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.
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.
Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Welsh composer, Grace Williams.
Music Featured:
Elegy for Cynddylan Missa Cambrensis Castell Caernafon Four Medieval Welsh Poems Trumpet Concerto Suite for 9 Instruments Hen Walia Sextet Elegy for Strings Suite for 9 Instrument Symphony No 1 Sea Sketches Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes The Dancers Penillion Symphony No 2 The Parlour Two Choruses Ballads Fairest of Stars
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 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:
Allegro Valse-ballet Fantaisie-valse Chanson hongroise Untitled (Première pensée Rose+Croix) Ogives Sarabandes Gymnopédies Vexations Trois Gnossiennes Le Fils des étoiles Danses gothiques Prélude de la porte héroïque du ciel Pièces froides Je te veux La Diva de l’Empire Trois morceaux en forme de poire En habit de cheval Sports et divertissements Enfantillages pittoresques (No 1, Petit prélude à la journée) Descriptions automatiques Parade Musique d’ameublement Socrate (Mort de Socrate) Nocturnes Ludions Trois Mélodies Mercure Relâche, Pt. 1 (No 10, Final) Enfantines: Menus propos enfantins Enfantines: Peccadilles importunes
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 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 Homage White’s SS Medea: Prelude to Act 5 Les Fiançailles On Photography String Quartet No 2 Glorious Hill Cadman Requiem Epilogue from Wonderlawn Adnan Songbook: Song IV Epilogue from ‘G’ Biped Morte 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 Molleson 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 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 cervus Laudate pueri Pueri hebraeorum (arr for dobro) Puer qui natus est Missa Assumpta est Maria (excerpt) Josquin des Prez: O virgo prudentissima Josquin des Prez: Fortuna d’un gran tempo Costanzo Festa: Sancta Maria succurre miseris Sacred Madrigals, Book 2, Città di Dio Ricercar del primo tuono Magnificat Primi toni Missa Ecce sacerdos magnus (Sanctus) Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui Pulchra es, amica mea (arr Volbers for recorder ensemble) Missa Papae Marcelli (excerpt) Vergine bella… Vergine saggia… Vestiva i colli Sabbato Sancto: Lectio III, Incipit oratio Ieremiae prophetae Motecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum – liber primus Misso Herodes Nicola Vicentino: Jerusalem convertere Cristóbal de Morales: Gaude et laetare, Ferrariensis civitas Motecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum (Fuit homo missus a Deo) Missa Papae Marcelli (Sanctus) Ricercar del secondo tuono Missa sine nomine a 6 arr Johann Sebastian Bach L'homme armé (exceprt) Adoramus te Christe arr Leopold Stokowski for orchestra O admirabile commercium Missa 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 ensemble Stabat Mater Missa pro defunctis (Sanctus-Benedictus) First Book of Madrigals (Sestina. Mai fu piu crud’o spietata morte) Ad te levavi Johann Joseph Fux: Gradus ad Parnassum (Fugue) Francesco Soriano: Alpha à 6 Canticum 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 Domine Ave Maria
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced 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 55 Ferne, H-U 97 Der Fischer, H-U 85 An Suleika, H-U 148 Mailied, H-U 122 Piano Sonata in C minor, H-U 128 Prelude in G, H-U 243 Der Rosenkranz, H-U 168 Ostersonate, piano sonata in A, H-U 235 Am Flusse, H-U 204 Harfners Lied, H-U 162 Deinem Blick mich zu bequemen, H-U 151 Sonata o Fantasia, H-U 238 Hiob, H-U 258 Oratorio 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 262 String Quartet in E flat, H-U 277 Mélodie, Op 4/5 No 4 (Lento appassionato) Overture, H-U 265 Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, H-U 323 Lobgesang, H-U 257 (Chorus: Meine Seele ist stille zu Gott) Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass, H-U 312 Gondellied, H-U 377 Capriccio in A flat, H-U 247 Aus meinen Tränen sprießen, H-U 327 Abschied von Rom, H-U 352 Die frühen Gräber, H-U 222 Dämmrung senkte sich von oben, H-U 392 Piano Trio in D minor, Op 11 Lobgesang, H-U 257 (excerpt) Im Herbste, H-U 416 Vorwulf, H-U 462 Bergeslust, H-U 466
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 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
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s endeavours to become the guardian of his brother’s son Karl - a relationship which from the start was built upon rocky foundations.
Music Featured:
Allegro and Minuet, WoO 26 (Excerpt) Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’ (Scherzo. Allegro vivace) Leonore Prohaska, WoO 96 (Funeral March) Piano Sonata No 28 in A, Op 101 Sehnsucht, WoO 146 Das Geheimnis, WoO 145 Der Mann von Wort, Op 99 Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92 (Allegretto) Music, Love and Wine, Op 108 No 1 Behold my love how green the groves, Op 108 No 9 Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93 (Allegro vivace) Piano Sonata No 29 in B flat, Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’ (Allegro) String Quintet in C minor, Op 104 (Allegro con brio) Missa Solemnis in D, Op 123 (Agnus Dei) Minuet, WoO17 (Mödlinger Tänze, No 2) Piano Sonata No 30 in E, Op 109 (Prestissimo) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 ‘Choral’ (Excerpt) Resignation, WoO 149 Abendlied Unterm Gestirnten Himmel, WoO150 Piano Sonata No 31 in A flat, Op 110 Bagatelle No 2, Op 126 (Allegro) Der Kuss, Op 128 Missa Solemnis in D, Op 123 (Gloria) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 ‘Choral’ (Scherzo) String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (excerpt) Waltz in E flat, WoO 85 Tremate, empi, tremate, Op 116 String Quartet No 15 in A minor, Op 132 (Molto adagio) Elegischer Gesang ‘Sanft wie du lebtest‘, Op 118 Piano Sonata No 12 in A flat, Op 26 (Marche Funebre)
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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002cbw3
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 maverick spirit, fierce passions and phenomenal twilight years of Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček was a true Czech original. He heard music in the way people talk on the streets, loved the local and made it universal - pouring his “speech melodies” into pioneering, devastating operas, and writing some of the most intimate confessionals in instrumental music. His life also came with a major plot twist – after years of toiling away unappreciated, he suddenly found fame in his 60s. Instead of winding down, Janáček revved up. This week, Kate Molleson explores his maverick spirit, his fierce passions, and the phenomenal flood of inspiration of his twilight years.
Music Featured:
Sinfonietta (Fanfare) The Wild Duck In the Mists (2nd mvt, Molto adagio) The Fiddler’s Child Songs of Hradčany (The Weeping Fountain) Jenůfa, Act II (Jenůfa’s Prayer) Moravian Folk Poetry in Song, JW V/2 (No 2, Constancy) On the Overgrown Path (Our Evenings; A Blown Away Leaf) Diary of One Who Disappeared (Nos 19-22) Katya Kabanova: Act II Scene 2 "Jste to vy, Katěrino Petrovno?"…."Choď si, dívka, do času" The Cunning Little Vixen Act II “Fox Goldenstripe…..That’s how it is!” Quartet No 1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ (1st & 2nd mvts) March of the Blue Birds Říkadla - Nursery Rhymes (excerpt) Lachian Dances (Nos 3-6) Mládí On the Overgrown Path (No 9, In Tears) Pohádka – Fairytale Glagolitic Mass (Intrada) The Excursions of Mr Broucek Suite (The Moon Waltz) 1905 Sonata Capriccio (2nd & 3rd mvt) Glagolitic Mass (excerpt) Moravian Love Songs (No 10 ‘Love’) Intimate Sketches (Waiting for You!) From the House of the Dead Suite (3rd mvt, Holiday is Coming) Quartet No 2 ‘Intimate Letters’ On the Overgrown Path (No 7, Good Night)
Presented by Kate Molleson 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 Leos Janacek (1854-1928) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002c0h9
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 colours in Bruch’s life story and reveals the breadth of his output
“Only true melody outlasts all changes and shifts of time” – so said this week’s composer, Max Bruch, the creator of what may be the world’s best-loved violin concerto. But Bruch would hate us to think of him as a one hit wonder. He even came to resent the very sound of his first Violin concerto, the only piece by which he’s often remembered. This week, Donald Macleod colours in Bruch’s life story and reveals the breadth of his output, including some of his lesser-heard music.
Music Featured:
Frühlingslied, Op 7 No 5 (arr. for violin and piano) Septet, Op Posth (3rd mvt, Scherzo) Klavierstücke, Op 12 (excerpt) Piano Trio, Op 5 Die Loreley Overture String Quartet No 2 in E major, Op 10 (1st mvt, Allegro maestoso) Swedish Dances (No 10, Frisch, nicht zu schnell) Musicaklang, Op 71 No 5 Symphony No 1 (5th mvt, Finale) Schön Ellen, Op 24 Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor 12 Scottish Folksongs (No 2, Johnie und Jenny) Songs, Op 49 No 4 – Serenade Piano Quintet in G minor (3rd & 4th mvts) Gruss an die Heilige Nacht (Greeting to the Holy Night) Kol Nidrei Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra (4th mvt, Allegro guerriero) 8 Pieces for Clarinet, viola and piano, Op 83 No 2 In der Nacht, Op 72 4 Pieces, Op 70 (No 1, Aria) Concerto for Two Pianos (4th mvt) Double Concerto for clarinet and viola Sommerlust im Walde, Op 71 No 1 String Quartet No 1 (3rd mvt) Das Lied von der Glocke (final movements) Odysseus Prelude In Memoriam, Op 65
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 Max Bruch (1839-1920) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002br0d
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 some of Edward Elgar’s greatest passions.
Edward Elgar was a man of many passions, from cycling to chemistry. This week, Donald Macleod explores five Elgar’s greatest passions.
Music Featured:
Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 Caractacus, Op 35 (Scene 3, excerpt) Pomp and Circumstance March No 3 in C minor The Spirit of England, Op. 80 (No 3, For the Fallen) Coronation Ode, Op 44 (Crown the King) Salut D’Amour, Op 12 The Wind at Dawn 2 Partsongs, Op 26 (No 2, Fly, Singing Bird) String Quartet in E minor, Op 83 (2nd mvt) Cello Concerto in E minor, Op 85 Ave Verum Corpus, Op 2, No 1 The Dream of Gerontius, Op 38 (excerpt from Part 2) The Apostles, Op 49 (excerpt from Part 1) The Kingdom, Op 51 (Prelude) Te Deum, Op 34 No 1 Enigma Variations, Op 36 Violin Concerto in B minor, Op 61 (2nd mvt) Carissima Five Part-songs from The Greek Anthology, Op 45 Sea Pictures, Op 37 (No 2, In Haven) Introduction & Allegro for strings, Op 47 Land of Hope and Glory Symphony No 1 in A flat major, Op 55 (4th mvt)
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 Edward Elgar (1857-1934) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002bw86
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 extraordinary life and music of Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre
Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) was a pioneer in the history of music, one of the first to bring sonatas and cantatas into the French repertoire, and the first woman in France to compose a performed opera. She explored and pushed further the possibilities of musical composition, as well as writing some of the most beautiful pieces of the Baroque era. She worked under the patronage of the most powerful figures of this Grand Siècle that saw the absolute reign of Louis XIV and the construction of his dreamed Versailles. And yet, there are still many elements of mystery and unknown in this composer's story. Kate Molleson invites you to (re)discover the extraordinary adventures of a gifted musician, with a soupçon of French flair and lots of gorgeous music.
Music Featured:
Harpsichord Suite in G major L'Isle de Délos ["The Island of Delos"] Harpsichord Suite in G minor Le Passage de la Mer Rouge ["The Crossing of the Red Sea"] Sonata No 1 in D minor Les Rossignols, dès que le Jour Commence Harpsichord Suite in D minor Sonata No 5 in A minor Sémélé ["Semele"] Harpsichord Suite in A minor Sonata No 2 in D major Sonata No 1 in G minor (transcribed for organ) Céphale et Procris ["Cephalus and Procris"] Harpsichord Suite in F major Sonata in D major Jacob et Rachel Harpsichord Suite in D minor Suite in G major Sonata No. 3 in F major Jonas Judith Le Sommeil d’Ulysse ["Ulysses' Sleep"] ( Le Raccomodement Comique de Pierrot et de Nicole Trio Sonata in G minor Air à boire La Provençale: 'Entre nous mes chers amis' ["Between us, dear friends'"]
Presented by Kate Molleson Produced 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 Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) nhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002b676
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 charts the highs and lows of the composer's last five years, from veneration to humiliation and back again. We hear how Mozart coped with all that life threw at him and somehow managed to compose many of the works he’s most loved for today.
Music featured:
Requiem Ein musikalischer Spass (4th mvt, Presto) Symphony No 38 “Prague” (3rd mvt, Presto) Canon: Ach zu kurz ist unsers Lebenslauf String Quintet in G minor, K515 (2nd mvt. Adagio, arr. for piano) Serenade in G, K525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1st and 2nd mvts) Don Giovanni, Act I, Madamina (Catalogue aria) Contredance in C major “La Bataille” Symphony No 40 (3rd mvt, Menuetto) Divertimento in E flat major, K 563 (1st mvt, Allegro) Piano Sonata No 16 in C major, K545 “Facile” (2nd mvt, Andante) Symphony No 41 “Jupiter” (1st and 2nd mvts) Kleine Gigue in G minor, K574 Vado, ma dove? Oh dei! K583 Piano Concerto No 26 "Coronation" (2nd mvt) Cosi fan tutte, Act 1, Un’ aura amorosa “Prussian” String Quartet No 1 in D, K575 (2nd mvt) Clarinet Quintet in A, K581 (1st and 2nd mvts) Cosi fan tutte Overture Cosi fan tutte, Act II, Una donna Adagio and Allegro in F minor (originally for organ), K594 String Quintet in D, K593 (1st and 2nd mvts) La clemenza di Tito (Marcia) The Magic Flute Overture Piano Concerto in B flat, K595 (2nd mvt, Largo) Ave verum corpus, K618 Adagio for Glass Harmonica, K617a The Magic Flute, Act II, Scene 5, Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen Clarinet Concerto in A, K622 (1st mvt)
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 Mozart's Last Years https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0029psw And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 Danish composer, Carl Nielsen, through his temperaments Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) is probably the most eminent Danish composer. Known mainly for his talent as a symphonist and for his incidental music for 'Aladdin', he also pushed the boundaries of Romantic music, whether in his work on the voice or his exploration of dissonance. Born in the fairy tale-looking island of Fyn, his music is indeed full of characters: Nielsen was fascinated by the multiplicity of human emotions and personalities. To the extent that they frequently were the source of his musical creativity. After all, he was himself a passionate character, something that transpires in his very scores, in which the composer often hides behind the music. This week, inspired by his second and fourth symphonies, Donald Macleod invites you to discover Carl Nielsen's story through the prism of five different aspects of his temperament.
Music Featured:
Saul og David (Prelude to Act II) Symphony No 2, Op 16, FS29 ‘The Four Temperaments’ Fynsk Forar, Op 42 (excerpt) Polka in A major, FS1 Little Suite for strings in A minor, Op 1 (3rd mvt) Aladdin Suite, Op 34 (excerpt) Søvnen, Op 18 String Quartet in D Minor, FS 3d (3rd mvt) Saga-Drøm, Op 39, FS 46 Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, FS 119 (1st mvt) The Heavens darken, vast and silent, FS 106 Dream about ‘Silent Night’, FS 34 Farewell, my respectable native town! String Quartet No 1 in G minor, Op 13, FS 4 (excerpt) Humoresque Bagatelles Moderen [The Mother], Op 41 (No 2, Tågen letter “The Fog is Lifting”) String Quartet No 2 in F minor, Op 5 (excerpt) Romance in D major for violin and piano Hymnus amoris [Hymn of Love] for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op 12 (No 4, Old Age) Three Motets (No 3, Benedictus Dominus) 5 Songs, FS 12 (No 4, Irmelin Rose) Piano Suite "The Luciferan", FS 91, Op 45 (excerpt) String Quartet No 3 in E-flat major, FS 23, Op 14 (excerpt) Symphony No 3, Op 27, FS 60 "Sinfonia espansiva" (3rd mvt) Maskarade, FS 39, Act III (excerpt) Symphonic Suite for Piano, Op 8, FS 19 (4th mvt, Finale) Stophic Songs, FS 42, Vol 2, No 1, "Saenk kun dit hoved, du blomst" The Spider’s Song Jens Vejmand (arr. Finn Savery) Helios, Op 17, FS 32 Violin Concerto, Op 33, FS 61 (Preludium) Symphony No 6 "Sinfonia semplice", FS 116 (4th mvt, Tema con variazioni) Symphony No 4 "The Inextinguishable", Op 29, FS 76 (4th mvt)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced 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 Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0029j16 And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 navigates through the personal and professional struggles of Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler: brilliant, fiery and tyrannical – leader of some the most prestigious musical institutions of his era – fought battles his whole life. He clashed with his colleagues, scrapped with critics and wrestled endlessly with his own desires and ambitions. This week, Kate Molleson navigates us through his many personal and professional struggles, and follows Mahler to the countryside hideaways where he sought (not always successfully) to escape the drama of his everyday life. Here, among the lakes and mountains, Mahler also found space to compose and he poured the whole world into his music in all its ugliness, mundanity and transcendent beauty.
Music Featured:
Symphony No 3 (excerpts) Symphony No 1 (excerpts) Symphony No 2 (excerpts) by Bernard Haitink Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Lob des hohen Verstandes) Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Symphony No 4 (excerpts) Symphony No 5 (excerpts) Symphony No 6 (excerpts) Symphony No 7 (excerpts) Kindertotenlieder (No 3, Wenn dein Mütterlein) Symphony No 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" (excerpts) Das Lied von der Erde (No 2, Der Einsame in Herbst) Symphony No 9 (excerpts) Das Lied von der Erde (No 4, Von der Schonheit) Symphony No 10 (ed. Deryck Cooke (excerpt)
Presented by Kate Molleson Produced 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 Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00291fh
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Between new sounds and old songs, Kate Molleson shares the story of Ruth Crawford-Seeger
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
Music Featured:
Little Waltz Five Songs to Poems by Carl Sandburg (1, Home Thoughts; 2, White Moon) Theme and Variations Selection from American Folk Songs for Children Diaphonic Suite No 2 for bassoon and cello Kaleidoscopic Changes on an Original Theme, Ending with a Fugue Diaphonic Suite No 3 for Flute Whirligig Preludes for Piano Caprice Sonata for Violin and Piano Trad: Prisoner Blues Music for Small Orchestra Marion Bauer: Four Piano Pieces Selection from 19 American Folk Songs for piano Three Songs to poems by Carl Sandburg Diaphonic Suite No 4 for oboe and violoncello Three Chants for Female Chorus String Quartet Diaphonic Suite No 1 for oboe Selection from Animal Folk Songs for Children Preludes for Piano Two Ricercare to poems by Hsi Tseng Tsiang Peggy Seeger: How I Long For Peace Selection from American Folk Songs for Christmas Andante for strings Trad: "New River Train” Trad: "Midnight Special" Trad: "Irene (Goodnight, Irene)" Charles Seeger: John Hardy Piano Study in Mixed Accents Suite No 1, for five wind instruments and piano Elizabeth Cotten: "Freight Train" Rissolty, Rossolty Piano Sonata Diaphonic Suite for two clarinets Piano Study in Mixed Accents (Version 3) Suite for Wind Quintet Five Canons, for piano Peggy Seeger: "Everything Changes"
Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Julien Rosa 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 Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028k1v
And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 dives into the life and music of Maurice Ravel
Music featured:
Jeux d'eau Shéhérazade (No 3, L'indifférent) Valses Nobles et Sentimentales Miroirs (No 5, La Vallée des Cloches) Une Barque sur L'océan Alborada del Gracioso Allegretto (incidental music for ‘Antar’) Rapsodie Espagnole (No 3, Habanera & No 4, Feria) Gaspard de la Nuit (No 2 Le gibet) Daphnis et Chloé, Part 2 Ma Mère l'Oye Le Tombeau de Couperin (No 1, Prélude) Trois Chansons Le Tombeau de Couperin (excerpt) La Valse Sonata for violin & cello (1st & 2nd mvts) A la manière de Borodine Tzigane Trois chansons madécasses (No 1, Nahandove & No 2, Aoua! Aoua!) Piano Concerto in G major (2nd & 3rd mvts) Boléro
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 Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00288rx And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 lives and music of The Turkish Five
In 1923 the Turkish Republic came into being. On the agenda for the founding father and first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatȗrk, was the aim to develop a new Turkish musical language, and to disassociate culturally with the Ottoman past. This new musical culture would be a blend of traditional Turkish music, in combination with Western classical music.
A group of composers known as the Turkish Five were pioneers in this movement to form a synthesis between East and West. They included Cemal Reşit Rey (1904-1985), Ulvi Cemal Erkin (1906-1972), Hasan Ferit Alnar (1906-1978), Ahmet Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) and Necil Kâzim Akses (1908-1999). The Turkish Five became hugely influential in their home country as composers, teachers, conductors and artistic directors, and also became well known abroad, receiving many honours.
This week, Donald Macleod is joined by Prof. Mine Doğantan-Dack and Dr. Emre Araci to delve into the impact these composers had on the music in the Turkish Republic.
Music featured:
Ulvi Cemal Erkin: Camdan sakiz akiyor (Seven Folk Songs) Piano Concerto (excerpt) Duyuşlar (excerpt) Piano Quintet (Ritmico e enérgico) Seven Folk Songs (excerpt)
Ahmet Adnan Saygun: Meseli, Op 25 (Anadolu’dan) Piano Concerto No 1, Op 34 (excerpt) Theme and Variations, Op 2 String Quartet No 1, Op 27 (excerpt) Yunus Emre, Op 26 (excerpt) Halay, Op 25 (Anadolu’dan) String Quartet No 2, Op 35 (Grave) Köröğlu, Op 41 (Ten Turkish Folk Songs) Piano Concerto No 2, Op 71 (excerpt)
Necil Kâzim Akses: Concerto for Orchestra (excerpt) Five Turkish Piano Pieces (excerpt) Violin Concerto (Adagio – Allegro) Andante (Ten Piano Pieces) Five Pieces for Piano (excerpt)
Cemal Reşit Rey: Three Turkish Folks Songs (Twelve Anatolish Folk Songs) Nomad Zeybek Air (Turkish Scenes) Feast (Instantanés) Fatih Sultan Mehmet “Le Conquerant” Andante and Allegro
Hasan Ferit Alnar: Piano Trio (excerpt) Şu Yamaçta (8 Piano Pieces) Uyuşuk Dans (8 Piano Pieces) Concerto for Qānūn and String Orchestra (Allegro poco moderato) Piano Trio (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 The Turkish Five https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002822p And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 early years in Benjamin Britten's creative story
Benjamin Britten was one of the most influential British composers of the 20th century, with celebrated works such as 'Peter Grimes', 'Friday Afternoons' or 'A Simple Symphony'. Music infused his very first moments in life and he started to develop his musical instincts from a very early age. Many of his future masterpieces can be traced back to the inspiration of his youth. This week, Donald Macleod explores these crucial early years in Britten's creative story, from his birth under the star of St Cecilia to his departure for America at 25 years old.
Music featured:
Hymn to St Cecilia, Op 27 Four Sea Interludes, Op 33a (from 'Peter Grimes') A Charm of Lullabies, Op 41 (arr for voice and orchestra by Colin Matthews) Five Waltzes Beware! Three Early Songs (No 1, 'Beware') On This Island, Op 11 (No 3, 'Seascape') Psalm 150, Op 67 Quatre chansons françaises Suite for harp in C major, Op 83 A Hymn to the Virgin A Walden Trio: Christmas Song of the Women The Birds Twelve Variations on a Theme, for piano Three Divertimenti for String Quartet (2nd mvt) Sinfonietta, Op 1 (1st mvt) Phantasy, Op 2, for oboe, violin, viola and violoncello (1st & 2nd mvt) Holiday Diary, Op 5 A Boy Was Born, Op 3 (Variation I, 'Lullay, Jesu') Simple Symphony, Op 4 Mont Juic (co-composed with Lennox Berkeley) (4th mvt) Friday Afternoons (excerpts) Suite for Violin and Piano, Op 6 (3rd & 4th mvts) Train Sequence, from 'The King's Stamp' Percussion Sequence, from 'Night Mail' (text by W.H. Auden) Love Music, from 'Love from a Stranger' Russian Funeral Soirées musicales, Op 9 Lullaby for a retired colonel' A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op 64 (excerpt) Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op 10 The Company of Heaven ( Part 3, No 7, ‘A Thousand, Thousand Gleaming Fires’) Piano Concerto, Op 13 (1st mvt) Les Illuminations, Op 18 (on poems by Arthur Rimbaud)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced 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 Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027tjp And you can delve into the A-Z of 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 indienne Der Fischer und das Milchmädchen (excerpts) Der Admiral Overture Gott und die Natur (No 7, "Es geht aus seinem Strahlentor") arr D. Salvi for voice, strings & piano Das Brandenburger Tor (Einleitung) Jephtas Gelübde Overture (arr D. Salvi for piano and strings) Il nascere e il fiorire d’una rosa Le Prophète, Act I (No 1a: Prélude et chœur pastoral. "La brise est muette") Gli amori di Teolinda (IV. Allegro moderato) Romilda e Costanza Overture Emma 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 mère An Mozart Struensee, Act II: Entr’acte, Der Ball Les Huguenots (excerpts) Fantasie for clarinet & string quartet Ein Feldlager in Schlesien (excerpts) Psalm 91 Le Prophète (excerpts) Pater Noster L’Étoile du Nord, Act III, Scène 8. "Quel trouble affreux" (Danilowitz)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced 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?) Lullaby String 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 Sonata String Trio
Viktor Ullmann: Sha shtil Piano 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 46 Der Kaiser von Atlantis (excerpts)
Hans Krása: Brundibár Suite (7th mvt) Tanec for String Trio Kammermusik for Harpsichord and 7 Instruments Theme and Variations for String Quartet Three Songs to texts of Arthur Rimbaud Brundibár, Act II
Pavel Haas: Pripoved (Narrative) Quartet Op 2 “From the Monkey Mountains” (2nd mvt, Coach, Coachman and Horse) Overture for Radio, Op 11 Šarlatán Suite, Op 14 (excerpt) Study for Strings Four Songs on Chinese Poetry
Ilse Weber: Kleines Wiegenlied Karel Švenk: Rozloučení (from play The Last Cyclist) Karel Švenk: Pod destnikem (Under an umbrella); Vesechno jde! (Terezin Hymn) Ilse Weber: Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt; Wiegala František Domažlický: Song without Words František Domažlicky: Suite Danza Karel Berman: Piano Suite: Reminiscences (excerpts)
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 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 assai Theme and Variations String Quartet “Phantasy” Persephone Come Under My Plaidie from Two Scottish Airs Gigue from Suite for Viola On Westhall Hill Sonata for Violin and Cello Prelude and Dance Three Psalms A shower among the birch trees from Six Pieces from Finland Crab-fish from Four Somerset Folk Songs Mill Field Suite for Strings String Quartet No 1 Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow Weathers arr. Arthur Keegan Suite for Viola (Cinquepace) As I sat under a Holly Tree A Hymne to Christ Variations on “Loth to Depart” The fall of the leaf Festival Anthem “How Manifold are Thy Works” Timothy’s Trot What Man is He? Leiston Suite Hallo my fancy, whither wilt thou go? String Quintet Mass in A minor (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 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
