Composer Of The Week

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, BWV1034 Capriccio in honorem Johann Christoph Bach BWV993 Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004 (v. Chaconne) Organ Sonata No 4, BWV528 Lute Suite No 1 in E minor, BWV996 Partita for Solo Violin in E major, BWV1006 (IV. Menuet) Fugue in G minor for violin and basso continuo, BWV1026 Trio Sonata No 2 in C minor, BWV 526 Concerto after Vivaldi in A minor, BWV593 (i. Allegro) Cantata BWV208 'Was mir behagt, ist nur die munt

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.u

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 Aranjuez 2 Esbozos Rumaniana 3 Evocaciones 5 Sonatas de Castilla con toccata a modo de pregón Juglares Zarabanda Lejana Pastorale 2 Berceuses Bagatela Preludio de anoranza Suite pour piano Preludio para un poema a la Alhambra 5 piezas infantiles Serenata española Tres Danzas de España Cuatro estampas andaluzas Sonada de adios (Homenaje a Paul Dukas) Per la flor del lliri blau Cuatros Piezas Cancion Del Cucu Coplas del pastor enamorado En los trigales Tiento antiguo Junto al Generalife Fantasia para un Gentilhombre: I. Vil

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 97 5 Lieder, Op 40 (No 4, Der Spielmann) Geistervariationen in E-flat major for piano, WoO 24 Violin 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 Overture Kinderszenen, 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 115 Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 129 V

Donald explores the life of Delius through five of his relationshipsDonald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.Music Featured:The Walk to the Paradise Garden Irmelin Requiem Brigg Fair Songs of Farewell On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring North Country Sketches Florida Suite Violin Sonata No 3 Violin Sonata No 1 Paa Vidderne (On the Mountains) Koanga (excerpts) Sleigh Ride (Winter Night) Paris, Song of a Great City Piano Concerto in C minor Appalachia (Variations on an old slave song A Village Romeo and Juliet (The Walk to the Paradise Garden) On Craig Dhu (An impression of nature) Double Concerto String Quartet Cello Sonata Hassan (excerpt) A Late Lark Dance Rhapsody No 1Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor & Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & 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

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 Revolution Piano 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 12 Symphony No 7 in C Major, Op 60 “Leningrad” (1st mvt, Allegretto) Counterplan, Op 33 (Song of the Counterplan) The Golden Age S

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 Cry Songs from Childhood (I Am Already Big) Symphony No 1 (“Polyphonic” Sonatina No 1 Nekrolog Collage über BACH Ukuaru Waltz Festina Lente Credo Quintettino Symphony No 3 When Sarah Was Ninety Years Old (excerpt) Magnificat Arbos Für Alina Summa Fratres Tabula Rasa Missa Syllabica Hymn to a Great City De Profundis Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten Spiegel im Spiegel Passio Berlin Mass Estonian Lullaby Vater Unser Orient and Occident Which Was the Son Of… Littlemore Tractus And I Heard a VoicePresented by Kate Molleson Produced by Amelia Parker fo

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 Minor Symphony No 1 in G Minor, Op 13, "Winter Daydreams" Cherevichki, Op 4 Symphony No 2 in C Minor, Op 17, "Little Russian" Piano Concerto No 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op 23 Eugene Onegin, Act III Scene 2, Onegin! Ya togda molozhe Swan Lake, Avt IV (excerpt) Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op 36 Suite No 1 in D Major, Op 43 6 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 Berge Capriccio Italien, Op 45 Mazeppa: Act II, Scene 2, O, Mariya, Mariya! (Mazepa) Vesper Service, Op 52 Les saisons (The Seasons

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 StarsPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales & 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 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 Mélo

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 Cent

Donald Macleod investigates the life of a Renaissance genius, Giovanni da PalestrinaGiovanni 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

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

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 S

Kate Molleson explores the maverick spirit, fierce passions and phenomenal twilight years of Leoš JanáčekLeoš 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) Ka

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

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, O

Kate Molleson explores the extraordinary life and music of Elisabeth Jacquet de La GuerreElisabeth 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 t

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) Clar

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 Temperamen