Composer of the Week
533 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★ - 219 ratingsBBC 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.
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Episodes
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
June 28, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 69.1 MBDonald 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 sign...
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904
June 21, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBKate 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 convict...
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
June 14, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 70 MBDonald 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 Swan O clap your hands Out of the Deep A Fancy (for Double Organ) Behold, thou hast made my days We praise thee, O Fa...
Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853-1894)
June 07, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBDonald 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 co...
Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
May 24, 2024 16:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBDonald 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 internation...
Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994)
May 17, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBKate 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 t...
CPE Bach (1714-1788)
May 10, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBIn 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,...
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
May 03, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBDonald 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 a...
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
April 12, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBJohannes 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...
Mozart's Grand Tour
April 05, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBDonald 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 a...
Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
March 29, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 78.2 MBDonald 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, a...
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
March 15, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBDonald 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 ...
Johanna Senfter (1879-1961)
March 08, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 69 MBKate 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...
Maddalena Sirmen and her World
February 23, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBDonald 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 four...
Karl Jenkins
February 16, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBKarl 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 th...
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
February 02, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBKate Molleson explores the legends and lore of Igor Stravinsky Music Featured: Rite of Spring Fireworks Three Movements from Petrushka (Russian Dance) The Firebird: Infernal Dance The Rite of Spring, Part 2: The Sacrifice Three Pieces for String Quartet (Excentrique) Four Russian Peasant Songs Song of the Nightingale (The Mechanical Nightingale) Renard (excerpt) Soldier’s Tale (excerpt) Les Noces: The Wedding Feast Pulcinella Suite (Sinfonia) Suite Italienne Sonata for Piano Symphoni...
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
January 26, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBDonald 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:...
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
January 19, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBDonald 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 al...
Caroline Shaw
January 05, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 80 MBKate 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 ...
Greatest Showstoppers
December 29, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 60 MBThe 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 to...
A Vaughan Williams Christmas
December 22, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 71.6 MB“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 Fa...
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921)
December 15, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBDonald 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 Yo...
A Medieval Christmas
December 08, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBThis 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 sig...
Ned Rorem (1923-2022)
December 01, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 60 MBNed 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...
John and Alice Coltrane
November 17, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBKate 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 ...
Berlioz and Shakespeare
November 10, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBDonald 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, Sco...
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
November 03, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBDonald 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 al...
Edouard Lalo (1823-1892)
October 27, 2023 12:00 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBDonald 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, prefe...
José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767-1830)
October 06, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 80 MBKate 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 ta...
Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet
September 29, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 77.8 MBDonald 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 compose...
Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet live from Cardiff
September 29, 2023 11:59 - 27 minutes - 24.7 MBDonald 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 i...
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
September 22, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 70.1 MBDonald 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...
Carlos Chávez (1899-1978)
September 15, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBDonald 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...
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
September 08, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBKate 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...
Icons of British Light Music
September 01, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBDonald Macleod explores how the rise and fall of Light Music in Britain The 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, Don...
Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 2
August 04, 2023 12:01 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBDonald 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 highligh...
Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 1
August 04, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBDonald 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 highligh...
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
July 28, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 73.3 MBKate 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 S...
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
July 21, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBComposer 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...
William Byrd (1543-1623)
July 07, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 75 MBThis 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...
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
June 30, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBDonald 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 Embraceabl...
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
June 23, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBDonald 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 ...
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
June 09, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBDonald 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...
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
June 02, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBKate Molleson explores the life and music of Domenico Scarlatti Domenico 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 aristoc...
György Ligeti (1923-2006)
May 26, 2023 16:29 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBKate Molleson explores the life of György Ligeti with guest, Danny Driver Known 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 becom...
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
May 26, 2023 16:26 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBDonald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky's music with Sir Matthew Bourne and Dame Monica Mason Tchaikovsky 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 Bri...
William Walton (1902-1983)
May 05, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBWilliam 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 ...
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
April 28, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBThe 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, Ha...
Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)
April 21, 2023 12:00 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBDonal 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 up...
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
April 14, 2023 12:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBSir 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 an...