major, Op 47 ‘Kreutzer’ Romance in F, Op 50 Piano Sonata No 13, Op 27 No 1 An die Hoffnung, Op 32 Piano Sonata No 15, Op 28 ‘Pastorale’ Piano Concerto No 4 Leonore (1806 version) Act 1, “O wär ich schon mit dir vereint” Piano Sonata No 22 in F, Op 54 Leonore (1806 version) Act II, Quartet “Er sterbe!” Violin Sonata Op 12 No 1, II. Tema con variazioni: Andante con moto Leonore (1806 version) Act II, Duet “O namenlose Freude!” Leonore Overture No 3, Op 72b Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op 102 No 1 Bagatelle in B minor, Op 126 No 4 String Quartet in F, Op 59 No 1 Piano Sonata No 23, Op 57 ‘Appassionata’ Violin Concerto, Op 61 6 Ecossaises, WoO 83 Piano Concerto No 3, String Quartet Op 59 No 3
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Hero https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000k28m
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the enduring power, pathos and innovation of Beethoven’s late string quartets with guests Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre.
Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven’s life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre of the Takács Quartet, to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 Symphony No 9 (Finale, part 1) Bagatelle in E flat, Op 126 No 3 String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 Fidelio, Act I: ‘Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin?‘ String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 Piano Sonata in G major, Op 79 Grosse Fuge, Op 133 Piano Sonata No 30, Op 109 (1st movement) String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op 131 Lob auf der Dicken, WoO 100 Falstafferel, WoO 184 String Quartet in F major, Op 135 Coriolan Overture, Op 62
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Return to Form https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jnlz
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod continues his journey through the life of Ludwig van Beethoven.
In this week’s episode, Donald Macleod traces Beethoven’s story through the momentous years of 1802 and 1803. It was a time that saw remarkable developments in Beethoven’s creativity as he pursued a self-declared ‘new path’ for his music. He undertook his most ambitious works yet, pouring his whole self into his art. At the same time his personal life was reaching a crisis point that would plunge him to the darkest depths of despair and threaten to ruin all his carefully laid plans for the future.
Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Symphony No.4, IV. Allegro ma non troppo Piano Sonata No 21 in C major, Op 53 ‘Waldstein’, II & III Septet Op. 20, III. Tempo di Menuetto Sonata in G major for violin and piano, Op 30 No 3, II. Tempo di minuetto 6 Variations on an original theme in F major, Op 34 Piano Sonata No 17, Op.31 No.2 ‘The Tempest’, III. Allegretto Missa Solemnis: Kyrie Symphony No.2, Movts. III & IV Violin Sonata in A major Op.47 ‘Kreutzer’, II. Larghetto. Variations in Eb Op.35 ‘Eroica’, final movt. March (Fidelio, Act 1) Romance for violin and orchestra No 1, Op 40 5 Variations on “Rule Britannia” WoO 79 Christ on the Mount of Olives (extract) Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’, IV.Finale String Quartet No 1 in F Op 18 No 1, III. Scherzo Violin Sonata in G major Op 30 No 3, I. Allegro assai Piano Sonata No 18 in E flat major, Op 31 No 3 String Quintet in C, Op 29, I.Allegro moderato Gellert Lieder, VI. Busslied Piano Sonata No 17, Op.31 No.2 ‘The Tempest’, II. Adagio Quintet for piano and winds Op 16. III. Rondo Andante Favori WoO 57 Violin Sonata in A major Op 47 ‘Kreutzer’ I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto Piano Sonata No 21 in C major Op 53 ‘Waldstein’, I. Allegro con brio
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: New Pathways https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000j8k8
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s vocal music with Iain Burnside and Simone Young.
In this week’s episode, Donald Macleod and his guests discuss some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like the Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his song-writing, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.
Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music Featured: Christus am Ölberge, Op 85 Ein Selbstgespräch, WoO 144 Adelaide, Op 46 Funeral Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II Christus am Olberge, Op 85 Aus Goethes Faust, Op 75, No 3 Der Wachtelschlag, WoO 129 L'amante impaziente, Op 82 (a pair of settings) Ah Perfido!, Op 65 Mass in C, Op 86 (Gloria, Sanctus & Benedictus) Klage, WoO 112 Neue Liebe, neues Leben, WoO 127 Fantasia for Piano, Choir and Orchestra in C minor op 80 Music, Love and Wine, Op 108, No 1 La Tiranna, WoO 125 Fidelio (Act 1), O welche Lust, in freier Luft (Prisoner’s Chorus) Fidelio (Act 1, Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? Fidelio (Act 2), Introduction and Aria Gott! Welch’ Dunkel hier! In des Lebens Frühlingstagen An die Hoffnung, Op 94 Maigesang (Mailied), Op 52, No 4 Three Lieder to poems by Goethe, Op 83 Der glorreiche Augenblick, Op 136 (Final chorus: Es treten hervor die Scharen der Frauen) Cantata on the Accession of Leopold II, WoO 88, Fliesse, Wonnezähre, fliesse! An die ferne geliebte, Op 98 Meerestille und glückliche Fahrt, Op 112 Der Kuss, Op 128 Abendlied unter dem gestirnten Himmel, WoO 150 Missa Solemnis in D major, Op 123, Credo Symphony No 9 (4th movement)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Beethoven and the Voice https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hv23
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod continues his journey through the life of Ludwig van Beethoven.
In this week’s episode, Donald Macleod traces Beethoven’s story through the years 1799-1801. As he reaches his thirtieth birthday, we see Beethoven finally emerging as a mature composer and beginning to produce the enduring works that will mark him out as one of the great artists of his age. But there are clouds on the horizon too, and we see the first intimations of a serious problem with his hearing.
Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music featured: Piano Concerto No 3, III. Rondo Piano Sonata No 10 in G major, Op 14, No 2 Music: Symphony No 1, IV. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace Septet Op. 20 (movts 4-6) Piano Sonata No 13 in Eb major, op 27 No 1, I. Andante String Quartet Op 18, No 3, I. Allegro, II. Andante con moto) Piano Sonata No 11 in Bb, Op 22 III. Minuetto & IV. Rondo Violin Sonata Op 23 Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor Op. 13 ‘Pathetique’ String Quintet in C, Op 29, II Adagio molto espressivo & IV. Presto Symphony No.5, IV. Allegro Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’, III. Scherzo Horn Sonata Op 17 Cello Sonata Op 5 No 2, I. Adagio sostenuto e espressivo & II. Allegro molto più tosto presto Piano Sonata No 15 in D, Op 28 ‘Pastoral’, I. Allegro Piano Sonata No 14 in C# minor, Op 27 No 2 ‘Moonlight’ String Quartet Op 18 No 1, II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato Prometheus (extracts from the complete Ballet Music)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Fate https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hflg
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Pianist Jonathan Biss shares the wonder of Beethoven's piano sonatas with Donald Macleod.
Recorded at the piano, in the Angela Burgess Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Jonathan shares his life-long passion for Beethoven with Donald. As they talk, he demonstrates how and why Beethoven's piano sonatas advanced the genre far beyond anything that anyone had ever achieved previously. As they talk we will gain a performer's perspective of Beethoven's developmental trajectory.
Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music featured:
Piano Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 2 No 2 Sonata No 4 in E flat major, Op 7 (Grande sonate) Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat major Piano sonata No 15 in D, Op 28 (Pastorale) Piano Sonata No 17 in D minor, Op 31 No 2 (The Tempest) Piano Sonata No 23 in F minor, Op 57 (Appassionata) Piano Sonata No 21 in C major, Op 53 (Waldstein) Piano Sonata No 30 in E major, Op 109 (excerpt) Piano Sonata No 31 in A flat major, Op 110 Piano Sonata No 5 in C minor, Op 10 no 1 Piano Sonata No 12 in A flat major, Op 26 Piano Sonata No 17 in D minor, Op 31 No 2 (The Tempest) Piano Sonata “quasi una fantasia”, Op 27 (Moonlight) Piano Sonata No 20 in G major, Op 49 No 2 Piano Sonata No 3 in C major, Op 2 Piano Sonata No 27 in E minor, Op 90 Piano Sonata No 32 in C minor, Op 111
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: At the Keyboard https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h02g
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Beethoven’s progress as he seeks out wealthy Viennese patrons for his music.
This week, Donald Macleod follows Beethoven through the years 1796-99, as the young composer learns to negotiate the privileged and moneyed circles of Vienna’s culture-loving aristocracy. Few can resist his extraordinary charisma as a virtuoso pianist but will he also be able to persuade them of his talents as a composer? In this episode, Beethoven undertakes his first international tour, reluctantly accepts piano students, puts his music before a wider public and starts work on his ambitious first symphony.
Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music featured: Piano Sonata No 5 in C minor, Op 10 No 1 Piano Trio Op 1 No 1 March for four hands, Op 45 No 2 12 Variations on a Russian dance by Wranitzky, WoO 71 String Quartet op 18 no 6, mvts. III & IV Piano Sonata No 5 in C minor, Op 10 No 1 Sextet Op 71 Ah! Perfido Cello Sonata Op 5 No 1 Quintet for piano and winds, Op 16 Piano Sonata No 4, Op 7 Violin Sonata, Op 12 No 2 String Quartet, Op 18 No 4 Piano Trio Op 1 No 1 Piano Sonata No 7, Op 10 No 3 Romance in F, Op 50 Duet for two obbligato eye-glasses, Woo 32 String Quartet Op 18 No 1 Violin Sonata, Op 12 No 3 Piano Sonata No 6 in F, Op 10 Zärtliche Liebe, WoO 123 Trio in B flat major, Op 11 Symphony No 1 in C
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: The Drawing Room Demon https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000gkqk
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and Erica Buurman examine some of Beethoven’s personal possessions at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn.
This week, Donald Macleod takes us to Beethoven’s home town of Bonn and the Beethoven-Haus museum which now occupies the building where he was born. Donald is joined by Erica Buurman, director of the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, and together they explore some of the everyday objects and household artefacts owned by the composer to see what they can tell us about how he lived. We’ll hear about Beethoven’s hearing aids and the onset of his hearing loss. Next, with his personal cashbox, they talk about his relationship with money and the world of business. We’ll discover Beethoven’s domestic circumstances by inspecting his cut-throat razor, and his walking stick and writing desk shine a light on his everyday processes. Finally, Donald and Erica compare various samples of the composer’s hair.
Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
Music featured: Bagatelles Op 126, Nos 1 & 6 Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano Op 38 Overture, The Consecration of the House Op 124 Wellington’s Victory (Part II) Piano Sonata No 9 in E, Op 14 No.1 Triple Concerto Cello Sonata in A, Op 69 Missa Solemnis (Agnus Dei) Sonata No 29 in Bb, Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’ Aus Goethes Faust, Op 75, No 3 Symphony No 6 String Quintet in Eb Op 4 Mailied, Op 52 No 4 String Quartet Op 59 No 2 Trauerkantate auf den Tod Kaiser Josephs II, No 3 Aria, “Da stiegen die Menschen an’s Licht” Grosse Fugue (arr. Piano, 4 hands) Op 134 Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 Symphony No 1 Mass in C (Kyrie)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: At Home https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g3l7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod uncovers the story and prolific output of American composer Florence Price.
Florence Price became a highly successful classical composer, organist, pianist and teacher of music during the twentieth century in America. She was the first African-American woman to be recognised as a composer of symphonic music, and also the first African-American woman to have her works performed by one of the world’s leading orchestras. In collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, BBC Radio 3 launched the Forgotten Women Composers Project. Championed by the composer and educator Shirley Thompson, Florence Price became a particular focus for the project. Scores by Florence Price were located and recorded by BBC Orchestras and Choirs. It will be the first time Florence Price has been featured on Composer of the Week, and the series is supplemented by many specially recorded works. Over the course of the episode, we’ll hear about the impact racial prejudice and marriage had on her life and career, her battles for recognition, ultimate fame, and her prolific output, despite health issues late in life.
Music featured: The Deserted Garden Sonata in E minor (Andante – Allegro) Suite for Organ No 1 (Fughetta and Air) The Oak Violin Concerto No 2 My Dream Cotton Dance The Old Boatman The Moon Bridge My Soul’s been anchored in the Lord Symphony No 1 in E minor Song for Snow Sinner Don’t Let This Harvest Pass Poem of Praise Piano Concerto in D minor Dances in the Canebrakes Suite for Organ No 1 (Toccata) Sonata in E minor (Andante) Sympathy The Glory of the day was in her face Resignation Symphony No 3 The Goblin and the Mosquito Concert Overture No 2 Five Folksongs in Counterpoint (Drink to me only with thine eyes) Night My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord Violin Concerto No 1 in D major
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Florence Price https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fwf0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Beethoven as he sets himself up in his new home of Vienna.
All through 2020, Donald Macleod takes an unprecedented deep dive into the compelling story and extraordinary music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In this uniquely ambitious series, told across 125 episodes of Composer of the Week, Donald puts us inside Beethoven’s world and explores his hopes, struggles and perseverance in all the colourful detail this amazing narrative deserves. Alongside this in-depth biography, Donald will also be meeting and talking to Beethoven enthusiasts and experts from across the world to discover how his music continues to speak to us in the 21st century. Through story and sound, the series builds into a vivid new portrait of this composer, born 250 years ago this year, who made art that changed how people saw themselves and understood the world.
This week, Donald Macleod’s focus is on Beethoven’s first months and years in Vienna, following his move there from his home town of Bonn. The young composer was still in his early twenties, low on cash, and had only a handful of works to his name. He was going to have to work hard to find success in the imperial capital, where audiences had grown up on the music of Mozart and Haydn.
Music featured: La Partenza, WoO 124 String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 (II. Allegro ma non tanto) Piano Concerto No 2 (III. Rondo) Trio in G major, Op 1 No 2 Bagatelle, Op 33 No 7 (Presto) String Trio, Op 3 in E flat major ( I. Allegro con brio) Piano Sonata No 2, Op 2 No 2 (3rd and 4th movements) Symphony No 8, (2nd and 3rd movements) String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 (3rd and 4th movements) Sextet for horns and string quartet, Op 81b Symphony No 2 (1st movement) Quartet in E flat major, Op 127 (3rd and 4th movements) Piano Sonata No 12 in A flat, Op 26 Piano Sonata No 3 in C, Op 2 No 3 (3rd movement) Piano Sonata No 1, Op 2 No 1 (final movement) Violin Sonata, Op 30 No 2 (3rd movement) ‘Adelaide’, Op 46 String Trio Op 3 in E flat major (4th, 5th and 6th movements) 12 Minuets, WoO 7, No 1 Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 15 (1st movement) Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 (1st and 2nd movements) 12 Minuets WoO 7, Nos. 7 & 11 Piano Concerto No 1 in C major, Op 15 (3rd movement)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Making His Way https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fmt0
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod looks at five themes in Claudio Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote.
Claudio Monteverdi’s compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi’s life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens’ translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi – a perpetually busy man – for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life.
Across the episode, we’ll hear stories of Monteverdi’s penchant for procrastination, his revered opinions of singers, many financial struggles, tempestuous heath and the lengths he went to in order to support his family.
Music featured: Chiome d’oro Cantai un tempo, & se fu dolc’il canto L’Orfeo: Prologue and Act I Dixit Dominus Lamento d’Arianna a voce sola Cantate Domino Dominus vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo Con che soavità L’Incoronazione di Poppea: Act II: Amici, è giunta l’hora Ballo delle ingrate ‘Batto’, qui pianse Ergasto L’incoronazione di Poppea: Prologue and Act I: Lamento d’Arianna a 5 Adoramus te Zefiro torna Quel sguardo sdegnosetto L’Orfeo: Toccata Lamento della Ninfa Missa In illo tempore Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria: Act V: O dolor, o martir L’incoronazione di Poppea: Act III: Pur ti miro Damigella tutta bella L’Orfeo: Act V: Extracts Tirsi e Clori Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria: Act I Magnificat a 7
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claudio Monteverdi https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ffwm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by Raphael Wallfisch and Sara Bitlloch to discuss Beethoven’s early chamber music.
All through 2020, Donald Macleod takes an unprecedented deep dive into the compelling story and extraordinary music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In this uniquely ambitious series, told across 125 episodes of Composer of the Week, Donald puts us inside Beethoven’s world and explores his hopes, struggles and perseverance in all the colourful detail this amazing narrative deserves. Alongside this in-depth biography, Donald will also be meeting and talking to Beethoven enthusiasts and experts from across the world to discover how his music continues to speak to us in the 21st century. Through story and sound, the series builds into a vivid new portrait of this composer, born 250 years ago this year, who made art that changed how people saw themselves and understood the world.
This week, cellist Raphael Wallfisch and violinist Sara Bitlloch join Donald Macleod to talk about Beethoven’s early chamber music from 1795 to 1811, including beloved works such as the ‘Razumovsky’ quartets, the ‘Kreutzer’ violin sonata, and the ‘Ghost’ and ‘Archduke’ piano trios.
Music featured: String Trio No 3 in G major: Op 9, No 1 (3rd movement - excerpt; 4th movement) Cello Sonata in F major Op 5 No 1 (Allegro) Piano Trio in C minor Op 1 No 3 (4th movement) String quartet in F major Op 18 No 1 (2nd movement) Violin Sonata in D major Op 12 No 1 (1st movement) Sonatina in C major for mandolin and piano WoO44 No 1 String Quartet in C minor Op 18 No 4 (3rd movement) Violin Sonata in A major Op 30 No 1 (3rd movement) Serenade in D major Op 8 (1st and 2nd movements) Cello Sonata No 2 in G minor Op 5 (1st movement) String Quintet in C major Op 29 (4th movement) Piano Trio Op 121a, “Kakadu Variations” String Quartet in F major No 7, Op 59 (“Razumovsky”) (4th movement) Violin Sonata in A major No. 9 Op 47 ("Kreutzer") (1st movement) Septet in E flat major for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass Op 20 (2nd movement) String Quartet in C major Op 59 No 3 (“Razumovsky”) (1st movement) Piano Trio No 5 in D major Op 70 No 1 ("Ghost") (2nd movement) Violin Sonata No 5 in F major Op 24 ("Spring") (1st and 4th movements) String Quartet in E flat Op 74 (“Harp”) (1st movement) String Trio in C minor Op 9 No 3 (1st mvt) String Quartet in F minor (“Serioso”) Op 95 (1st and 4th mvts) Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major Op 69 (1st mvt) Piano Trio in B flat ("Archduke") Op 97 (1st mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Conversations with Friends https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000f5mp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Samuel Wesley.
Samuel Wesley was a child prodigy, and it was the older composer William Boyce who said of the boy that he was the English Mozart, and that he had dropped down from heaven. Wesley’s star speedily ascended to the heights from an early age as both performer and composer, but with issues surrounding his often extreme character, and also his health and morals, this ascendency was not to last. His popularity went in and out of fashion during his lifetime, and trying to secure a permanent position as an organist was something which eluded him for a long time. However, he was one of Britain’s leading musicians, mixed in the highest circles, and was responsible for promoting the largely unknown J. S. Bach to these shores. Towards the end of his life, famous musicians and composers sought Wesley out and even Mendelssohn asked the famed organist Samuel Wesley to play for him. We’re only just beginning to understand Wesley’s importance to the development of British classical music, and many of his substantial works, including numerous concertos for piano, organ, and violin, and large scale works for choir and orchestra, all still remain to be recorded.
In this week’s episode, we’ll hear about Wesley’s religious background and fluctuating views, his circle of friends, his virtuosic performance career, his passion for JS Bach, and the mystery surrounding his health.
Music featured: Symphony in A major (Brillante) O Lord God most holy Might I in thy sight appear Psalm 42 & 43 Dixit Dominus Preludium, Ariette & Fuga in C minor Symphony in A major Fugue in B minor for Dr Mendelssohn Sinfonia obbligato O sing unto mie roundelaie Voluntary in D Air and Gavotte Violin Concerto No 2 in D major Sonatina Op 4 No 1 Sonatina Op 4 No 2 Duet for the organ Symphony in E flat Arrangement with Variation of Rule Britannia Rondo on God rest you merry, Gentlemen All go unto one place Duet in B flat major (for Eliza) Voluntary in D, Op 6 No 8 Handel Arr. Wesley Rejoice the Lord is King Symphony in D major String Quartet in E flat major (Allegro spiritoso) Confitebor tibi, Domine Voluntary in G minor Ode to St Cecilia (extract) Might I in thy sight appear Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum Symphony in B flat major Fidelia omnia mandata ejus Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Samuel Wesley https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dy1k
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod looks for clues in Beethoven’s early life that point towards the great man he would become.
All through 2020, Donald Macleod takes an unprecedented deep dive into the compelling story and extraordinary music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In this uniquely ambitious series, told across 125 episodes of Composer of the Week, Donald puts us inside Beethoven’s world and explores his hopes, struggles and perseverance in all the colourful detail this amazing narrative deserves. Alongside this in-depth biography, Donald will also be meeting and talking to Beethoven enthusiasts and experts from across the world to discover how his music continues to speak to us in the 21st century. Through story and sound, the series builds into a vivid new portrait of this composer, born 250 years ago this year, who made art that changed how people saw themselves and understood the world.
This week, Donald looks at Beethoven’s humble beginnings as a child born into a family of court musicians, working for the Archbishop-Elector’s retinue in Bonn, Germany. He showed musical talent early and followed his father and grandfather into the Elector’s employ as soon as he reached his teens. Would he continue to follow the family pattern and retire there too?
Music featured: Piano Sonata No 24 in F# major, Op 78 (2nd movement) Fugue in D for organ, WoO 31 Symphony No 6 (movts. IV & V) Violin Sonata Op 30 No 2 (2nd movement) String Quartet Op 18 No 4 (1st and 3rd movements) String Quartet No 13 in Bb, Op 130 (2nd movement) Piano Sonata No 2, Op 2 No 2 (1st and 2nd movements) Symphony No 4 (4th movement) Sonata for cello and piano, Op 102 No 1 (2nd and 3rd movements) Piano Quartet, WoO 36 No 3 Piano Sonata No 19, Op 49 No 1 (2nd movement) Piano Trio, WoO 38 (arr. Alec Frank-Gemmill) Der Mann von Wort, Op 99 24 Variations on "Venni Amore" by Righini, WoO 65 Piano Trio, Op 70 No 2 (3rd and 4th movements) String Quartet, Op 95 (Serioso) (1st movement) Fidelio: Act I (finale) Musik zu einem Ritterballett, Woo 1 12 Variations on 'See the conqu'ring hero comes' by Handel for cello and piano, WoO 45 Rondo a capriccio in G major (Rage over a lost penny) for piano, Op 129 7 Variations on 'Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen', WoO 46 Resignation, WoO 149 String Quartet, Op 59 No 1 (1st movement) Violin Concerto (2nd and 3rd movements)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Making a Man https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dpzm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the myriad influences on the life’s work of Karol Szymanowski.
The reshaping of Europe at the end of the First World War had a defining effect on Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. As Europe was being reapportioned, the comfortable world he’d known up to that point disappeared for good. His family’s comfortable and cultured life disappeared, their assets wiped out by the October Revolution. From that point on, Szymanowski ceased to be a man of some privilege, able to compose in the relative seclusion of his family’s estate in what was then part of Ukraine. He needed to support himself and his mother and sisters but he found himself ill-equipped temperamentally to deal with this dramatic change in his lifestyle. He became increasingly weighed down by illness, quite probably tuberculosis. That, coupled with a chain-smoking habit and struggles with alcoholism, were to take their toll. He died in poverty at the age of just 54 in 1937.
Across the week, Donald Macleod explores five distinct influences on Szymanowski’s music, starting with his formative years growing up in a family with a passion for the arts. As a young student, his studies in Warsaw led him towards the language of Richard Strauss and Max Reger, while his love of travel directed him towards impressionism, the ancient world and the Orient. Meeting Stravinsky in Paris and hearing the Ballets Russe was another turning point, as was in his later years in particular, his commitment to establishing a national musical voice for the newly formed country of Poland.
Music featured: Study in G flat major, Op 4 No 2 The Swan, Op 7 L’île des sirènes (Métopes, Op 29) Violin Concerto No 1, Op 35 Songs of a Fairytale Princess, Op 31 Mazurka, Op 50 No 11 Desires; The infatuated east wind; Dance (Love Songs of Hafiz, Op 26) Concert Overture in E major, Op 12 Piano Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 21 (2nd movement) Symphony No 2 in B flat, Op 19 (1st movement) La fontaine d’Aréthuse (Mythes, Op 30) Sérénade de Don Juan (Masques, Op 34) Demeter, Op 37b String Quartet No 1 in C major, Op 37 (3rd movement) Symphony No 3, Op 27: The Song of the Night Study in B flat minor, Op 4 No 3 Penthesilea, Op 18 Thème varié 'Caprice No 24' (Three Paganini Caprices, Op 40) King Roger, Act 1 (excerpt) King Roger Act 2 (excerpt) Mazurkas, Op 50 Nos 1, 3, 6 Wanda, Op 46b No 5 Whip on the horse, Op 58 No 4 String Quartet No 2 (2nd movement) Harnasie, Op 55 (Tableau 1: In the mountain pasture) Symphony No 4, Op 60, 'Sinfonie concertante' (1st movement) Stabat Mater (excerpt) Mazurka, Op 62 No 1
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Karol Szymanowski https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dj02
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod asks conductor Marin Alsop and historian Simon Schama why Beethoven's life and work still matter today.
All through 2020, as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season, Donald Macleod takes an unprecedented deep dive into the compelling story and extraordinary music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In this uniquely ambitious series, told across 125 episodes of Composer of the Week, Donald puts us inside Beethoven’s world and explores his hopes, struggles and perseverance in all the colourful detail this amazing narrative deserves. Alongside this in-depth biography, Donald will also be meeting and talking to Beethoven enthusiasts and experts from across the world to discover how his music continues to speak to us in the twenty-first century. Through story and sound, the series builds into a vivid new portrait of this composer, born 250 years ago this year, who made art that changed how people saw themselves and understood the world.
Music featured: Bagatelle in A minor (Fur Elise), WoO 59 String Quartet No 10, Op 74 (Harp) (3rd movement) Symphony No 3 in E flat major (Eroica) (3rd movement) Grosse Fuge, Op 133 Symphony No 5 in C minor (1st and 2nd movements) Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (2nd movement) Sonata in A major, Op 30 No 1 for violin and piano Leonore Overture No 3 Piano Sonata No 27 in E minor, Op 90 (2nd movement) Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, Op 58 (2nd movement) Piano Sonata No 13 in E flat major, Op 27 No 1 (2nd movement) Symphony No 3 in E flat major (Eroica), Op 55 (2nd movement) The Creatures of Prometheus: Overture Fidelio: Act II finale Symphony No 4 in B flat major, Op 60 (1st movement) Piano Sonata No 14 (Moonlight), Op 27 No 2 (1st movement) String Quartet in F minor, Op 95 (1st movement) Egmont Overture, Op 84 Symphony No 9 in D major (Choral), Op 125 String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 (5th movement) String Quartet in E flat major, Op 127 (1st movement) Bagatelle in E flat major, Op 126 No 6 Mass in D major (Missa Solemnis), Op 123 (Kyrie) Coriolan Overture, Op 62 String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 (5th movement)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven: Why Beethoven? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d7zg
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George Walker, in conversation with his son Gregory.
When Rosa King Walker announced to her five-year-old son George that, like it or not, he was going to have piano lessons, she can scarcely have been aware that she was dispatching him on a lifelong journey in music. He made his concerto début at the age of 23 playing Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the great Eugene Ormandy. A stellar career on the concert platform surely beckoned, but in the event, things were not so straightforward. We’ll hear how Walker began to turn his back on the idea of a solo career, gravitating instead towards a life in teaching – and, increasingly, composition. Donald and Gregory discuss Walker’s studies with the formidable Nadia Boulanger, the relief when his commissions started rolling in, and the far reaches of his stylistic ambition. Walker won the epic Pulitzer Prize for music in 1996 for his piece Lilacs, a career-defining moment, which makes what happened next in Walker’s career all the more surprising. “I got probably more publicity nationwide than perhaps any other Pulitzer Prize-winner,” he recalled in 2015. “But not a single orchestra approached me about doing the piece or any piece. It materialized in nothing.” In this emotional look back at the life and work of his father, Gregory discusses identity, representation and perseverance, ending with the story of his swansong, Visions, inspired by the tragedy of the Charleston church massacre.
Music featured: Response String Quartet No 1 Lyric for Strings Piano Sonata No 1 Cello Sonata Trombone Concerto The Bereaved Maid Sonata No 1 for violin and piano Spatials Variations for Orchestra Five Fancies for clarinet and piano four hands (Theme and 5 variations) Piano Concerto Music for Brass (Sacred and Profane) Cantata Piano Sonata No 4 Sinfonia No 1 Hey Nonny No (anon) Poème for violin and orchestra In Time of Silver Rain Mother Goose (Circa 2054) Lilacs Modus Icarus in Orbit Piano Sonata No 5 Da Camera, for piano trio, harp, celesta, string orchestra and percussion Violin Concerto Bleu Sinfonia No 5 (‘Visions’)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Walker https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cz2q
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the international successes of Arcangelo Corelli.
Arcangelo Corelli was something of a European phenomenon not only during his lifetime, but also after his death. His compositional output was not large, but the development of the printing press enabled his music to be widely circulated. Musically, he bridged the gap between the Baroque and the Classical periods, and is seen as pivotal in the development of the sonata and the concerto. Even today, Corelli’s music is held in high esteem, with composers still inspired by his music. As a violinist he was also legendary, and people flocked from all over Europe to not only hear him play, but to also be taught by him. Corelli spent most of his career in Rome, maintained in some luxury by royalty, nobility and the Church. During his career he collaborated with many other composers including Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel. Despite his fame and continued popularity, we still know relatively little about Corelli, and this Composer of the Week series seeks to explore the man and his music through his personal and professional relationships.
Music featured: Sonata in G minor, Op 4 No 2 (Corrente) Concerto Grossi, Op 6 No 3 Sonata in G, Op 1 No 9 Handel: La Resurrezione (Ho un non so che nel cor) Sonata in F major, Op 5 No 10 Concerto Grosso in D, Op 6 No 1 Fuga con un soggetto solo Sonata in G minor, Op 5 No 5 Sonata in F, Op 1 No 1 Sonata in A minor, Op 1 No 4 Sonata in B minor, Op 3 No 4 Sonata in F minor, Op 3 No 9 Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 12 Sonata in D Sonata in B major, Op 2 No 5 Sonata in E flat major, Op 2 No 11 Sinfonia to Santa Beatrice d’Este in D minor, WoO1 Concerto in G minor, Op 6 No 8 (Christmas Concerto) Sonata in C, Op 5 No 9 Sonata in A minor, op 4 No 5 Sonata in B minor, op 4 No 12 Sonata in C, Op 2 No 3 Sonata in F major, Op 2 No 7 Handel: Sonata a 5, HWV288 (Violin Concerto in B flat) Sonata in G minor WoO2 Corelli Arr. J. C. Schickhardt: Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 3 Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 2 No 2 Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 2 Corelli Arr. Geminiani: Concerto Grosso VII in D minor Sonata in D minor, Op 5 No 12 (Follia) Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 9
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Arcangelo Corelli. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d6y6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music of Johannes Brahms through his close relationships.
Brahms was a deeply private man and very guarded about his life, his friends and his feelings. Across this week, Donald goes “Behind Closed Doors” with Brahms to discover what really made him tick. He finds friends, mentors and lovers along the way who together help solve the enigma of the composer.
We’ll hear about Brahms’s doomed early romance with a young singer, Agathe von Siebold, plus his lifelong friendships with Robert, and particularly Clara Schumann - probably the person he was closest to in his life. Donald explores the music written for some of the women he knew intimately, and why he sought solitude and how it came to influence his music. Throughout his life, there was a great expectation placed on Brahms’s shoulders. We end by looking at how that shaped his character and music.
Music featured: Sonata No 3 in F minor, Op 5 (4th movement) Lieder & Romanzen, Op 14 (No 4, Ein Sonett & No 7, Ständchen) Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor, Op 15 (1st movement) Ave Maria, Op 12 String Sextet No 2 in G, Op 36 (1. Allegro non troppo) 2 Gavottes, WoO 3 (Nos 1 and 2) Piano Sonata No 1 in C major, Op 1 (1. Allegro) 6 Songs, Op 3 (Nos 2 and 3) Piano Quartet, Op 25 (3rd and 4th movements) String Sextet No 1in B flat major, Op 18 (2nd movement) Piano Quintet in F minor, Op 34A (1st movement) Rhapsody in B minor, Op 79 No 1 6 Songs, Op 7 (Nos 2 -5) Variations in E flat on a Theme by Schumann (Nos 8-11) Alto Rhapsody, Op 53 16 Waltzes, Op 39 (Nos 1-4) Cello Sonata No 1 in E minor, Op 38 (3rd movement - Allegro) Klavierstücke, Op 76 (No 7 - Intermezzo in A major; No 8 - Capriccio in C major) Violin Sonata No 2, Op 100 (1st movement: Allegro amabile) Nanie, Op 82 Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat major, Op 83 (3rd movement - Andante) Serenade No 1 in D major, Op 11 (2nd movement) Piano Sonata No 2 in F sharp minor, Op 2 (4th movement) Vier ernste Gesänge, Op 121 (Nos 3 and 4) Ein Deutsches Requiem [A German Requiem], Op 45 (2nd and 3rd movements)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Glyn Tansley for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johannes Brahms. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cb1x
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life, music and quirks of Australian composer, Percy Grainger
Donald Macleod begins this week episode about Percy Grainger by tracing the composer's ambivalent relationship with his primary musical instrument, the piano, and the ever-present influence of his mother. He then follows Grainger to London, where his composing took second place to performing, leading to concert tours of Scandinavia, South Africa, New Zealand and back home to Australia. We’ll also hear about his enthusiastic and sometimes controversial role in the folksong revival of the 1900s, away from starchy drawing rooms and concert halls. Donald keeps up with Grainger during an anxiety-ridden move to America during the First World War. To end, he explores some of the composer's more unsavoury views and his quest for musical 'freedom'.
Music featured: Mowgli's Song Against People Molly on the Shore Walking Tune Tribute to Foster Marching Song of Democracy Hill-Song 1 and 2 Handel in the Strand English Dance Colonial Song Scotch Strathspey and Reel The Warriors Brigg Fair Creeping Jane I'm Seventeen Come Sunday Four Settings from 'Songs of the North' Green Bushes Lincolnshire Posy Country Garden Suite: In a Nutshell The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart Irish Tune from County Derry The Bride's Tragedy Shepherd's Hey The Power of Love Jutish Melody (Danish Folk Song Suite) To a Nordic Princess Immovable Do Free Music Free Music No 2 The Jungle Book (excerpts)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Percy Grainger. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c4kf
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod illustrates Leos Janacek’s inner tensions through five key relationships
One of the most original voices of the twentieth century, Leoš Janáček was a composer, musical theorist, folklorist and teacher. Born in 1854 in the Moravian village of Hukvaldy, which was then part of the Austrian Empire, in his youth German was the language of government, education and social influence. Having returned from studies in Germany, Janáček made detailed studies of native folk song and spent years annotating the natural rhythms of the Czech language. He was to write all his works for stage in his native language. The range of his professional activities gave him a range of outlets to voice what quickly became a life-long commitment to Czech culture.
Janáček was a contradictory man, who spent much of his life feeling at odds with his circumstances. Through five of his closest relationships, Donald Macleod builds a picture of how his inner tensions found expression in his music.
Music featured: Suite for Strings, Andante con moto (3rd movement) Four male-voice choruses Lachian Dances Šárka (excerpt from Act 1) Sinfonietta Lavečka (The Bench) Theme with variations (Zdenka Variations) Amarus (3rd movement) Janacek, rev. Mackerras: The Cunning Little Vixen Orchestral Suite JW 1/9 Quartet no.1 (The Kreutzer Quartet) Nejistota JW V/2 Hukvaldy Songs Taras Bulba Pohádka Jenůfa – excerpt from Act 1 Kat’a Kabanova – Act 3 excerpt The diary of one who disappeared (excerpt) Quartet for strings no. 2: Intimate Letters Glagolitic Mass – Credo Žárlivost On the overgrown path (excerpts) The Excursions of Mr Brouček The Fiddler’s Child Potulný šílenec
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Leoš Janáček https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cr48
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod charts the extraordinary life of composer and jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams’ music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, “her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.” A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some sixty years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.
Over the course of the episode, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.
Music featured: The History of Jazz (excerpt) Rosa Mae My mama pinned a rose on me Willis Nite Life Variations Close to Five Lonely Moments Cloudy Kool Bongo Walkin’ and Swingin’ Corky Stomp Froggy Bottom Lotta Sax Appeal Mess-A-Stomp The Rocks Little Joe from Chicago Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin, arr. by ML Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band A Mellow Bit of Rhythm Twinklin’ Jelly Roll Morton, arr. ML Williams: The Pearls What’s Your Story, Morning Glory Scratchin’ in the Gravel Roll ‘Em Gjon Mili Jam Session Boogie misterioso Zodiac Suite (excerpt) In the land of Oo-bla-dee Mary Lou Williams Orchestra In the land of Oo-bla-dee A Fungus A Mungus Nicole Irving Berlin, arr. by ML Williams: Blue Skies (Trumpets no end) Tisherome New Musical Express Hymn to St. Martin de Porres The Devil O.W. Mary Lou’s Mass ML Williams, Sonny Henry: Lazarus Zodiac Suite Syl-o-gism Why? Chunka Lunka Ode to Saint Cecilie Medi II Blues for Timme Praise the Lord
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mary Lou Williams https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bdx1 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod journeys through some of the contrasting sides of Sir Malcolm Arnold and his music
Sir Malcolm Arnold was a prolific composer, writing music in many different genres ranging from nine symphonies and over twenty concertos, to chamber music, music for brass bands and nearly one hundred and twenty film scores. These many works for film include classics such as Hobson’s Choice, Whistle Down the Wind, the St Trinian’s films, and The Bridge on the River Kwai for which he won an Oscar. He composed works for some of the very top performers in the music industry including Julian Bream, Julian Lloyd Webber, Larry Adler, Frederic Thurston, Benny Goodman, and collaborated with the likes of Deep Purple and Gerard Hoffnung. His music crossed social boundaries and gave pleasure to so many, and yet his personal life was marred by alcoholism, depression and periods of hospitalization. He’s been described as a larger than life character, outrageous, Falstaffian, Bohemian, and some of the stories which circulated about Arnold have become the stuff of legend.
Across the episode Donald Macleod traces Sir Malcolm Arnold’s life through exploring five different influences upon the composer’s music, from his love of Cornwall and Ireland, to his own mental and emotional wellbeing.
Music featured: The Belles of St Trinian’s (Prelude) Symphony No 2, Op 40 (Lento) String Quartet No 1, Op 23 Clarinet Sonatina, Op 29 English Dances Set 1, Op 27 Three Shanties, Op 4 (Allegro vivace) Four Cornish Dances, Op 91 Fantasy for Guitar, Op 107 Symphony No 8, Op 124 (Allegro) Philharmonic Concerto, Op 120 Suite Bourgeoise for flute, oboe and piano (Tango) Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, Op 47 A Grand Grand Overture, Op 57 Symphony No 4, Op 71 (Allegro) Concerto for Two Pianos (3 Hands), Op 104 The Padstow Lifeboat, Op 94 Divertimento for flute, oboe and clarinet, Op 37 Little Suite No 1, Op 53 Fantasy for Brass Band, Op 114 Concerto for Two Violins, Op 77 Hobson’s Choice (Overture) The Sound Barrier Five Blake Songs, Op 66 Symphony No 5, Op 74
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Malcolm Arnold https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8hm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life, music and perseverance of Antonín Dvořák.
Antonín Dvořák was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvořák as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?
Donald Macleod introduces us to Dvořák as he struggles to carve his path as a composer. We’ll meet his influential friends who championed his work, including Brahms, the conductor Hans Richter and the virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim. Dvořák’s ambition eventually took him to America, but as well as inspiring many of his best-known works, found him embroiled in arguments about the nature of American music and struggling with homesickness. Donald considers what drove Dvořák to tirelessly persevere, particularly with the operatic genre, when his other works were so well received by audiences at home and abroad.
Music featured: Slavonic Dances, Op 46 (Dumka) In Nature’s Realm, Op 91 Symphony No 3 in E flat major, Op 10 Písně Milostné, Op 83 Serenade, Op 44 Piano Trio in F minor, Op 65 Moravian Duets, Op 32 (How small the field of Slavíkov is & Water and Tears) Symphonic Variations, Op 78 String Quartet No 10 in E flat major, Op 51 Violin Concerto in A minor, Op 53 Czech Suite, Op 39 Stabat Mater, Op 58 Svatá Ludmila, Op 71 Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 Requiem, Op 89 (Hostias) Piano Trio in E minor, Op 90 (Dumky) Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 Violin Sonatina in G, Op 100 Biblical Songs, op 99 String Quartet No 12 in F major, Op 96 (American) Symphony No 9, Op 95 (From the New World) Vanda (Overture) The King and the Charcoal Burner (Act 11, scene 7) Dimitrij (Act 4, scene 3) The Noon Witch, Op 196 Rusalka (Act 3)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Antonín Dvořák https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009zxh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod talks to Sir Harrison Birtwistle about his life, inspiration and music.
This week Donald Macleod meets Sir Harrison Birtwistle, described as “the most forceful and uncompromisingly original composer of his generation.” We hear his major compositions, broadly in chronological order, and reveal the preoccupations and processes behind a singular music imagination.
To begin, we’ll hear about, Birtwistle’s daily working life, and about his early years among what became known as the Manchester school of composers. The premiere of his first opera Punch and Judy at Aldeburgh was infamous - much of the audience – including its commissioner Benjamin Britten – walked out at the interval. Next, we’ll hear about Birtwistle’s time in America and his friendship with Morton Feldman. They discuss some of his non-musical inspirations too: the power of mythology, the paintings of Paul Klee and the films of Quentin Tarantino. Birtwistle reveals how time, and the instruments for measuring time, have inspired many of his compositions, and how a lifelong fascination with moths inspired a new work meditating on loss.
Music featured: Oockooing Bird Refrains and Choruses Punch and Judy (The Resolve; Passion Aria; Adding Song) Tragoedia Dinah and Nick’s Love Song Trio Chronometer The Triumph of Time Duets for Storab (Urlar; Stark Pastoral; Crunluath) Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum The Mask of Orpheus (13th, 14th 15th Arch from Act 2, Scene 2) Silbury Air Nine Settings of Lorine Niedecker (There’s A Better Shine; How The White Gulls; My Life; Sleep’s Dream) Earth Dances Harrison’s Clocks (Clock 2; Clock 5) Panic Virelai (Sus une fontayne) The Minotaur (Part Two) The Moth Requiem In Broken Images Duet for Eight Strings
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Harrison Birtwistle https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009r3h
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of piano prodigy Muzio Clementi.
Muzio Clementi was one of the 18th and 19th century’s most revered musicians – a star performer, a composer admired by Czerny, Beethoven and Chopin and an astute musical businessman. However, he also had his detractors in his own time and history hasn’t been as kind to him as to the greater names of his time – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Today his name is unfamiliar to most but it is certainly better known than the music he wrote. He was fortunate to have interactions with perhaps the world's three greatest composers, but this fortune may have also worked against him - putting him in direct competition with them. Across the episode, Donald Macleod explores Clementi’s contact with the greatest composers of his day, reassessing the life and music of the man known as the “father of the piano” in the light of these encounters. We’ll hear the stories of his musical duel with Mozart, stage-sharing with Haydn, brushes with Beethoven and dispute with John Field over a hat.
Music featured: Symphony No 3 (Finale) Musical Characteristics, Op 19 Piano Sonata in A flat Major, WoO 13 Sonata for piano, Op 2 No 4 Duetto in C Major, Op 3 No 3 (Presto) Mozart (arr. Clementi): Symphony no. 40 in G minor, K 550 (Finale) Sonata in G minor, Op 7 No 3 Toccata in B flat Major, Op 11 No 2 Sonata in B flat major, Op 24 No 2 Variations on Mozart’s Batti, batti, o bel Masetto from Don Giovanni, WoO 10 Sonata in E flat major, Op. 8 No 2 (II. Larghetto con espressione) Symphony in B flat major, Op 18 No 1 (I. Allegro Assai) Sonata in G minor, Op 9 No 2 Overture in D Major Symphony No 4 Capriccio in F major, Op 34 No 2 Monferinas selection Sonata, Op 34 No 2 Concerto for piano and orchestra (II. Adagio e cantibile) Piano Sonata in F minor, Op 13 No 6 (III. Presto) Adagio sostenuto in F major (Gradus ad Parnassum, Book I, No 14) Sonata in B minor, Op 40 No 2 (II. Largo) Symphony No 2 in D major ( Finale) Symphony No 1 in C major (III. Minuet and Trio) Piano Sonata in G minor, Op 50 No 3 “Didone abbandonata”
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Muzio Clementi https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009bdq
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music of Sergei Prokofiev and tells the story of his American dream.
After a series of revolutions in his native Russia, the young composer Sergei Prokofiev made the decision to leave his homeland and to head to the United States in search of fame and fortune. His years in the United States would turn into some of the most tumultuous of his life. Across this week, Donald explores how those years in exile and how it would prove to be one of his most challenging periods professionally, financially and personally. His life was set against the turbulent events of the first half of the twentieth century, and forces beyond his control so often intervened to scupper his grand ambitions.
Music featured: Violin Concerto No 1 in D, Op 19 (3rd movement) Seven, They Are Seven, Op 30 Sonata for piano No 2, Op 14 (3rd & 4th movements) Visions Fugitives, Op 22 (selection) Symphony No 1 in D major, Op 25 (Classical) Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op 31 Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op 34 Prelude from 10 pieces for piano, Op 12 Concerto No 1 for piano and orchestra in D flat major, Op 10 (excerpts) Scythian Suite, Op 20 The Love for Three Oranges Symphonic Suite, Op 33bis (Marche) Four Pieces, Op 32 (selection) Piano Concerto No 3 in C major, Op 26 Five melodies for violin and piano, Op 35bis (selection) The Fiery Angel, Op 37 (Act IV Scene 1) Sonata No 3 in A minor, Op 28 The Gambler: Four Portraits from the Opera, Op 49 (Portrait No 1; Alexis) Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 16 Quintet in G minor, Op 39 (Selection) The Prodigal Son, Op 46 (Scene 2, excerpt) Chout Suite, Op 21 (excerpts) American Overture, Op 42 Peter and the Wolf (excerpt) Five Poems, Op 36 (selection) The Love of Three Oranges Symphonic Suite, Op 33bis Romeo and Juliet, Op 64 (excerpts)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Glyn Tansley for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sergei Prokofiev https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00093cn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music and life of Gustav Mahler through five key themes.
This week’s episode begins with an exploration of love - a potent force in Mahler’s creative armoury, but, for Mahler’s wife Alma, it came at a heavy price. Mahler was also obsessed with human mortality, but that became all too real with the tragic death of his daughter Maria. We’ll also hear about the composer’s ambivalent relationship to religion. Despite his lack of adherence to a particular creed, Mahler’s work is shot through with a genuine religious sense. Next, Donald discusses the vein of tart humour in Mahler’s music, from the gently sardonic to the out-and-out grotesque. Finally Donald tells how Mahler’s profound love of the natural world seeped into almost everything he wrote.
Music featured: Liebst du um Schönheit Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (No 4, ‘Die zwei blauen Augen’) Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen Symphony No 5 (4th mvt, Adagietto) Symphony No 6 (1st movement, Allegro energico, ma non troppo) Rückert-Lieder (Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen) Symphony No 4 (2nd movement, In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast) Kindertotenlieder (Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n) Symphony No 6 (4th movement, Finale. Allegro moderato – Allegro energico) Symphony No 8 (Part 1, extract – ‘Veni creator spiritus') Symphony No 4 (4th movement, Sehr behaglich) Symphony No 10 (3rd movement, Purgatorio – Unheimlich bewegt) Symphony No 2 (‘Resurrection’) (5th movement, Finale) Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt) Symphony No 1 in D (‘Titan’) (3rd movement, Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen) Symphony No 2 (3rd movement, In ruhig fliessender Bewegung) Symphony No 7 (3rd movement, Scherzo: Schatternhaft) Symphony No 9 (3rd movement, Rondo-Burleske) Lieder und gesänge aus Jugendzeit (Ablösung im Sommer) Symphony No 3 (3rd movement, Comodo) Das Lied von der Erde (6. Der Abschied)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gustav Mahler https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008p73
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music and life of Henry Purcell.
Frustratingly little is known about the tragically abbreviated life of the composer who is arguably Britain’s greatest, Henry Purcell. Purcell kept no diary of his own – at least none has survived – and if he was active as a letter-writer, precious little of his correspondence has come down to us. Our evidence for the facts of the composer’s life appears in a sequence of glimpses – a portrait here, an anecdote there, unvarnished entries in the official records of the time. Donald begins with a whistle-stop trip through the scanty facts of the composer’s biography, and then looks at a single year, 1680, in which Purcell emerged as one of the greatest contrapuntists of his time. We hear about the pieces he wrote to mark specific events, from King Charles’ escape from shipwreck to the passing of Queen Mary. Next, an excursion round six key Purcellian venues, from pint-sized York Buildings to gargantuan Westminster Abbey. Finally, Donald tells stories of the relatively small but extraordinarily rich body of work Purcell wrote for intimate, domestic settings. His smaller-scale work – catches, songs, keyboard and chamber music – is generally less well-known, but contains some absolute gems. In a sense, it’s the music that Purcell didn’t have to write.
Music featured: Sound the trumpet (Come ye sons of art, Z323) Chacony in G minor, Z730 I was glad, Z19 Now does the glorious day appear, Z332 The Indian Queen, Z630 (Act 3, extract) Thou knowest, Lord, Z58c Theodosius, Z606 (‘Hail to the myrtle shade’) Fantazia IV in G minor, Z735 Fantazia V in B flat major, Z736 Theodosius, Z606 (Act 1, scene 1) Fantazia VIII in D minor, Z739 Fantazia VI in F major, Z737 Welcome, vicegerent of the mighty king, Z340 Fantazia X in E minor, Z741 Fantazia XI in G major, Z742 March, Z860 Funeral Sentences (Man that is born of a woman, Z27 – In the midst of life, Z17 – Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts, Z58b) Welcome to all the pleasures, Z339 They that go down to the sea in ships, Z57 Of old, when heroes thought it base, Z333 Who can from joy refrain, Z342 The Fairy Queen, Z629 (Act 3) Rejoice in the Lord alway, Z49 (Bell anthem) Ye tuneful Muses, Z344 Hail, Bright Cecilia, Z328 My heart is inditing, Z30 The Fairy Queen, Z629 (Act 4, extract) Since the Duke is return’d, Z271 Overture in G, Z770 Suite No 7 in D minor, Z668 Sonata No 7 in E minor, Z796 (Twelve Sonnata’s of III Parts) O! Fair Cedaria, hide those eyes, Z402 I resolve against cringing and whining, Z386 I take no pleasure in the sun’s bright beams, Z388 She loves and she confesses too, Z413 Sonata No 6 in G minor, Z807 Tell me, some pitying angel, Z196 Fantasia upon one note, Z745
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Henry Purcell https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008gtl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Franz Schubert.
It’s hard to think of a composer more gregarious than Schubert, and further removed from the image of the reclusive genius, closeted away in his artistic ivory tower, creating peerless masterpieces in splendid isolation. From his days at Vienna’s Stadtkonvikt, the Imperial Catholic boarding school that offered the best general and musical education in the Austrian capital, Schubert developed a wide and supportive network of highly cultured friends, with whom he explored art, politics, religion, literature, and, of course, music; frequented the odd tavern or three; and attended convivial social gatherings in the homes of well-heeled admirers, from which developed the tradition of the ‘Schubertiad’ – informal get-togethers devoted to the performance of Schubert’s music, and above all, his songs.
In this week's episode, we’ll start by meeting Schubert’s friends, and then take a trip round Vienna in search of Schubert’s audience. Next, Donald gives us a whistle-stop tour of the jaw-droppingly productive year that’s been called Schubert’s annus mirabilis, 1815. We’ll also hear how Schubert faced the challenge of following in Beethoven’s footsteps, and about the posthumous discovery of much of his music, including many of his most-loved works.
Music featured: ‘An die Musik’, D547 ‘Suleika I’ D720 ‘Geheimes’, D719 Symphony No 8 in B minor (‘Unfinished’), D759 ‘Über Wildemann’, D884 ‘Sehnsucht’, D879 ‘Das Zügenglöcklein’, D871 Gesang (‘An Sylvia’), D891 String Quartet in D minor, D 810 (‘Death and the Maiden’) Mass in F, D105 (Sanctus) Overture in D, D590 (‘In the Italian style’) Der Zwillingsbrüder, D647 (No 3, Aria, ‘Der Vater mag wohl immer Kind mich nennen’) String Quartet in A minor, D804 (‘Rosamunde’) Psalm 92, D953 Piano Trio in E flat, D929 (Op 100) Erlkönig’, D328 Piano Sonata in E, D157 Mass in G, D167 (Agnus Dei) String Quartet in G minor, D173 Der vierjährige Posten, D190 Symphony No 3 in D, D200 ‘Heidenröslein’, D257 ‘Gebet während der Schlacht’, D171 ‘An die Nachtigall’, D196 ‘Die Mondnacht’, D238 ‘Das Rosenband’, D280 Beethoven: ‘Der Zufriedene’, Op 75 No 6 Schubert: ‘Der Zufriedene’, D320 Symphony No 4 in C minor (‘Tragic’), D417 ‘Abschied’, D957 No 7 ‘Der Atlas’, D 957 No 8 Octet in F for clarinet, horn, bassoon, string quartet and double bass, D803 ‘Auf dem Strom’, D943 Liszt, after Schubert: Die Rose – Lied von Franz Schubert, S556/1 Symphony in C, D 944 Piano Sonata in A, D959 String Quintet in C, D 956 Ständchen, D920
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Schubert https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00083n5
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons to explore Guillaume Dufay's life and music.
The beauty, originality and technical mastery of Guillaume Dufay’s music illustrate why the Florentine ruler Piero de’Medici gave him the epithet “the greatest ornament of our age”. Undoubtedly he is one of the 15th century’s most distinctive voices. He was in his late 70s by the time he died in 1474; a long life by medieval standards. His outstanding talent transported him from an uncertain start in life as the illegitimate son of a servant and an unknown man, to being a musician who was feted at court, and respected by the church and the papacy alike. As his fame spread across Europe, he commanded the admiration of his fellow composers, influencing not only his direct contemporaries but also the generation of composers who succeeded him, among them Johannes Ockeghem.
Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons, a historical music researcher and the founder of the ensemble The Dufay Collective. Pulling together what’s known about Dufay, across the episode, they build a picture of the man behind this illustrious reputation, examine the key relationships he fostered, and consider how his music flourished as he navigated the turbulent political currents of the age.
Music featured: St. Anthony of Padua Mass Ce jour de l’an Quel fronte signorillo C’est bien raison de devoir essaucier Ave Regina caelorum Missa Ave regina caelorum Motet: Apostolo gloriosum Seigneur Leon, vous soyés bienvenus Missa Sancti Jacobi - Offertorium Magnificat tertii et quarti toni Missa Ecce ancilla Domini - Sanctus Malheureulx cueur Motet: Moribus et genere Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys Missa Sine Nomine - Kyrie & Gloria Ballade: Resvelliés-vous et faites chiere lye Vasilissa ergo gaude O Sancte Sebastiane Missa Sancti Jacobi - Sanctus, Agnus Dei Vergene Bella La Belle se siet Ballade: Se la face ay pale Flos Florum Ecclesiae militantis Balsamus et munda cera Supremum est mortalibus bonum Ave Maris Stella L’alta tua bellezza Salve flos Tusce gentis Ce moys de may Bon jour, bon mois Il sera par vous combatu Missa L’homme armé - Kyrie S’il est Plaisir Je me complains Par le regard Ave regina caelorum II Sanctus Ave verum corpus Gaude virgo
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Guillaume Dufay https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007yz1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Edward Elgar’s music through the locations that inspired him.
Worcester-born, with his roots in the beautiful English countryside around Hereford and the Malverns yet drawn to the bright lights of London, English composer Edward Elgar moved house a lot. He lived in over 25 residences in his lifetime, stayed with friends, travelled often for work and pleasure in the UK, Europe and further afield, and had a number of second homes he rented as retreats. This week we’re focusing on the locations that were important to Elgar, and the places that inspired his music. Following Elgar’s journeys, Donald takes us from home life in the Midlands to country cottage holidays, summers in Europe and as far afield as the Amazon.
Music featured: Pomp and Circumstance March, Op 39 No 1 in D major Cockaigne (In London Town) Salut d'amour, Op 12 O Happy Eyes, Op 18 No 1 The Dream of Gerontius, Op 38 Owls, an Epitaph, Op 53 No 4 (Four Choral Songs) Enigma Variations, Op 36 Symphony No 2 (3rd movement) String Quartet (2nd movement) Introduction ‘The woodland interlude’ (Caractacus) Sea Pictures, Op 37 Piano Quintet, Op 84 (3rd movt - Andante – Allegro) Cello Concerto in E minor, Op 85 (1st movement) In Smyrna Paris – Five Quadrilles From the Bavarian Highlands, Op 27 Nos 3 - 6 In the South (Alassio) Mina The Wand of Youth Suite No 1, Op 1a Organ Sonata No 1 in G major, Op 28 (2nd movement) Severn Suite, Op 87 Lux Aeterna (choral arrangement of Enigma Variations Op 36 Nimrod by John Cameron)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amy Wheel for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edward Elgar https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000754h
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Antonio Vivaldi.
As a virtuoso violinist, as a teacher, as a priest and as a prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was a key figure in Baroque Italy and remains one of the most famous names in classical music today. In this episode, Donald begins by exploring Vivaldi’s intrinsic link with his birth city, Venice, through a series of images. Next, he examines the depth of Vivaldi’s faith – as an ordained priest who didn’t say mass, there have been many questions asked about his piety. We’ll also hear about the composer’s many female muses, his rapid fall from grace to anonymity and the posthumous rediscovery of his music after a long period in the musical wilderness.
Music featured: Violin Concerto in E flat major “La Tempesta di Mare”, RV 253 Armida, RV 699 Violin Concerto in F minor “L’inverno”, RV297 Judita Triumphans, RV644 Concerto for two horns, RV 538 Laetatus sum (psalm 121), RV 607 Concerto in G minor, Op 3 No 2, RV 578 Stabat Mater dolorosa, RV 621 Gloria, RV 589 Griselda, RV 718 Il Teuzzone RV 736 Dorilla In Tempe, RV 709 Concerto for Viola d’Amore in A minor, RV397 Orlando furioso, RV 728 Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630 Atenaide, RV 702 Il Farnace, RV 711 Concerto per S.A.S.I.S.P.G.M.D.G.S.M.B., RV 574 Violin Concerto in E major “la primavera”, RV 269 La Senna Festeggiante, RV 693 Violin Concerto No 12 in B Minor “La Cetra”, RV 391 Agrippo, RV697 Il Bajazet, RV 703 Nisi Dominus, RV 608 Salve Regina, RV 616 Bach: Concerto for Four Keyboards in A minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 1065 L’Olimpiade, RV 725 Violin Concerto in G Minor “L'estate", RV 315 Dixit Dominus, RV 594
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Antonio Vivaldi https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006zh2
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod talks to composer James MacMillan as he celebrates his 60th birthday
One of the UK’s most prolific living composers, James MacMillan was born on the 16th of July 1959 in Ayrshire. His grandfather introduced him to brass band music and his primary teacher taught him the recorder. The combination of these musical experiences sparked a lifelong passion in James to make and create music of his own. As well as James’s journey into music, we’ll hear about the birth of James’s political and religious views, and his critiques of Scotland which finds their way into his writing. Donald and James discuss the importance of the composer’s connection with his listeners and performers. His festival, the Cumnock Tryst, brings musical sharing to his community in Ayrshire, and his religious music continues to bring solace even in very difficult family times.
Music featured: The Storm (Into the Ferment) Berserking (1st movement) It is Finished (Seven Last Words from the Cross) The Confession of Isobel Gowdie For Ian Cantos Sagrados (Identity) The Reproaches (Cello Concerto) Veni, Veni Emmanuel A Scotch Bestiary Tenebrae Responsories Clemency: Sarah’s Lament Piano Concerto No 2 (3rd movement - Shamnation) O Radiant Dawn (Strathclyde Motets) Miserere Oboe Concerto The Sacrifice: Act III, Scene 3 Domus Infelix Est - An Unhappy House One Prelude (St Luke Passion) Benedicimus Deum coeli (Strathclyde Motets) Violin Concerto (3rd movement – Song and Dance) Fac, ut portem Christi mortem (Stabat Mater)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Rosie Boulton for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for James MacMillan https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006sjd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Carl Nielsen’s worldview through his music.
You’ll find a clue as to Carl Nielsen’s character in any number of photographs that show him smiling; they include snaps of him taken as a young man in which he’s cheekily pulling funny faces for the camera. They’re far removed from the formal portraiture one might expect of Denmark’s foremost composer. As well as a good sense of humour, these unselfconscious poses reveal an open, inquisitive fascination with the world around him.
In this episode, Donald Macleod explores how the world around him fed into Nielsen’s music. Excerpts from five of his symphonies reveal some of his most profound thinking on life, while his major choral works Hymnus Amoris and Springtime on Funen - which directly relate to his rural childhood - show a more personal side of his character. Ever the keen observer, there’s comedy and drama and even a musical portrait of chickens to be found in his operas.
Music featured: Maskarade: Overture Violin Concerto, Op 33 (Rondo: Allegretto scherzando) Frihed er det bedste guld Helios Overture Afflictus Sum (3 Motets) The Cockerel’s Dance (Maskarade) Se dig ud en sommerdag Chaconne, Op 32 Symphony No 3 (1: Allegro espansivo) String Quintet in G major (3: Allegretto scherzando) Springtime on Funen, Op 42 Five Piano Pieces Op 3 (Humoresque: Allegretto giocoso) Little Suite for Strings (Intermezzo) 6 Songs, Op 10 Symphony No 1 (Allegro orgoglioso) Hymnus Amoris Benedictus Dominus (3 Motets) Jens Vejmand (excerpts) Suite, Op 45 for piano (Allegretto un pochettino) Saga-Dream Saul and David (Act 4) String Quartet in F major, Op 44 (1: Allegro non tanto e comodo) Symphony No 5 (Allegro – Presto – Andante poco tranquillo – Allegro (tempo 1)) Graeshoppen Wind Quintet (1: Allegro ben moderato) Pan and Syrinx, Op 49 Sonata for violin and piano No 2, Op 35 (2: molto adagio) Symphony No 4 (1: Allegro)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Carl Nielsen https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006m0z
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod tells the story of the loss - and later rediscovery - of CPE Bach’s music
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was many things in his lifetime: composer, virtuoso harpsichord player and improviser extraordinaire, author, businessman – publishing his own music – biographer – of his father and other members of his family, and teacher. This week we look at CPE Bach's music and reputation in the light of the sensational rediscovery of much of his archive in 1999. Throughout the episode we'll hear recent recordings of this 'new' music. We’ll learn about CPE’s musical crowd-funding, his emotive Empfindsamer style, his life in Hamburg, and how the discovery has changed the way Bach and his music is seen in 2019.
Music featured: L'Aly Rupalich, Wq 117 No 27 Keyboard Concerto in D minor, Wq 23 Heilig, Wq 217 Flute concerto in D Major, Wq 13 Solfeggio in C Minor, Wq 117 No 2 Free Fantasie in F sharp minor, Wq 67 Licht der Welt, von Gott gegeben, H 811 (Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe) Rondo II in D Minor, Wq 61 No 4 Flute Sonata in A minor, Wq 132 Solfeggio in C Minor Symphony in D Major, Wq 183 No 1 Fantasia No. 2 in C Major, Wq 59 No 6 Wer ist so würdig als du; Ach, ruft mich einst zu seinen Freuden, H 805 (Nun danket alle Gott) Sonata in C Minor, Wq 78 Morgengesang am Schöpfungsfeste, W 239 Magnificat anima mea Dominum, Et misericordia eius, Gloria Patri et Filio, Sicut erat in principio (Magnificat, Wq 215) Quartet in D Major, Wq 94 Rondo in A minor Wq 56 No 5 Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, Wq 240 (Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu) Leite mich nach deinem Willen, H 835 Cello Concerto in A major, Wq 172 (2nd mvt) Symphony in B minor, Wq 182 No 5 Sonata in C major, Wq 55 No 1 (Für Kenner und Liebhaber) Double Concerto for harpsichord and fortepiano in E Flat major, Wq 47
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for CPE Bach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006fff
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores “the poet of the piano”, Fryderyk Chopin.
Donald starts this week’s episode with a look at how Chopin’s Polish heritage shaped his music. Although he left the country at the age of 20, dance forms like the polonaise and mazurka left a strong mark on his writing. Next, we catch fleeting glimpses of the composer through his letters, and his relationship with his instrument, the piano. Chopin’s reticence to perform made his rare appearances extremely lucrative, but he much preferred the more intimate and sociable surroundings of the salon, where his trademark light touch could be appreciated to the full. We hear about Chopin through the eyes of his most illustrious contemporaries – his lover George Sand, and fellow composers Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann. To end, stories of the composer’s ever-feeble health – Berlioz is supposed to have said Chopin was “dying all his life” – which makes the scale of his achievement all the more heroic.
Music featured: ‘Życzenie’ (The maiden’s wish), Op 74 No 1 Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21 (3rd mvt, Allegro vivace) 4 Mazurkas, Op 17 Polonaise No 5 in C minor, Op 40 No 2 Polonaise No 6 in A flat, Op 53 (‘Heroic’) Ballade No 4 in F minor, Op 52 2 Mazurkas (Mazurka in G; Mazurka in B flat) Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11 (2nd mvt, Romance—Larghetto) Preludes, Op 28 3 Mazurkas, Op 50 (No 1 in G; No 2 in A flat; No 3 in C sharp minor) 2 Nocturnes, Op 55 (No 1 in F minor; No 2 in E flat) Etude in A flat, Op 25 No 1 (‘Aeolian Harp’) ‘Krakowiak’: Grand Concert Rondo in F, Op 14 Mazurka in B minor, Op 33 No 4 Andante spianato, Op 22 No 1 Impromptu No 3 in G flat, Op 51 Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op 48 No 2 Barcarolle, Op 60 Etude in C, Op 10 No 1 Ballade No 2 in F, Op 38 Variations in B flat major on ‘La ci darem la mano’, from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, Op 2 Scherzo No 4 in E, Op 54 Sonata in G minor for piano and cello, Op 65 (2nd and 3rd movements) Mazurka in G minor, Op 67 No 2 2 Nocturnes, Op 27 (No 1 in C sharp minor, Larghetto; No 2 in D flat, Lento sostento) Scherzo No 3 in C sharp minor, Op 39 Ballade No 3 in A flat, Op 47 Sonata No 3 in B minor, Op 58 (3rd movement, Largo) Waltz in E flat, Op 18 (‘Grande valse brillante’) Berceuse, Op 57
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Fryderyk Chopin https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00066mv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod on Jacques Offenbach - maestro of the Cancan and much more besides.
Today’s episode we meet Offenbach on the brink of defeat – when he decides to launch his own theatre company, ‘Les Bouffes-Parisiens’ in a tiny wooden shack on the Champs-Elysées. It was an instant and enduring success; over the next quarter-century, more than 50 of Offenbach’s musical comedies were to début there. We get an insight into the character of this driven creative artist – the man who “cannot stop working”. He even had his carriage kitted out with a writing desk, so that he could continue composing, scoring or revising as he travelled between venues. Next, we hear about his A-team librettists, Meilhac and Halévy, and a mysterious stranger makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Offenbach is whisked to the United States on a concert tour, where he is particularly fascinated by the women. Finally, Donald looks at Offenbach’s gout-ridden final years, and the opera he left unfinished on his death (The Tales of Hoffmann).
Music featured: Orphée aux enfers (extracts) Les deux aveugles (Overture) Monsieur Choufleuri restera chez lui (extracts) Valse de Zimmer (Dernier Souvenir) Boléro (from Grande scène espagnole, Op 22) Lischen et Fritzchen (Act 1, ‘Je suis Alsacienne’) Le papillon (extract) Boule de neige (‘L'Hospodar nous invite a luncher avec lui, lunchons!’) Barbe-bleue (Act 1, Couplets de Boulotte: “Y’a des bergers dans le village”) La belle Hélène (extract) La vie Parisienne (Act 3, finale) La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (Act I, finale) La Perichole (extract) La boulangerie à des écus (‘Ce qu’ j’ai?’) Vert-Vert (overture) American Eagle Waltz La vie Parisienne (Act 2, beginning) Les belles Américaines La Belle Hélène (Act 2, ‘On me nomme Hélène le blond’) La jolie parfumeuse (Act 1, ‘Je peins, je crayonne’) Les contes d’Hoffmann (extract)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jacques Offenbach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00061hq
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod introduces six composers who flourished under the rule of Elizabeth I.
The composers of 16th century England flourished under the rule of Elizabeth I, rapidly developing a diverse musical culture unparalleled anywhere on the continent, a truly Golden Age for English music. In this week of programmes Donald Macleod explores six composers who were key to this ascent - Thomas Morley, John Bull, Peter Philips, Thomas Weelkes, Orlando Gibbons and Thomas Tomkins. These composers were all active at around the same time as the “Father of British Musick” William Byrd and John Dowland, and all either studied or worked with Byrd, but they don’t often receive the same attention as those more famous names.
Music featured: Morley: It was a Lover and his lass / Hard by a Crystal Fountain / Now is the month of maying; Sing we and chant it; On a fair morning / Cruel, Wilt Thou Persever / Magnificat and Nunc Dimitis from First Service /
Tomkins: Fantasia a 6 no. 18 / Too Much I Once Lamented (for Byrd) / Oft did I marle (c.1622) / Know You Not / Cloris When As I Woo / O Let Me Live for True Love / Be Strong and of good courage / Offertory / Thou Art My King / Pavan “for these distracted times” / The Lady Folliot’s Galliard / Burial Sentences
Bull: Chromatic Pavan and Galliard MB 87a/b / Pavan No 2 (from Parthenia) / Almighty God, Which by the leading of a Star / Fantasia on a fugue of Sweelinck / Coranto – Alarm / Pavan & Galliard “St Thomas Wake”
Philips: Hodie beata Virgo Maria; Surgens Jesus; Ave Verum Corpus / Pavan & Galliard (arr. Philips based on Morley’s originals) / Lasso, non e morir / Amarilli (after G. Caccini) / Gaude Maria virgo / Salve Regina / Pavan & Galliard in memory of Lord Paget / Pavan and Galliard Dolorosa
Gibbons: Prelude in D minor / See, See the World is Incarnate / The Silver Swan (c.1611) / Fantasia No 5 in G minor / O Clap your hands / Lord Salisbury’s Pavan and Galliard from Parthenia / Nay Let me weep (Part 1) / O Lord in thy Wrath, Rebuke me Not
Weelkes: As Vesta was from Latmos Hill Descending / O Lord, Grand the King a Long Life / O Care Thou Wilt Dispatch Me (Parts 1 and 2) / Come, Sirrah Jack, ho! / Thule, the period of cosmology – The Andalusian merchant / Death hath deprived me of my dearest friend
Alfonso Ferrabosco the Elder: Questi ch'indizio fan del mio tormento
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for England’s Golden Age https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005nly
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music of Dmitry Shostakovich through the lens of his family life.
In this week’s episode, Donald introduces us to Shostakovich - the family man. Turning his attention to the middle of the Russian composer's life, we hear the story of his relationships with his two children (Galina, born in 1936, and Maxim, born in 1938) and his first wife Nina, who he was married to from 1935 until her death in 1954. Starting with the complicated early days of building a family, Donald tells us how Shostakovich celebrated the birth of his first daughter, plus the answer to an important question: was Shostakovich a cat or a dog person? Next, we meet the family as wartime evacuees and hear about the symphony that was almost lost in a toilet on a train. We join the Shostakoviches in a country retreat set up by the USSR Union of Composers, where they spent memorable summers, and hear about the terrifying moment Shostakovich received a phone call from Stalin. Lastly, Donald reveals how Shostakovich coped following Nina’s death, and the music which his grief inspired.
Music featured: Suite for Variety Orchestra Six Romances on Texts by Japanese Poets, Op 21 The Tale of the Silly Little Mouse Symphony No 4 in C major Op 43 6 Romances on Verses by English Poets, Op 62 - 1. Sir Walter Raleigh to His Sonne Sonata No 2 in B minor, Op 61 Symphony No 7 in C major ‘Leningrad’, Op 60 Children's Notebook Op 69 (1-7) String Quartet 2 in A major, Op 68 Piano Trio No 2 Op 67 Symphony No 8 in C minor Op 65 Pirogov (Finale) Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77 The Song of the Forests Op 81 String Quartet No 4, Op 83 Festive Overture, Op 96 Symphony No 10 in E minor, Op 93 Piano Concerto No 2 in F major, Op 102 String Quartet No 7 in F sharp minor, Op 108 Youth (Romance) from The Gadfly
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amy Wheel for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dmitry Shostakovich https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005736
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky.
In this week’s episode, Donald explores the composer who is said, in his music, to have ushered in the 20th century: Igor Stravinsky. His name is probably still most associated with the utterly extraordinary, revolutionary evening that prompted that accolade – the premiere of The Rite of Spring in Paris on the 29th of May 1913. We’ll hear about his pivotal relationships with fellow musician Rimsky-Korsakov, his assistant Robert Craft and the impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Plus, Donald delves into some of the most formative periods in Stravinsky’s life: his creative move towards neo-classicism, the death of his wife, his lonely exile to the USA, and his experiments with serialist methods.
Music featured: Rite of Spring Scherzo in G minor Pastorale Four Etudes, Op 7, Nos 3 and 4 Symphony in E flat major (1st and 2nd movements) Faun and Shepherdess Scherzo Fantastique Fireworks The Firebird Suite Three Movements from Petrushka Pulcinella (Overture) Mavra: Russian Song (arr for cello & piano) Octet (2nd movement) Symphony of Psalms Concerto in E flat major 'Dumbarton Oaks' Tango Ebony Concerto (1st and 2nd movements) Scherzo a la Russe Symphony in Three Movements Rake's Progress: Act I Scene 3 (excerpt) Mass (Kyrie, Gloria) In Memoriam Dylan Thomas Movements for Piano and Orchestra Agon: Act IV The dove descending breaks the air Canticum Sacrum
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Igor Stravinsky https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004y0p
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod follows Amy Beach’s quest to create a uniquely American sound in her music.
Amy Beach was born in the 19th century and, like all women composers of her generation, she found her path to greatness strewn with obstacles. This week, Donald Macleod charts her struggle to take control of her own destiny and become one of America’s most cherished cultural figures; a composer who helped lead her nation into the mainstream of classical music. Famed conductor, Leopold Stokowski noted that her symphony was “full of real music, without any pretence or effects but just real, sincere, simple and deep music.” In her search to develop her individual voice as a composer, Donald discusses the impact of her religious beliefs, her marriage and the places which shaped her work: her first tour of Europe, and the MacDowell Colony, where she composed most of her later works.
Music featured: Pastorale, Op 151 Romance, Op 23 Symphony in E minor, Op 32 (Gaelic) (Alla sicilana & Lento) Evening Hymn, Op 125 No 2 From Grandmother’s Garden, Op 97 The Year’s at the Spring, Op 44 No 1 Valse Caprice, Op 4 Canticle of the Sun, Op 123 Though I take the wings of morning, Op 152 Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op 150 Ah, love, but a day, Op 44 No 2 A Prelude, Op 71 No 1 When far from her, Op 2 No 2 Come, ah come, Op 48 No 1 Nunc Dimittis, Op 8 No 1 Peace I leave with you, Op 8 No 3 Violin Sonata in A minor, Op 34 Symphony in E minor, Op 32 (Gaelic) (Allegro di molto) Autumn Song, Op 56 No 1 Prelude Op 81 Der Totenkranz, Op 73 No 2 The Candy Lion, Op 75 No 1 Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op 45 On a Hill Je demande à l’oiseau, Op 51 No 4 A Hermit Thrush at Eve, Op 92 No 1 A Hermit Thrush at Morn, Op 92 No 2 Quartet for Strings, Op 89 Ambache Trois morceaux caractéristiques, Op 28
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Amy Beach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004ltq
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod tells the real story behind one of the most popular masterpieces ever composed.
In 1741 Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel’s Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it.
To begin this week’s episode, Donald and his guest Ruth Smith paint a picture of Handel’s life in London as he prepared to leave for Ireland, examining the way in which the texts and ideas of Messiah respond to the social and intellectual turbulence of the time. Next, they focus on Handel’s relationship with his extraordinary collaborator, Charles Jennens, who conceived the idea of Messiah. They discuss Handel’s arrival in Dublin and how he gathered his forces for his hotly-awaited concert series, the sensational reception of Messiah’s premiere, and the work’s long association with charity. Finally, we hear about the legacy left embedded in Messiah, and how the work has come to mean so much to generations of singers and music lovers long after the deaths of Handel and Jennens.
Music featured: Messiah Ode for St Cecilia’s Day (Final movement) Israel in Egypt (excerpts) Saul: Act I ‘How excellent Thy name’ Athalia: Part I Scene 4 ‘Gloomy tyrants, we disdain’ L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato: As steals the morn Alexander’s Feast: Revenge, Timotheus cries Organ Concerto Op 7 No 1 in B flat major, HWV 306 Saul: Act I Scene 5, "O Lord, whose mercies numberless" Utrecht Te Deum, HWV 278 (movements 5 – 10) Samson: Act I, Scene 2 'O first created beam!' Samson: Act II, Scene 1 'Return, O God of hosts!' Belshazzar: Act I, Scene 3
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Frideric Handel https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004dq7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life, loves and music of Alban Berg.
As a youngster, Berg loved the music of Brahms, Mahler and Richard Strauss and composed 34 songs as a teenager. Maybe this would have been the end of it, but his brother Charly secretly took some of these songs to show a music professor in the city - Arnold Schoenberg. This week’s episode begins with a look at their stimulating but often turbulent relationship. Donald tells the story of Berg’s long marriage to Viennese beauty Helene Nahowski, and the secrets beneath the surface, including Berg’s love affair with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin which permeated his compositions. We hear about how his time in army training led to physical collapse, from which he emerged to write a brutal opera – Wozzeck. Finally, Berg’s premature death from an infected insect sting, and how his wife Helene set up a shrine to his memory, forbidding the completion of Lulu, the unfinished opera he left behind.
Music featured: Über den Bergen – Over the Mountains Lied de Lulu from Lulu Suite Still is where the graves are (Schattenleben) Where the Laburnum Grows Passacaglia (arr. Von Borries) Piano Sonata, Op 1 String Quartet, Op 3 Vielgeliebte schone Frau Seven Early Songs Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op 5 Five Altenberg Lieder Chamber Concerto for piano, violin and 13 wind instruments (Rondo) Ferne Lieder – Distant Songs Wozzeck: Act 3, Tanzt Alle Wozzeck: Act 3, Scenes 4 and 5 Three Pieces for Orchestra Wein, Weib und Gesang (Waltz Op 333 by Johann Strauss II, trans. Berg) Chamber Concerto for piano, violin and 13 wind instruments (Adagio) Lyric Suite Der Wein Schliesse mir die Augen beide (1907) Schliesse mir die Augen beide (1925) Lulu Suite: Variationen Violin Concerto
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Rosie Boulton for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Alban Berg https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00047vv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the prolific life of Joseph Haydn, with a spotlight on his masses
Joseph Haydn’s prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn’s journey from humble choirboy to Europe’s most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn’s many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own.
In this week’s episode Donald illustrates Haydn’s generosity and sense of humour, the obstacles thrown into Haydn’s path throughout his career, the importance he placed on religion, and the effect war and turmoil had on his music. Also, the extraordinary story of how Haydn lost his head.
Music featured: Mass in B flat major ‘Harmoniemesse’ Symphony No 94 in G major ‘Surprise’ (Andante) Mass in B flat major ‘Theresienmesse’ String Quartet in B minor, Op 64 No 2 Organ Concerto in C major Piano Trio No 17 in F major Mass in G major ‘Missa Sancti Nicolai’: Agnus Dei Stabat Mater: Sancta Mater Mass in F major ‘Missa brevis a due soprani’ Arianna a Naxos cantata: Aria ‘Dove sei’ String Quartet in B flat major, Op 64 No 3 Mass in C major Missa in tempore belli ‘Paukenmesse’ Symphony No 100 in G major ‘Military’ (2nd movement) Piano Trio No 39 in G major ‘Gypsy Rondo’ Die Schöpfung, Part 2: Mass in D minor ‘Nelson Mass’ Trumpet Concerto in E flat major: movt I Allegro Symphony No 104 in D major ‘London’: movt IV Finale: Spiritoso Mass in B flat major ‘Schöpfungsmesse’: Kyrie and Gloria
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Haydn https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00045nb
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life and work of Francis Poulenc, a man full of contradictions
This week Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Poulenc’s personality and how they find expression in his music. 'In Poulenc there is something of the monk and something of the rascal' said the composer’s friend Claude Rostand - but there were other sources of inspiration that drove him. From the gregarious exploits of his youth to his serious engagement with Catholicism, from schmoozing in high society salons to the calm he sought at his country retreat and his struggles with depression, Donald surveys the life and music of a man full of contradictions.
Music featured: Chanson à boire Cocardes La Dame de Monte-Carlo Les Biches (Suite) Chansons Gaillardes Nocturne No 4 in C minor ‘Bal fantôme’ Concert Champêtre (1st movement) Trois poèmes de Louise Lalanne Tel Jour, Telle Nuit Concerto in D minor for two pianos and orchestra Ce doux petit visage Chansons villageoises (excerpt) Les Animaux modèles Figure Humaine Priez pour paix Litanies à la Vierge Noire Stabat Mater Sonata for two pianos (3rd movement) Dialogues des Carmélites (Act II, Scene 4) Sonata for flute and piano (2nd movement) Gloria Élégie for horn and piano Sept Répons des Ténèbres (V-VI-VII)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Megan Jones for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Francis Poulenc https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003sh5 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the music, and what little is known of the life, of Baroque master Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.
Biber’s first appearance in the historical records is in his early 20s, when we find him in the service of Karl Liechtenstein, prince-bishop of Olomouc in central Moravia. In this week’s episode, we meet Biber as he runs an errand for his boss, but mysteriously absconds en route, trading in his old employer for a new and even more illustrious one, Prince-Archbishop Maximilian Gandolph von Küenburg. In Salzburg, Biber put down roots, married the daughter of a wealthy local businessman, fathered eleven children and gradually rose through the court ranks to become Kapellmeister. His risky career-gamble had paid off. Donald introduces us to the musical legacy the elusive composer left behind, playing Biber’s best-known work (his Mystery, or Rosary, Sonatas) as well as his music for church and stage. We also learn about his close relationships with the violin and his home of Salzburg, and the five remarkable printed collections of instrumental music that spread his name across Europe.
Music featured: Missa Alleluia (Kyrie) Sonata ‘La pastorella’ Battalia a 10 (Sonata di marche) Sonata violino solo representativa Partita VI in D (Harmonia Artificioso-Ariosa) The Rosary Sonatas: The Five Joyful Mysteries Passacaglia in G minor for unaccompanied violin Vesperae longiores ac breviores, 1693 Arminio, or Chi la dura la vince (extracts) Litaniae Sancto Josepho Sonata No 11 in A (Sonatae tam Aris, quam Aulis servientes) Partita No 3 in A minor (Mensa sonoris, seu Musica instrumentalis) Sonata No 3 in F (Sonatae violino solo) Sonata No 12 in A major (Fidicinium sacro-profanum) Partita No 1 in D minor (Harmonia artificioso-ariosa) Balletti a 6 (1. Sonata) Missa Salisburgensis Sonata a 7 Sonata Sancti Polycarpi
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003rq6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the bandoneon virtuoso and composer Astor Piazzolla, through five key locations.
All his life he fought against the tide, and in the end, he was the victor. Astor Piazzolla was a rebel with a cause. A virtuoso bandoneon player and a composer, he set out to break tango free from its roots, and make it a music with a future far beyond the dance halls and cafes of 1950s Buenos Aires. Hits like “Libertango” and collaborations with jazz giants like Gary Burton and Gerry Mulligan made his name beyond the tango world, while his classical compositions brought his instrument, the bandoneon critical acclaim in the concert hall. The secrets of musical technique came, he said, from his studies with French pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger and Argentinian composer, Alberto Ginastera but they also came from his teenage experiences in Buenos Aires, the city where had played bandoneon and arranged music for Anibal Troilo’s famous tango band.
Across the week Donald Macleod traces Astor Piazzolla’s life through the places which played an important part in his musical development: New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Rome and the Uraguayan resort of Punta del Este.
Music featured: Tanguedia Tres minutos con la Realidad Piano sonata No 1, Op 7 Sideral Requiem para un Malandra Adios nonino Concierto para quinteto Buenos Aires hora cera (Buenos Aires zero hour) El desbande Tiernamente El recodo Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar Balada para mi muerte Sinfonía Buenos Aires, Op 15 Otoño porteño Two pieces for clarinet and string orchestra Triunfal Prepárense Tangos, El Exilio de Gardel (excerpts from the original soundtrack) Mumuki Michelangelo 70 Amelitango Maria de Buenos Aires (excerpt) Summit Close your eyes and listen 3 Movimientos Tanguisticos Portenos Tristezas de un Doble A Jeanne y Paul Resurreccion del Angel Concerto for bandoneon, string orchestra & percussion Le Grand Tango La Camorra II Five Tango Sensations Libertango
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Astor Piazzolla https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003c6f
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Hector Berlioz
Berlioz is perhaps unique among composers in having had a literary gift almost the equal of his musical one. He earned his bread-and-butter living as a writer, turning out witty and often acerbic music criticism for the influential Journal des débats and Gazette musicale among others. Donald starts this week with a look at Berlioz through his engaging, passionate and entertaining Memoirs. Next, he delves into the world of Berlioz’s literary muses – first and foremost, Virgil, Goethe and Shakespeare. We hear about Benvenuto Cellini, the opera whose “verve, impetus and brilliance” Berlioz feared he would never again equal, and his attempt to secure the coveted Prix de Rome amidst the thundering July Revolution. We also encounter some of the celebrated musicians he rubbed shoulders with – among them Liszt, Cherubini, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Wagner and Paganini.
Music featured: Les Nuits d’été, Op 7 (Villanelle) Overture Les Francs-Juges, Op 3 Grande Messe des Morts, Op 5 (Dies irae) La Damnation de Faust, Op 24 (extract) Béatrice et Bénédict (Act 1) Zaïde, Op 19 No 1 La Damnation de Faust, Op 24 (Part 2) Waverley, grande ouverture, Op 1 Les Troyens, Op 29 (Act 1, finale) Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet (Tristia, Op 18) La Captive, Op 12 Harold en Italie, Op 16 (IV. Orgie des brigands) Le carnaval romain, Op 9 Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (extracts) Messe solennelle (Quoniam tu solus Sanctus) Épisode de la vie d’un artiste – Grande Symphonie fantastique, arr. Franz Liszt Le roi Lear, grande ouverture, Op 4 Les nuits d’été, Op 7 (Absence) Romeo et Juliette, Op 17 (Part 3)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hector Berlioz https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000345c
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod visits Debbie Wiseman at home to discuss her long and varied career.
Debbie Wiseman has over two hundred credits for her music, ranging from television and film, to the concert hall and music for royal pageantry. Not only is she a multi-award winning composer, but also a teacher, pianist and conductor, often performing in and recording her own works. This week, Donald Macleod visits Debbie Wiseman at her home in London to discuss her long and varied career. We hear about the film composer's craft of evoking different worlds in music, Debbie’s belief in versatility and lifelong learning, the challenges of composing for royal events, and her life outside the studio.
Music featured: Wolf Hall The Musical Zodiac Haunted Lesbian Vampire Killers Wilde Judge John Deed (Man of Law) The Andrew Marr Show (Affairs Current) Tom & Viv The Nightingale and the Rose Arsene Lupin Lighthouse The Promise Warriors Edie The Ugly Duckling Quiet Room Gigue The 90th Birthday Celebration Suite The Glorious Garden Tom’s Midnight Garden Flood Middletown The Upper Hand (Joe & Diana) Joanna Lumley’s Nile (Journey of a Lifetime) Father Brown Land Girls (While We’re Away) The Selfish Giant
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Debbie Wiseman https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002zfy
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod travels alongside J S Bach as he moves from place to place throughout his life.
Donald begins with Bach’s early years in the towns of Eisenach and Ohrdruf, where his excellence as a singer and organist was first recognised. He first moved to Weimar at the age of 18, to work as a court musician, and later as an organist and concertmaster – it was here that he would write most of his organ repertoire, but also spent his time trying to please two antagonistic Dukes. Then we move to the city of Köthen, where Bach was employed at the court of Prince Leopold. The royal court offered Bach exactly what he had been denied in Weimar – the chance to build a really exceptional instrument ensemble. We arrive in Leipzig, where Bach was a public servant again, having to satisfy a plethora of different bodies and individuals. Although his time there was peppered with disputes and discontent, it was his home for 27 years and it is where he composed the bulk of the work that lives on. Finally, Donald explores the afterlife of Bach’s music, including his propulsion into outer space aboard the Voyager spacecraft’s Golden Record.
Music featured: Magnificat Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major Concerto in C major for organ Partita No 1 for violin Widerstehe doch der Sunde Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother Komm, Jesu, Komm Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn The Art of Fugue Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Sonata for Violin and Piano No 3 Concerto No 2 in F major Well-Tempered Clavier, No 1 in C major Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Violin Sonata No 1 in G minor Orchestral Suite No 4 in D major Musical Offering Mass in B minor Partita for Violin No 3 in E major Capriccio in E major St Matthew Passion Goldberg Variations
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Johann Sebastian Bach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002l9v
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Max Bruch’s violin works.
Melody, said Bruch, represents the “soul of music” and nowhere is that better represented than in his famous violin concerto. It’s a work which brought him fame and fortune, but it’s also a work he came to hate, since he felt its popularity suppressed performances of his other compositions. It’s a sentiment that has some justification, since Bruch wrote some two hundred odd works, the majority of which are rarely performed. This week, Donald Macleod looks at Max Bruch’s prickly professional relationships, his feeling of being overshadowed by Brahms, and the instrument with which he had a very close affinity.
Music featured: Adagio Appassionato Septet 6 pieces for solo piano Op 12 Violin Concerto no 1 in G minor, Op 26 Swedish dances, Op 63 Symphony No 2 Schön Ellen Op 24 for soprano, baritone and orchestra Violin Concerto No 2 in D minor, Op 44 Bei den roten Rosen Odysseus, Op 41 Scottish Fantasy Kol nidrei Op 47 Symphony No 3 Romance in A minor, Op 42 Das Lied von der Glocke, Op 45 Violin concerto No 3 Eight pieces for clarinet, viola and piano, Op 83 Serenade, Op 75 String Octet in B flat major Konzertstück in F sharp minor, Op 84
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Max Bruch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002gxf
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of African-American composer William Grant Still (1895-1978).
This week Composer of the Week looks at Still’s transformative period of study with mentor Edgard Varèse, the writing of his breakthrough 1st Symphony the ‘Afro-American’, being embraced by the American musical establishment and becoming the first African-American to conduct a major US symphony orchestra, and his uphill struggles to establish himself as a composer of opera.
Music featured: Brown Baby Darker America Breath of a Rose La Guiablesse (The She-Devil), ballet Africa, suite for orchestra (1. Land of Peace) Quit Dat Fool’nish Symphony No 1 in A flat, ‘Afro-American’ A Deserted Plantation Kaintuck’, poem for piano and orchestra Blues, Pt 1 Lenox Avenue (The Crap Game; The Flirtation; The Fight; The Law) Symphony No 2 in G minor, ‘Song of a New Race’ (4. Moderately Slow) Out of the Silence (Seven Traceries, No 4) And They Lynched Him on a Tree Old California ‘A Black Pierrot’ (Songs of Separation) Incantation and Dance, for oboe and piano Festive Overture Bells Symphony No 4, ‘Autochthonous’ Whippoorwill's Shoes (Wood Notes) Little Black Slave Child (Troubled Island) Ennanga, for harp, piano and string quartet (1. Moderately fast) Symphony No 3, ‘The Sunday Symphony’ (2. Prayer – very slowly; 3. Relaxation – Gaily) Lyric Quartette Highway One: Act I (extract) Grief (Weeping Angel)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for William Grant Still: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002cbd
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod and Oliver Soden look at Michael Tippett through his intense personal relationships.
Michael Tippett was a particularly absorbent composer, soaking up an incredibly wide range of inspirations and influences from the world around him, and perhaps most often from outside the field of music. His huge intellectual capacity and endless interest in other people combined with immense charisma to make him a personality to which everyone who met him seemed irresistibly drawn. His - often complex - relationships were particularly intense ones, and frequently blurred the lines between professional and personal, artistic and sexual.
This week Composer of the Week looks at some of the people closest to Tippett and asks what influence they had on the life and music of a man whose story has still never been fully told. Joining Donald Macleod to explore sometimes uncharted territory is Oliver Soden, the author of a new - and the first complete - biography of the composer.
Music featured: Where The Bee Sucks from Songs for Ariel A Child of Our Time (Part 1) Byzantium Purcell arr. Tippett: If music be the food of love Piano Sonata No 1, 1st movement: Allegro Suite in D for the Birthday of Prince Charles The Heart’s Assurance Variations on an Elizabethan Theme: Lament Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli The Midsummer Marriage Praeludium For Brass, Bells And Percussion Music String Quartet No 1: Lento Cantabile Symphony No 2: Adagio molto e tranquillo Songs for Achilles The Knot Garden: Enough, Enough Tippett: Dance, Clarion Air Piano Concerto – 1: Allegro non troppo Crown of the Year The Blue Guitar The Rose Lake
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Dominic Jewel for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Michael Tippett: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00028h7
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Franz Liszt through five striking images.
Franz Liszt was the most photographed man of the 19th century and the most sculpted man aside from Napoleon - one of the most recognisable figures of his age. Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of the prolific composer and virtuoso pianist through five intriguing images. Through these, he examines the promotion of Liszt as a child prodigy, and how his persona of the ‘dramatic virtuoso’ was created. We also hear about Liszt’s complicated relationships: with women and his friend Richard Wagner, and his frantic threefold existence, living between Rome, Weimar and Budapest.
Music featured:
50 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli – Variation 24 Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 Transcendental Etude No 4 'Mazeppa' Don Sanche (The Castle of Love): Overture Malédiction Christus Grandes Etudes de Paganini No 3 'La Campanella' Totentanz El Contrabandista – Rondo Fantastique Grand Galop Chromatique Cantata for Inauguration of the Beethoven Monument: Soirées de Vienne No 6 Liebestraum No 3 (Nocturne) Années de pèlerinage: Au lac de Wallenstadt A Symphony to Dante's Divine Comedy Harmonies poétiques et religieuses: Cantique d'amour Orpheus Wieder möcht' ich dir begegnen Richard Wagner (arr. Franz Liszt) Tannhäuser: Choeur des Pèlerins Prometheus A Faust Symphony: III. Mephistopheles In Liebeslust The Legend of St Elizabeth: Chorus of the Angels At the Grave of Richard Wagner Legend of St Francis of Assisi: St Francis preaches to the birds Via Crucis (Cruxis): Station VI Hungarian Rhapsody No 9 Nuages Gris Mephisto Waltz No 2 Années de pèlerinage: IV. Au bord d’une source Richard Wagner (arr. Franz Liszt) Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Liszt: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00022zn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the operas of Jean-Phillipe Rameau.
At his death in 1764, Rameau, by then an octogenarian, had more than 30 stage works to his credit. It’s a remarkable achievement when you consider he produced his first opera at the age of 50. Up to that point, although details about his life are surprisingly patchy, he appears to have held a succession of posts in the provinces, as an organist, teacher and theoretician, seemingly without even a whiff of greasepaint. Then, at an age when one might assume his chosen path was settled, Rameau upped sticks, came back to Paris and conquered the stage with breathtaking speed. Across the week Donald Macleod focusses on those heady, initial years in the French capital, building a picture of what made Rameau into a highly successful, if controversial, theatrical composer.
Music featured: Hippolyte et Aricie Thétis Concert No. 1 in C minor Les Indes Galantes (suite) La Pouplinière Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin Castor et Pollux Quatrième concert Les fêtes d’Hébé, (opera-ballet) Le Rappel des Oiseaux Les soupirs Les cyclops Les fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour Dardanus Les tricotets L’indifferente La poule l’enharmonique l’égiptienne
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean-Philippe Rameau: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00893kl
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod journeys through the life of Felix Mendelssohn.
Mendelssohn was a leading figure of German music in his day, and became something of an international celebrity. He was at the very forefront of music making during the 1830s and 1840s, as a composer, conductor, pianist and organist. He began as a highly gifted and versatile prodigy, and rose to become one of Germany’s first rank composers of the early romantic period. He composed music in many genres including concertos, oratorios, symphonies, songs and chamber music. Amongst some of his most famous works are the highly evocative and dramatic overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and his mature and richly romantic Violin Concerto.
In Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod journeys through the life of Felix Mendelssohn, exploring in particular a number of influences upon the composer’s works: Mozart, his travels in Italy, Bach, his visits to London, and his wife and muse, Cecile.
Music featured: Die beiden Padagogen Duo Sonata in G minor Piano Quartet No 2 in F minor, Op 2 (Allegro molto vivace) Piano Concerto in A minor Lieder ohne Worte, Op 19B No 6 (Venetianisches Gondellied) Psalm 115 Non nobis Domine, Op 31 Nachspiel in D major Symphony No 4 in A major, Op 90 (Italian) String Symphony No 5 in B flat major (Allegro vivace) Prelude and Fugue No 1 in E minor, Op 35 Paulus, Op 36 (Rise! Up! Arise!) Organ Sonata in C minor, No 2 Op 65 Elijah, Op 70 (It is enough) Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, Book 1 Op 19b (Moderato) Daniel Barenboim, piano A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Overture) Rondo Brillant, Op 29 Erntelied, Op 8 No 4 Pilgerspruch, Op 8 No 5 Elijah, Op 70 (For the mountains shall depart) Sechs Lieder ohne Worte Op 38 No 6 (Duetto: Andante) Ich wollt’ meine Lieb’ ergosse sich, Op 63 No 1 Herbstlied, Op 63 No 4 Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op 37 No 1 Concerto in E minor for violin and orchestra, Op 64 String Quartet in E minor, Op 44 No 2 (Presto agitato)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Felix Mendelssohn: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001xj5
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George Gershwin.
When a second-hand piano was hoisted through the window of the Gershwin family’s Lower East Side apartment, a window was quite literally opened onto a new world. Donald begins by looking at Gershwin’s early and lifelong love of the instrument. For many, he was the foremost composer of the "jazz age" and it's through jazz-inflected interpretations that his music has reached its widest audience. Next, Donald tells the story of Gershwin's excursions in the concert hall. He may have been the toast of Broadway, but his attempts to move musically out of the theatre district and into the hallowed portals of the city’s concert halls were, despite some successes, constantly frustrated and a source of disappointment to him. To end, Donald charts George Gershwin's final years, partly spent in a ramshackle beach cottage on Folly Island in South Carolina. His memorable musical experiences with the local Gullah people eventually inspired his magnum opus, the opera Porgy and Bess.
Music featured: Summertime That Certain Feeling Three Preludes Piano Concerto in F Has Anyone Seen Joe The Real American Folk Song Fascinating Rhythm Embraceable You I Got Rhythm I Got Rhythm Variations Someone to Watch Over Me Rhapsody in Blue Second Rhapsody American in Paris Strike Up the Band Overture Cuban Overture My Man's Gone Now I Got Plenty of Nothin' Bess, You Is My Woman Now It Ain’t Necessarily So I Loves You Porgy Catfish Row Suite
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for George Gershwin: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001tjn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod journeys through Christmas week in the company of Heinrich Schütz.
Donald begins by dipping a toe into the fertile archival territory of Schütz’s own writings, a fascinating window onto the life of the composer. Then we’re to the Striezelmarkt for a pastry and a glass of Glühwein, with a look at Christmas in 17th-century Dresden. Onwards to Venice, where Schütz studies with Gabrieli and hobnobs with Monteverdi. Next, things turn serious, as Schütz is swept up in the convulsions of the 30 Years’ War and its impact is felt on musical life. Finally, Donald looks at the great music of Schütz’s final years, his attempts to retire – and eventually bids farewell with his Schwanengesang.
Music featured: Cantate Domino canticum novum, SWV 281 O quam tu pulchra es, SWV 265 Wie sehr lieblich und schöne sind doch die Wohnung dein, SWV 181 Habe deine Lust an dem Herren, SWV 311 Concert in Form einer teutschen Begräbnis-Missa, SWV 279 Gedenke deinem Knechte an dein Wort, SWV 485 Hodie Christus natus est, SWV 456 Warum toben die Heiden, SWV 23 Ein Kind ist uns geboren, SWV 302 Verbum caro factum est, SWV 314 The Christmas Story, SWV 435 Jubilate Deo in chordis et organo, SWV 276 Ride la primavera, SWV 7 Di marmo siete voi, SWV 17 Vasto mar, nel cui seno, SWV 19 Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren, SWV 41 Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, SWV 29 Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen, SWV 34 Fili mi, Absalon, SWV 269 In te, Domine, speravi, SWV 259 Es steh Gott auf, SWV 356 ‘O, Herr, hilf’, SWV 402 Syncharma musicum, SWV 49 Da pacem, Domine’, SWV 465 Veni, Sancte Spiritus, SWV 328 O süsser, o freundlicher Herr Jesu Christ, SWV 285 Erhöre mich, wenn ich dich rufe, SWV 289 Ist Gott für uns, SWV 329 Ich bin eine rufende Stimme, SWV 383 Verleih uns Frieden genädiglich, SWV 372 Das Wort ward Fleisch, SWV 385 Das ist je gewisslich wah, SWV 388 Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich, SWV 45 Auf dem Gebirge, SWV 396 Feget den alten Sauerteig aus, SWV 404 Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich? SWV 415 Komm, heiliger Geist SWV 417 Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen, SWV 424 Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt (Psalm 100), SWV 493 St Matthew Passion, SWV 479 Mein Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV 494
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Heinrich Schütz: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001qgh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod surveys the life and work of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov’s music is filled with lush orchestration and hints of orientalism and folk music. These elements and his role as a leading member of “The Mighty Handful” of composers who sought to forge a truly nationalistic music have led him to be regarded as the main architect of the Russian style of composition we know today. We hear about Rimsky Korsakov’s lifelong relationship with the sea, his fascination with myths and folklore, the acts of rebellion which pepper his life, his changing religious beliefs and his carefully constructed legacy.
Music featured: By the Sea, Op 46: The Wave Breaks into a Spray Scheherazade (I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship) From Homer Op.60 Symphony No 1 (II. Andante tranquillo) Sadko, Op. 6 Trombone Concerto (I. Allegro Vivace) Captivated by the Rose, the Nightingale (4 Songs, Op 2 No 2) Antar: IV. Allegretto - Adagio Skazka, Op 29 Capriccio Espagnol, Op 34 Hymn to the Sun from The Golden Cockerel Allegro in B flat major (Les Vendredis, Book II) Overture on Russian Themes, Op 28 Symphony No 3: II. Scherzo Kashchey the Immortal: Tableau 3 Suite from “The Golden Cockerel”: IV. Wedding Feast – Death of King Dodon - Finale Octave (5 Songs “To the Poet”, Op 45) May Night: Overture Snow Maiden: Act IV Finale Russian Easter Festival Overture Chants for Holy Week The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya Suite: I. Hymn to Nature Flight of the Bumblebee (Tsar Saltan) Maid of Pskov – Overture Night on the Bare Mountain Polonaise (Christmas Eve Suite) Mlada: Act III, Scenes 2 and 3 Mozart & Salieri: Scene 2 (extract) Upon the hills of Georgia, Op 3 Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Sam Phillips for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001n89
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod delves into the character and music of Camille Saint-Saëns
This week’s episode begins with a look at Saint-Saëns the innovator, who introduced new-fangled ideas to an opera-loving Parisian public. Donald investigates the driving force behind the composer’s unstoppable ambition and his dogged determination to find an audience for his music. Next, the playful side of Saint-Saëns’ character - one which he kept under wraps in public, yet amongst friends and in private correspondence he sparkled with wit, and it reveals itself in some of his most popular and enduring music. We hear about the many obstacles Saint-Saëns encountered in his attempts to be recognised as a serious operatic composer, and finally, the composer’s critical views on emerging musical trends in the final decades of his life, when he was condemned as a reactionary for his outmoded attitudes.
Music featured: Guitares et mandolines Havanaise Piano Trio No 1 in F, Op 18 (1st mvt) Piano Concerto No 2 Danse Macabre Tarantelle Piano Quintet in A minor Op 14 (final mvt) Cello Concerto No 1 Septet La Cigale et la Fourmi Wedding Cake Waltz La Coccinelle Suzette et Suzon Tournoiement ‘Songe d’opium’ Six Studies for the Left Hand, Op 135 (Nos 4, 5 & 6) Le Carnaval des Animaux La Princesse Jaune: Overture O Cruel Souvenir (Henry VIII) Samson et Dalila: Act II (excerpt) Bacchanale (Samson et Dalila) Proserpine: Act II (excerpt) L’Assassinat du Duc de Guise (5th tableau) Fantaisie for violin and harp Piano Concerto No 5 (1st mvt) Romance for flute and piano Organ Symphony (2nd mvt)
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Deborah Preston for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Camille Saint-Saëns: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001d2q
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod looks at five key environments that shaped Billy Strayhorn's personal and musical trajectory.
Donald starts the journey in Homewood, Pittsburgh, where Billy Strayhorn’s early life was over-shadowed by poverty and a violent father. Over six years of toil as a “soda jerk and delivery boy” he saved up for music college, but an Art Tatum record showed him that everything he loved about classical music was there in one form or another in jazz. Strayhorn cut free and moved to New York, where his path crossed with Duke Ellington. He was quick to discover an exciting new world of opportunity, playing and writing for Ellington’s famous band – a complex relationship that continued for almost thirty years. Work took him to Hollywood - Donald explores the reasons why this turned out to be both an opportunity and a source of disillusionment. We also hear of Strayhorn’s love affair with Paris, the city where he found the night-life and the artistic independence he craved, and where he was given the chance to record his first album under his own name. Finally, Donald charts the ups and many downs of Strayhorn's final years, which he spent in Riverside Drive, New York.
Music featured: Take the “A” Train Lush Life Valse Something to Live For Fantastic Rhythm Suite for the Duo My little Brown Book The Hues Snibor Tonk Passion Flower Your Love has faded Three and Six Grouya/Anderson, arr. Strayhorn: Flamingo Chelsea Bridge Strayhorn/Ellington: The Perfume Suite Clementine Ellington/Strayhorn/Gaines: Just a-sittin' and a rockin' Rain Check Pentonsilic You're the One Tchaikovsky, arr Strayhorn: The Nutcracker Suite Boo-dah Ballad for very tired and very sad lotus eaters Johnny Come Lately Satin Doll Music for The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in their Garden The Newport Jazz Festival Suite Multicoloured Blue Day Dream UMMG Ellington/Strayhorn: Smada Cue's Blue Now Far East Suite Blood Count Cashmere Cutie Le Sacre Supreme Lotus Blossom
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Billy Strayhorn: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00016tc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod presents five takes on the life and music of Gioachino Rossini.
Donald starts by unpacking the winning formula Rossini hit on right at the start of his operatic career. Aged 18, Rossini was thrown in at the deep end, learning on the job at Venice’s Teatro San Moisè, and the structural groundplan he concocted for his early farces continued to come in handy later in life. Rossini is best known as a composer of comic operas, but Donald introduces us to his serious side, looking at three of his opere serie: Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, Zelmira and Ermione. Next, a look at Rossini’s life through the enthusiastic but distorting lens of the writer Stendahl, the composer’s earliest biographer and an eyewitness of his most productive period. Donald then delves into the large collection of music that Rossini didn’t have to write – his forays into other genres and forms that came out of his spare time and retirement. Finally, we journey to Paris, to explore the composer’s on-off relationship with the city where he wrote so many of his most celebrated works.
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gioachino Rossini: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00013x1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod marks 350 years since the birth of François Couperin, one of France’s most dazzling musical talents.
Donald begins by leading us through a gallery of the musical portraits that Couperin composed – depicting his contemporaries Lully and Corelli, his aristocratic patrons, and well-known mythological figures. Next, he delves into Couperin’s extraordinary musical family tree, boasting a long line of 7 Couperins who served as organist of St Gervais in Paris. Throughout his glittering career at court, Francois Couperin maintained a loyal connection with his family church and dedicated several works for liturgical use there. We also hear about Couperin’s time in the court of Louis XIV – as the Sun King's composer, writing music for the Versailles Chapel and court entertainment, but also as royal harpsichord tutor. Finally, Donald examines how Couperin embraced the new musical idioms emerging from other countries, and in particular introduced Italian flavours to his native French style.
Music featured: La Couperin Salve Regina L’Apothéose de Corelli La Charoloise La Princesse de Sens Arianne consolée par Bacchus Regina coeli laetare, Alleluia Louis Couperin: Five Fantasies Pange lingua en basse Quatre versets du motet Armand-Louis Couperin: Simphonie de clavecins, in D major La Manon L’Enchanteresse La Fleurie ou la tendre Nanette Les plaisirs de Saint Germain en Laye Domine salvum fac regem Messe pour les couvents (Gloria) Troisième Leçon Les Nations (La Francois) Messe pour les paroisses (Agnus Dei) L’Art de toucher le clavecin Respice in me Concert Royaux (Premier Concert) Pieces de violes avec la basse chifree (Deuxième Suite) La Milordine La Piemontoise Les Gouts-reunis ou Nouveaux Concerts (Cinquième Concert) Quatrième livre de Pieces de clavecin, Vingt-troisième ordre
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Francois Couperin : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000114n
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores five personality traits of the strange genius Anton Bruckner.
Donald starts with Bruckner’s obsessive tendencies – from bar-counting to full-blown ‘numeromania’ which landed him in a sanatorium. We hear about Bruckner’s unshakeable religious belief, his influential divine visions, and his music for the church. Next, his veneration for Wagner - he was transformed by the experience of hearing Tannhaüser, and paid frequent tribute to the man he was wont to call “the master of all masters”. Bruckner was also one of music history’s great re-thinkers. His many musical revisions were driven by artistic insecurity, criticism and his constant search for proportion and balance. Finally, Bruckner’s superstitious nature is explored, particularly his fear of writing a ninth symphony.
Music featured: Locus iste, WAB23 Symphony No 1 in C minor Mass No 3 in F minor, WAB 28 (Kyrie) Symphony No 5 in B flat, WAB105 Germanenzug (The Germanic Host), WAB 70 Mass No 1 in D minor, WAB 26 (Sanctus) Ave Maria, WAB 6 Mass No 2 in E minor, WAB 27 (Credo) Os iusti, WAB 30 Ecce sacerdos magnus, WAB 13 Virga Jesse, WAB 52 Psalm 150, for soprano, chorus and orchestra, WAB 38 Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Act 3 (‘Ehrt eure deutschen Meister’) Symphony No 3 in D minor, WAB 103 Christus factus est, WAB 11 Symphony No 7 in E, WAB 107 Symphony No 2 in C minor, WAB 102 Symphony No 4 in E flat, WAB 104 (‘Romantic’) Symphony No 8 in C minor, WAB 108 Bruckner: Symphony No 9 in D minor, WAB 109 Symphony no 9 in D minor, WAB 109 Te Deum, WAB 45
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Chris Barstow for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Anton Bruckner: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000xj9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod introduces a first in Composer of the Week’s seventy-year history, the Croatian Countess Dora Pejačević.
Donald is joined by Professor Koraljka Kos and Professor Iskra Iveljic to discuss the known facts about the life and music of this Countess and her family. Although Pejačević was born into one of the most influential aristocratic families in Croatia, she became rather critical of her own class in later life. Through her position she did have the opportunity to study in Germany with noted music teachers of the day, and met and collaborated with some of the literary giants of the early twentieth century. Upon her death at the age of only 37, she left a catalogue of over one hundred compositions displaying a unique voice now largely forgotten.
Music featured: Romance, Op 22 Symphony in F sharp minor, Op 41 Zwei Nocturnes, Op 50 No 2 Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 33 Zwei Lieder, Op 27 No 1 (I creep along my way) Warum? Op 13 Berceuse, Op 2 Papillon, Op 6 Sechs Fantasiestucke, Op 17 String Quartet in C major, Op 58 Canzonetta, Op 8 Violin Sonata, Op 43 (Adagio) Phantasie Concertante, Op 48 Verwandlung, Op 37 Blumenleben, Op 19 Madchengestalten, Op 42 Drei Gesange, Op 53 Piano Quintet in B minor, Op 40 (Poco sostenuto) Humoreske and Caprice, Op 54 Trio in C major, Op 29 (Scherzo: Allegro & Lento) Liebeslied, Op 39 Piano Sonata in A flat major, Op 57
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Dora Pejačević: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000tqb
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Marking the centenary of his death, Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Hubert Parry.
Donald begins with the story of Parry's early years, rooted at Highnam Court in Gloucestershire, before looking at the period he was centred around Orme Square in London, the home of his teacher and mentor Edward Dannreuther. We hear about Parry’s connection with the long-running Three Choirs Festival: Parry’s father, Thomas Gambier Parry, was energetic and generous in his efforts to ensure the Festival’s survival, and the Three Choirs was to prove an important platform for his son’s music. Another hugely important institution to Parry was the Royal College of Music - in time, he would become Director of the College and an inspiration to the next generation of composers. We finish with the final years of Parry’s life, during World War One, when Parry's most enduring composition, Jerusalem, was first performed at the Queen’s Hall in London.
Music featured:
I was Glad Freundschaftslieder Bright Star Fantasie Sonata in B major Choral Prelude for Organ "On SS Wesley's Hampton" Symphony No.1 (2nd movement) Love is a bable Cello Sonata in A Take, O take those lips away Partita in D Minor String Quintet in E-Flat Major Symphony No. 2 in F major (The Cambridge) Long Since In Egypt's Plenteous Land Blest Pair of Sirens The Soul's Ransom Symphony No.3 in C major (The English) Who Can Dwell in Greatness The Birds of Aristophanes Crabbed Age and Youth From Death to Life Symphony No.4 (4th movement) Jerusalem Ode on the Nativity Lord Let Me Know Mine End Symphony No.5 in B minor (ii. Love) Jerusalem
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hubert Parry: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000nl6
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is in conversation with Thea Musgrave as she celebrates her 90th birthday.
Donald and Thea begin by discussing her dream of becoming a composer, and the dreams that have inspired her works. Born in Edinburgh, Thea left her medical degree for music, winning a composition prize which took her to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. A dream about a subversive clarinettist helped formed the idea for her breakthrough commission from the CBSO, the Concerto for Orchestra. They talk about her early electronic experimentation, and her idea of the dramatic abstract, where she experiments with spatial configurations of players and acoustic possibilities. Thea is also one of Britain’s most prolific living opera composers, bringing to the stage stories of figures like Mary Queen of Scots, Harriet Tubman, and Simón Bolívar. In 1970 she was offered the post of Guest Professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara and has lived and made her life as a composer in the States ever since. Donald asks her about her approach to teaching and encouraging young composers. They look at the importance of visual art in Thea’s life and imagination, leading to significant compositions inspired by Edward Hopper and J. M. W. Turner. Finally, Thea reflects on the continuing pleasure she derives from composing, as well as her on-going friendships with players, and she stresses the vital part that music plays in all of our lives.
Music featured: Driving in the Highlands (Excursions for piano duet) Four Madrigals Rorate Coeli Impromptu for flute and oboe Concerto for Orchestra Niobe for oboe and pre-recorded tape Concerto for horn and orchestra Wild Winter I The Peace Chorus (Mary Queen of Scots, Act 1) The Seasons Helios - Concerto for oboe and orchestra On the Underground, Set 2: The Strange and the Exotic Night Windows for oboe and piano Turbulent Landscapes for orchestra On the Underground, Set 1: Sometimes Songs for a Winter’s Evening Two’s Company – a concerto for percussion and orchestra
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Rosie Boulton for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Thea Musgrave: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000kg9
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores Sergei Rachmaninov’s years in America.
Reluctant even to visit at first, and once there always more than a little homesick, this proudly Russian composer in fact lived in the United States of America for 25 years, from the end of the First World War until his death in 1943. His life there was principally that of a virtuoso performer, not a composer; and Rachmaninov gave recitals for presidents, recorded discs for Thomas Edison, and felt obliged to rattle off his “hated” Prelude in C sharp minor for concert audiences wherever he went.
All this week, Donald looks at Rachmaninov’s equivocal relationship with his adopted homeland. Rachmaninov’s first toured the USA in 1909, but it was only when he fled the 1917 revolution that he had to properly adjust to life as a concert pianist there. His intense performing schedule left him exhausted – we hear about the year 1926, which dedicated solely to composition, and how he found productive solace during his in summers in Switzerland. Although Rachmaninov was slow to embrace his adopted country, never really learning proper English and always looking back longingly to mother Russia, he did come to love the United States, and eventually, in the final year of his life, became a citizen. By then he’d become immersed in American cultural life, relishing jazz music and even admiring Mickey Mouse’s take on his ubiquitous Prelude.
Music featured: Prelude in C sharp minor Piano concerto in D minor, 1st movement The Isle of the Dead, Op 29 A Dream (6 Songs, Op 38 No 5) The Star-Spangled Banner for piano Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, 1st movement Polichinelle in F sharp minor, Op 3 No 4 Lento a capriccio (The Bells) Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 in C sharp minor (Liszt, arr. Rachmaninov) Liebeslied (arr. for piano) Etudes Tableaux, Op 33, Nos 2 and 7 3 Russian Songs, Op 41 Marche (Etudes Tableaux, orch. Respighi) Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op 42 Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op 43 Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 44, second movement Prelude in C sharp minor (arr. Barnet) 3 Symphonic Dances, Op 45 The Muse; What Happiness; Vocalise (14 Songs, Op 34) Lilacs
Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Dominic Jewel for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Rachmaninov: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000hb7 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the conflicted relationships and mysteries in the life of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Donald begins this week’s episode by looking at Tchaikovsky’s early years as a civil servant, wrestling with the tension between his desire to compose music and his responsibilities as a bureaucrat in St Petersburg. We hear about some of the composer’s tricky relationships - with the ascendant Nationalist school of Russian composers, and also with money. His need to earn a living and support himself by the music he composed led to an unconventional connection with one wealthy woman in particular. Donald traces Tchaikovsky’s long period of wandering, in which he spent years away from Russia, seemingly compelled by a disordered, un-reconciled personal life. Tchaikovsky was a mystery to the end, and there are many questions surrounding the puzzle of his death, which happened just days after the premiere of his sixth symphony, considered by many to be his finest work.
Music featured:
Swan Lake (Act 2)
Eugene Onegin (Act 3, Scene 1)
Song for the Golden Jubilee of the Imperial School of Jurisprudence
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1st movement)
Romeo and Juliet
Chant sans paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal)
None but the Lonely Heart
String Quartet no.1
The Snow Maiden, First Song of Lel
Finale: Moderato assai - allegro vivo – presto (Symphony No. 2)
1812 Overture
March: The Song of the Lark (The Seasons)
The Tempest
Piano Trio, 1st movement
Finale (Symphony No 4)
Pimpinella (Romances, Op 38, No 6)
Valse Sentimentale
Violin Concerto
Danse des polichinelles et des histrions (Maid of Orleans)
Souvenir de Florence (1st and 2nd movements)
We Sat Together
Act 1, March (The Nutcracker)
Piano Concerto No 3
Adagio & Waltz (The Sleeping Beauty - Suite)
Symphony No 6
Presenter: Donald Macleod
Producer: Martin Williams for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Tchaikovsky: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000bbv
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod explores the friendships, influences and struggles in the life and work of Ernest Chausson.
Amédée-Ernest Chausson grew up in Paris during a period of great political, social and economic upheaval in France, from the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War to the advent of the Third Republic. His family, however, was materially little affected, profiting from their involvement in Napoleon’s remodelling of the medieval city into wide open boulevards. Living a bourgeois lifestyle amongst the salon society of the mid-nineteenth century, they boasted an extensive art collection in their family mansion, where Chausson later remained with his wife and children. Supported by a private income unlike most of his creative peers, he was able to devote himself to composing with no financial pressure. But Chausson’s life wasn’t without a care in the world. Critics saw him as a dilettante, and his relatively small output reflects the agonies of doubt in his mind. He battled to find his own voice at a time when Wagner had cast a long shadow over French music - his only opera took almost ten years to complete. This struggle for artistic recognition was only just turning a corner when he died unexpectedly at the age of 44 in 1899.
In this episode, Donald Macleod looks at the cultural advantages of Chausson’s family circle, fostering his passion for art which he indulged at home and on his travels. He uncovers Chausson’s musical friendships with Debussy and Franck, and his struggles to create – the torment of writing a symphony, and how enchanted forests, myths and legends inspired his rare forays into the world of theatre.
Music featured:
Pièce for cello (or viola) and piano, Op 39
Sérénade italienne; Les papillons; La dernière feuille, (7 Melodies, Op 2)
La caravane
Serres chaudes, Op 24
Poème for violin and orchestra
L’aveu; Apaisement, Op 13
Andante and Allegro
Viviane, op 5
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 3 (4th mvt)
Symphony in B flat, Op 20 (3rd mvt)
Sicilienne, Op 21
4 Mélodies, Op 8
Symphony in B flat, Op 20 (1st mvt)
Poème de l’amour et de la mer, Op 19
La Nuit, Op 11
Chanson perpetuelle, Op 37
Soir de Fête, Op 32
Piano Quartet in A major Op 30 (1st mvt)
La Légende de Sainte-Cécile, Op 22 (Act 3 Finale)
Dans la forêt du charme et de l’enchantement, Op 36 no 2
Excerpts from La Tempête; La Légende de Ste Cécile; Le roi Arthus
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Chausson: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000092k
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Donald Macleod is joined by Bernstein protegée, conductor Marin Alsop, to look back at Bernstein’s hectic life as composer, pianist, thinker and entertainer.
There are no neutrals when it comes to Leonard Bernstein: exhibitionist, a playboy touring Italy in a Maserati, an exhilarating conductor, provocative thinker, ‘one of the most electrifying personalities of our time’. 2018 marks the centenary of this life-affirming composer who always preferred to call himself, simply, ‘musician’.
Donald and Marin begin in the world of jazz which inspired much of Bernstein’s finest work, then look at the composer’s gift for reaching new audiences through the theatre. They discuss Bernstein’s reputation as a musical thinker– treading a delicate line between the innovative and the kitsch, and trace his journey from upstart son of a Jewish immigrant to superstar ambassador for American music.
Thanks to the BBC radio and TV archives, we hear from Bernstein himself in interviews he gave through the course of his prolific career. We discover a man who was forceful in his views, passionate to the extreme, charismatic on the stage, but also latterly tormented by regrets and a feeling that he had never quite achieved the magnum opus inside him.
Music featured:
Enter Three Sailors (Fancy Free)
Prelude, Fugue and Riffs
The Lark (Latin Choruses)
The Age of Anxiety (part 2)
arr. Buddy Rich: West Side Story
The Children Fly (Peter Pan)
Wonderful Town (Overture)
A Quiet Place (Act 1 finale)
West Side Story (excerpts)
Slava! A Political Overture
Mass (excerpts)
I Hate Music!
Kaddish (1st mvt)
Samba (Divertimento)
Mr and Mrs Webb Say Goodnight (Arias and Barcarolles)
On the Waterfront (Suite)
Songfest (excerpts)
Lucky to be Me (On the Town)
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Bernstein: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00007gc
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Presenter: Donald Macleod
Producer: Michael Surcombe for BBC Wales
Donald Macleod explores the strange, brilliant and occasionally nightmarish world of the Soviet composer Alfred Schnittke.
The music of Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) is like being lost in a hall of mirrors. Staring back at you is the whole of music history - from Bach to modern pop via tangos, Soviet work songs, Gregorian chant and Viennese waltzes - refracted and distorted, and woven together to create a uniquely personal style. Thrilling, grotesque, occasionally nightmarish - Schnittke creates a world where everything has a hidden meaning. Beethoven's Fifth suddenly springs terrifyingly out of the darkness in the midst of an otherwise chaotic symphony. Or a cheap Russian pop song appears inexplicably amidst a Baroque chorale. Schnittke's world of suppressed meanings perfectly captured life under the cosh of Soviet Communism. All this week, Donald Macleod unpicks the strands of a musician often seen as the heir to Shostakovich - and perhaps the last truly great composer of the 20th century.
Donald begins by exploring the connections - musical, psychological and spiritual - between Alfred Schnittke and the great titan of Soviet music, Dmitri Shostakovich. He then unravels the term "polystylism", which Schnittke himself coined to describe his fusing of wildly eclectic styles - from Bach to pop to hypermodernism to Tchaikovsky. We hear about Schnittke’s intense fame in the 1970s, and how his turn to a deeply devout musical style shocked the avant-garde and won him a whole new spectrum of admirers. Donald takes us through Schnittke’s most rollicking and significant year – 1985 – which saw the creation of five acknowledged masterpieces and the first of several crippling strokes. Seemingly, Schnittke’s mortality drove him to create ever more shattering music in his final years - to compose to the very bitter end, in the face of almost unimaginable physical challenges.
Music featured:
Concerto Grosso No 1 (arr. for flute, oboe, harpsichord, prepared piano and strings) (2nd mvt)
Violin Concerto No 1 (2nd mvt)
Piano Quintet (2nd mvt - "In Tempo Di Valse")
Violin Sonata No 1
Symphony No 1 (2nd mvt)
The Cloak (Gogol Suite)
Concerto Grosso No 3
Voices Of Nature
Schnittke, arr Boguslavsky
Suite In The Old Style
Hymn No 3, for cello, bassoon, harp, harpsichord and tubular bells
Complete This Work Which I Began (Choir Concerto - 4th mvt)
Gloria - Credo - Crucifixus (Symphony No 2 "St Florian")
O Master Of All Living (Choir Concerto - 1st mvt)
When They Beheld The Ship That Suddenly Came; If You Wish To Overcome Unending Sorrow; I Entered This Life Of Tears A Naked Infant (Psalms Of Repentance)
Moz-Art A La Haydn
Viola Concerto (1st & 2nd mvts)
Concerto Grosso No 4 / Symphony No 5 (2nd mvt)
Doctor Faustus lamented and wept...It came to pass (Faust Cantata)
Menuet, for violin, viola and 'cello
Stille Nacht
Symphony No 6 (3rd & 4th mvts)
Piano Sonata No 1
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Schnittke: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bcpr22
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Presenter: Donald Macleod
Producer: Steven Rajam for BBC Wales
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of undisputed master, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Donald Macleod and Jeremy Summerly discuss elusive Renaissance master, Josquin des Prez.
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Italian experimental composer, Luciano Berio
Donald Macleod explores the lifelong friendship between Brahms and the great violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim - and the music of genius that resulted
Donald Macleod explores the life of Lili Boulanger, the first female winner of France's most prestigious composition competition, the Prix de Rome
Aaron Copland is the composer who, more than any other, defined the sound of American classical music. Copland's life spanned every decade of the 20th Century, and this week Donald Macleod explores the composer's life and music against the background of the events of that Century.
Donald Macleod unravels the rich musical legacy of a composer known almost exclusively for one iconic work: the "Canon in D".
Donald Macleod looks at the life and music of Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, notorious for the murder of his first wife and cousin, Maria d'Avalos.
Donald Macleod joins the Oscar winning film composer Rachel Portman in her studio in London, to chat about her life and music for film and the concert platform.
Donald Macleod introduces the life and music of the German composer and conductor, Richard Strauss.
Donald Macleod introduces John Dowland, and those influenced by his exquisite melodies.
Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of the man who is almost universally recognised as Finland's greatest ever composer – Jean Sibelius.
Donald Macleod traces J S Bach's early life from Eisenach through to his first marriage.
Donald Macleod and Brian Priestley celebrate the centenary of jazz legend Thelonious Monk
Donald Macleod explores the life and career of Edward Elgar through the lens of his muses
Donald Macleod and Sir Antonio Pappano trace the developmental line of Puccini's heroines
Donald Macleod in conversation with composer Alexander Goehr at his home near Cambridge
Donald Macleod in conversation with composer Alexander Goehr at his home near Cambridge
Donald Macleod takes a close look at the change from pure monophony to complex polyphony.
Donald Macleod talks to British composer Nicola LeFanu in the year of her 70th birthday
Donald with Laurie Stras explore the work of the female composers of Renaissance Ferrara.
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Donald Macleod explores Prokofiev's triumphant and ultimately tragic return to the USSR.
Donald Macleod follows the dramatic thread running through Gabriel Faure's musical output
Michael Haydn. He was a composer admired and respected by Mozart and revered by Schubert
Donald Macleod invites composer Oliver Knussen to join him to discuss his life and career
Donald is joined by Edmund Rubbra's sons Benedict and Adrian, who discuss their father and his music
Donald Macleod explores Rimsky-Korsakov's final years through the lens of his biographer, Vasily Vasilyevitch Yastrebtsev
Donald explores the music and life of Villa-Lobos with musicologist Manoel Correa do Lago
Looking at the life and work of Johannes Brahms and some of his larger orchestral works
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of neglected British composer Bernard Stevens
Donald explores the colourful life and music of George Gershwin, a pianist and composer.
Donald Macleod explores the lives and music of Clara Schumann and the extraordinary circle of composers and musicians she moved in
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Henry Purcell, a musical revolutionary remembered as Britain's 'musical Shakespeare'
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Spanish composer-pianist Enrique Granados.
Donald Macleod explores the work of the many female composers who have visited the Edward MacDowell artists' colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire
Anton Rubinstein was called the Michelangelo of music and was one of the most prolific and charismatic musical figures of the 19th century.
Donald Macleod explores how Sibelius's music helped bring the nation of Finland into being
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the second son of Johann Sebastian
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of 19th-century French composer Louise Farrenc
Carl Nielsen's early life in rural Denmark in the aftermath of the 1864 war with Prussia
Donald Macleod explores the early years of the man described as the "father of German Music", Heinrich Schutz.
Dr John Near joins Donald Macleod to journey through the world of Widor, looking beyond his famous organ Toccata to explore the composer's chamber and orchestral music.
As part of Young Artists Day on Radio 3, Martin James Bartlett, BBC Young Musician of the Year 2014, joins Donald to explore the early life of Mozart. Donald continues with Mozart’s pioneering piano concertos.
Donald Macleod explores the life and career of the virtuoso pianist and composer Alexander Scriabin, described as 'one of the most enigmatic and controversial and artistic personalities of all time'
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Germaine Tailleferre, whose published legacy reveals a rich treasure trove of chamber works, solo piano, concertos, ballets, operas and songs
Donald Macleod explores the music and life of Chopin, zooming in on five key places on his lifetime itinerary
Donald Macleod is joined by composer Judith Weir to discuss her life and work. Her music draws on a wide variety of sources: fairy tales, folk stories, Chinese philosophy and Indian music and culture
Donald Macleod speaks to five members of a new generation of British composers about their work and the issue of women in music from a contemporary perspective
Hailed by scholars as one of the most successful women in the history of French music, Donald Macleod explores with Mary Cyr, the life and music of Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre.
Henry Purcell's stageworks: William and Mary's accession heralds a change in direction for one of England's most brilliant and respected composers. Donald Macleod charts Purcell's activities during their reign.
Donald Macleod explores music written in a critical time in Schubert's life, following the diagnosis of serious illness
Donald Macleod explores the life and career of composer Bela Bartok (1881-1945), one of the most influential composers of the 20th Century. Today he focuses on Bartok's sickly childhood, early life and musical beginnings, including his first major work Kossuth, influenced by Strauss and inspired by a Hungarian revolutionary.
Exploring Haydn's time at the Hungarian palace of Eszterhaza, the composer's primary base of operations for nearly a quarter of a century and where, he said, he 'was forced to become original'
Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Orlande de Lassus, a cosmopolitan composer who became so famous he was known as 'the divine Orlando'.
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Franz Liszt with a rare opportunity to hear all 13 of his symphonic poems
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Emmanuel Chabrier, a composer whose originality is acknowledged by leading voices of French music in the 20th century.
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Antonio Vivaldi, a Venetian priest, feted in his lifetime as both composer and violinist, yet destined to die in obscurity in faraway Vienna
In conversation with Donald Macleod, celebrated conductor, composer, jazz performer and classical pianist Andre Previn discusses his remarkable life and music
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Robert Schumann, focusing on the literary influences that helped shape his work
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the colourful and eccentric British composer Lord Berners. While he behaved as a very English gentleman, his compositions had a distinctive European slant.
Donald Macleod explores five key years of Mozart's life and presents five of his chamber works for solo wind and strings
Donald Macleod on the music of Alessandro Stradella. Highly respected and successful, he wrote in all genres: oratorios, cantatas, theatre music, opera seria, songs, and sacred and instrumental music