Composer Of The Week

Donald Macleod marks Composer of the Week's 80th anniversaryComposer 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 Heaven Morfydd Owen: My luv's like a red, red rose Morfydd Owen: Nocturne for orchestra in D flat major Dilys Elwyn-Edwards: Lullaby for piano Dilys Elwyn-Edwards: Laudate Dominum Dilys Elwyn-Edwards: All that's past Dilys Elwyn-Edwards: Caneuon y Tri Aderyn Grace William

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

Donald Macleod surveys the life of Girolamo Frescobaldi and the musical spectacle of RomeGirolamo 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 Ciaccona Canzona Terza a 2 Fantasia prima, sopra un soggietto Fantasia undecima, sopra quattro soggietti Luzzaschi: Aura soave Luzzaschi: Sacrarum Cantionum, Book 1: Deus tu scis insipientiam meam Toccate 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 prima Canzon terza Partite sop

Donald Macleod is joined by Odaline de la Martinez to explore the life and music of Carlos ChavezCarlos 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 Guitar Sexteto para Arcos y Piano: III. Andante & IV. Finale Los Cuatro Soles Chapultepec "Republican Overture" Poligonos Tres Exagonos Otros Tres Exagonos Energia Suite de Caballos de Vapor: I. Danza del hombre, II. El barco, III. El tropico Soli I Sol

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 25-29 Keyboard Suite in E major ‘The Harmonious Blacksmith’, HWV430 (Air &

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,

Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviewsComposer 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 Feat

Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviewsComposer 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 Feat

Kate Molleson explores the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine TailleferreKate 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 t

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

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

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George GershwinMusic 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 BluePresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin WilliamsFor 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/m001n27rAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the co

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

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Gioachino RossiniGioachino 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..

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 Scarlatt

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

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 the

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 Deum Litany Façade: 2. En famille Portsmouth Point Sinfonia Concertante Façade (extracts) Viola Concerto As You Like It: A Poem for Orchestra after Shakespeare Symphony No 1 Crown Imperial Violin Concerto Henry V Hamlet Troilus and Cressida (excerpts) Orb and Sceptre Cello ConcertoPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKeeFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured

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 on

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 Hands Gnossiennes Rapsodie Nègre L’Album des Six (5th mvt, ‘Valse’) Les Biches Concert Champêtre Les Soirées de Nazelles Les Litanies à la Vierge Noire Bleuet Les Animaux Modèles L’Histoire de Babar Les Mamelles de Tirésias La Fraîcheur et le Feu Les Dialogues des Carmelites La Voix HumainePresented by Donald Macleod Produ