Composer of the Week

Composer of the Week: Haydn
Monday 24th April 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Disappointment and Solace. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod puts the public face of this celebrated figure to one side and looks at the life and music of Joseph Haydn through a narrower lens, drawing a picture of the composer through the relationships he enjoyed with some of his closest family and friends. If Haydn had applied hindsight to his decision to marry, it's highly probable he would have reconsidered his options. By contrast, his feelings for one of the court singers were considerably warmer, enduring long after their affair had petered out. Haydn: Signor voi sapete, Hob XXIVb:7. Chen Reiss (soprano: Rosina), L'Arte del mondo, Werner Ehrhardt (conductor). Symphony No 1 in D major, Hob 1/1 - I: Presto. Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Ádám Fischer (conductor). Salve Regina in E, Hob XXIIIb:1 - I. Salve Regina. Nancy Argenta (soprano), Collegium Musicum 90 Choir, Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox (director). Horn Concerto No 1 in D, Hob VIId:3 - I: Allegro; II: Adagio; III: Allegro. Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas McGeegan (conductor) Vada adagio, signorina, Ho bXXIVb:12, for P Guglielmi: La Quakera spiritosa. Chen Reiss (soprano: Cardellina), L'Arte del mondo, Werner Ehrhardt (conductor). L'isola disabilitata, Act 2, Sc 12; Quartet: Sono contenta appieno. Anett Fritsch (soprano, Costanza), Sunhae Im (soprano: Silvia), Krystian Adam (tenor: Enrico), André Morsch (baritone: Gernando's companion), Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck (musical direction).
(Episode 1)

Monday 1st May 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Invisible Wings. Series 1, episode 1.

William Walton composed music for the coronation of Elizabeth II and George VI, pieces of pomp and circumstance that will likely be heard again during this weekend's coronation of Charles III. But he grew up in the northern working-class town of Oldham, far from Buckingham Palace and the world of the Windsors, 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? The first edition looks at how Walton made it out of Oldham when his father happened upon a newspaper ad announcing a a`trial of voices", and how the young Walton very nearly missed his chance. Walton: Coronation Te Deum. Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Christopher Whitton (organ), Christopher Robinson (conductor). Symphony No 2: II. Lento assai. London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn (conductor). String Quartet. Albion Quartet. Litany. Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (conductor). Piano Quartet: I. Allegramente, IV. Allegro molto. Peter Donohoe (piano), Maggini Quartet.
(Series 1, Episode 1)

Monday 15th May 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Creating Swan Lake. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the composer's ballets with Royal Ballet artistic director Monica Mason and choreographer Matthew Bourne, beginning with his first - Swan Lake. Monica shares her thoughts on why Tchaikovsky's music remains so popular and talks about her experience of performing the lead roles of Odette and Odille, while Matthew discusses his own unique production of and how he used the music to inspire his creative decisions - including exchanging female dancers for men in the role of the swans. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op 20 - Act 2 excerpt. The New London Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones (conductor). The Seasons - June: Barcarolle, Op 37b No 6. Mikhail Pletnev (piano). No Reply, No Word, No Greeting - Six Romances, Op 28 No 5. Ljuba Kazarnovskaya (soprano), Ljuba Orfenova (piano). String Quartet No 3, Op 30, Allegretto vivo e scherzando. The Heath Quartet. Swan Lake, Op 20 - Act 2 excerpt; Swan Lake, Op 20 - Act 3 excerpt. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Ermler (conductor). Swan Lake, Op 20 - Act 4 excerpt. The New London Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 22nd May 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Frontiers. Episode 1.

Kate Molleson is joined by pianist Danny Driver to looks at the life and music of Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti, beginning with his formative years. While music, science, literature and folk music were all part of young Gyorgy's childhood, when it came to choosing a career, his father believed medicine or chemistry was the right route for his talented son. Ligeti: Musica ricercata - IV. Tempo de Valse (poco vivace - à l'orgue de Barbarie). Mei Yi Foo (piano). Lux aeterna. Cappella Amsterdam, Daniel Reuss (conductor). Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes (excerpt). Françoise Terrioux (metronomes). Three Wedding Dances for two pianos (Harom lakodalmi tanc): No 1, A kapuban a szeker; No 2, Hopp ide tisztán; No 3, Csango forgos. Irina Kataeva (piano), Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano). Romanian Concerto - I: Andantino; II: Allegro vivace; III: Adagio ma non troppo; IV: Molto vivace; Berlin Philharmonic. Piano Concerto - I: I. Vivace molto ritmico e preciso; II. Lento e deserto; III: Vivace cantabile. Joonas Ahonen (piano), BIT20 Ensemble, Baldur Brönnimann (conductor). Musica ricercata nos 3 to 8 - III: Allegro con spirito; IV: Tempo de Valse; VI. Allegro molto capriccioso; VII. Cantabile, molto legato; VIII. Vivace. Energico; Mei Yi Foo (piano).
(Episode 1)

Monday 29th May 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Domenico Scarlatti: Apprenticeship. Episode 1.

Kate Molleson examines the life and career of the Italian Baroque composer, beginning as he takes his first job, working for his father Alessandro among the musicians of the court chapel in Naples. It was not long before father and son were both on the hunt for better prospects, travelling to Florence, Rome and Venice to find patrons worthy of their talents. D Scarlatti: Sonata in D, K 96. Anne Queffélec (piano). Sonata in D minor, K 9. Ivo Pogorelich (piano). Sonata in E, K 20. Scott Ross (harpsichord). Antra, valles, divo plaudeant. Giuseppe Naviglio (baritone), Rosario Totaro (tenor), Leslie Visco (soprano), Valentina Varriale (soprano), Filippo Mineccia (countertenor), I Turchini, Antonio Florio (director). Sinfonia in C; Sinfonia in G. Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi (director). Sonata in A minor, K 109; Sonata in A, K 279; Sonata in G, K 425; Anne Queffélec (piano).
(Episode 1)

Monday 5th June 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Son of a Horn. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod traces Rossini's career, from his humble beginnings as the son of a horn player and learning to write music in order to support his family, to travelling the world and rubbing shoulders with royalty. He begins by looking at Rossini's mother, a self-taught soprano, and father, a horn-player who was in and out of prison throughout the composer's youth. Both of them uniquely inspired Rossini, and how their influence can be heard in the music he began writing at just 12 years of age. Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia - Act I: Cavatina: Largo al factotum della citta. Peter Mattei (baritone: Figaro), Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Lawrence Renes (conductor). La cambiale di matrimonio - Sinfonia; Scene 14: Finale: Portero cosi il cappello; Scene 15: Qual ira, oh ciel, v'accende; Final Scene: Vi prego. Vito Priante (bass: Tobia Mill), Julija Samsonova (soprano: Fanny), Daniele Zanfardino(tenor: Edoardo Milfort), Giulio Mastrototaro (bass: Slook), Tomasz Wija (bass: Norton), Francesca Russo Ermolli (mezzo: Clarina), Massimiliano Tanzini (harpsichord), Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, Christopher Franklin (conductor) Sonata a quattro No 2 in A. Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly (conductor). Sinfonia in D - al Conventello Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly (conductor). Il Signor Bruschino - Sinfonia; N 3 Cavatina: Nel teatro del gran mondo. Samuel Ramey (bass: Gaudenzio), English Chamber Orchestra, Ion Marin (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 12th June 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

New City, New Start. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Manuel de Falla, picking up with the young Falla just as he decides to abandon his home in Madrid and seek his fortune among the musical giants of Paris. La Vida breve (Intermezzo from Act 1). RTVE Symphony Chorus, BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Juanjo Mena. Allegro de concierto. Miguel Baselga (piano). Siete canciones populares Españolas No 7 Polo. Teresa Berganza (mezzo soprano), Juan Antonio Álvarez Parejo (piano). La Vida Breve (Act 2). Nancy Fabiola Herrera (mezzo-soprano: Salud), Cristina Faus (mezzo-soprano: La Abuela), Aquiles Machado (tenor: Paco), José Antonio López (baritone: Tío Sarvaor), Raquel Lojendio (soprano: Carmela, Josep Miquel Ramon (baritone: Manuel), Sequndo Falcón (flamenco: El Cantaor), Gustavo Peña (tenor: Una voz en la fraqua), Vicente Coves (guitar), RTVE Symphony Chorus, BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Juanjo Mena.
(Episode 1)

Monday 19th June 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Prefects and Patrons. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the youngest son of JS Bach, beginning by looking at his early years in Germany and Italy. Born in 1735, Johann Christian Bach grew up in a bustling and musical household, with his father's job as director of music to all four of Leipzig's churches meaning a great deal of music-making went on, not least with the pupils of the school attached to St Thomas's church. When his father died in 1750, JC soon found himself travelling to Berlin to live with his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel, and with the support of Prince Lobkowitz he found his way to Milan, where Count Litta would become his patron. JC Bach remained in Italy for eight years, where he not only studied with Padre Martini and composed a great deal of sacred music, but he was also appointed as second organist to Milan Cathedral. JC Bach: Symphony in G minor, Op 6 No 6 (excerpt). Academy of Ancient Music, Simon Standage (director). Magnificat a 4 in C, W E22 (excerpt). Joélle Harvey (soprano), Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen (director). Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, W C73. Anthony Halstead (harpsichord/director), The Hanover Band. Laudate pueri, W E 19 (excerpt). Joanne Lunn (soprano), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Concerto Köln, Gerhard Jenemann (director). Sinfonia in D, Op 3 No 1. Budapest Camerata, Hanspeter Gmur (conductor). Artaserse, T 217 (Vo solcando un mar crudele). Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor), Le Cercle de l'Harmonie, Jérémie Rhorer (director).
(Episode 1)

Monday 26th June 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Melting Pot. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the early life of George Gershwin, the composer who became one of the defining voices of a new America in the swinging '20s and the glory days of Hollywood in the 1930s. Rhapsody in Blue. Jean Yves Thibaudet (piano), Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop (conductor). Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. Sarah Vaughan (vocal), Hal Mooney (piano). Swanee. Frank Braley (piano). Our Love is Here to Stay. Nigel Kennedy (violin). Lullaby. Cleveland Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor). Somebody Loves Me. Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano). Suite from Blue Monday (arr. Jeanneau). Katia Labeque and Marielle Labeque (pianos). Rhapsody in Blue. Jean Yves Thibaudet (piano), Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 3rd July 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Man of Many Parts. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, the greatest British musician of his age. Kerry McCarthy joins him to explore the composer's life and music story, reveal a composer of determined ambition and powerful convictions, beginning with some of Byrd's varied roles and identities as a public servant and a private individual. Plus, Donald investigates how this sometimes isolated composer connected with the community in which he lived. Byrd: O Lux Beata Trinitas. Alamire, David Skinner (director). The Bells. Sophie Yates (virginals). Praise the Lord All Ye Gentiles. The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (director). Have Mercy on Me O God; Fantasia No 2. Red Byrd, Rose Consort of Viols. Laudibus in Sanctis Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly (director). John Come Kiss Me Now Aapo Hakkinen (harpsichord). O You That Hear This Voice; In Fields Abroad Grace Davidson (soprano), Fretwork, David Skinner (director). Galliard a 6. Fretwork.
(Episode 1)

Monday 10th July 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Marie Jaëll the Pianist. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Marie Jaëll, a piano prodigy and a composer across a wide spectrum of genres including opera and chamber music. She was also a revolutionary when it came to the art of teaching and playing the piano, but hers is a name that has been largely forgotten. Jaëll took to the piano as a young girl, giving public concerts from the age of nine and her reputation was such that she toured Europe and performed for Queen Victoria. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire from the age of 16 and by 1866 had met and married virtuoso pianist Alfred Jaëll. Husband and wife embarked on a programme of touring as pianists, and Marie would go on to collaborate with the piano manufacturer Pleyel, to promote their instruments. In 1894, Marie Jaëll turned her back on the concert platform, to focus more on developing her method of playing the piano. Jaëll: Aube (Promenade matinale, esquisses pour piano); Dans le doute; Essaim de mouches; Entrainement (Promenade matinale, esquisses pour piano). Cora Irsen (piano). Folies d'ours (La Légende des ours). Chantal Santon-Jeffery (soprano), Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet (director). Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor. Romain Descharmes (piano). Orchestre national de Lille, Joseph Swensen (director). Reflets Chantants (Prisme. Problèmes en musique). Cora Irsen (piano).
(Episode 1)

Monday 17th July 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Adagio for Strings. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Samuel Barber, who is 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. Donald begins in the early 1930s, when Barber was studying at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he'd auditioned as a pianist, and also studied singing and composing. During this period, Barber met fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti and they began a 40-year romantic relationship. Barber: Overture to The School for Scandal. New York Philharmonic, Thomas Schippers (conductor). Dover Beach, Op 3. Roderick Williams (baritone), Coull Quartet. Cello Sonata, Op 6 (Adagio - Presto). Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano). Sure on This Shining Night, Op 13 No 3; Nocturne, Op 13 No 4. Samantha Clarke (soprano), Dylan Perez (piano). Adagio for Strings, Op 11. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor). Violin Concerto, Op 14 (excerpt). Johan Dalene (violin), Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Blendulf (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 24th July 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Battles lost, battles won. Episode 1.

Kate Molleson revels in the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine Tailleferre, with guests Barbara Kelly and Caroline Potter. Tailleferre first made a splash in the heady atmosphere of 1920s Paris and was part of a lively, bohemian scene in which poetry and exhibitions went hand in hand with performances of new music. Today there's a rare performance of Tailleferre's sparkling ballet score Le Marchand d'Oiseaux and the uplifting story of her fight for the right to study music. Valse lente (Deux valses). Alexandre Tharaud (piano); Valse brillante (Deux valses). Clinton-Narboni Piano Duo. Image for 8 instruments. Ulrike Sieber (flute), Deborah Marshall (clarinet), Heiko Stralendorff (celesta), Angela Gassenhuber (piano), Fanny Mendelssohn Quartet, Wolfram Buchenberg (conductor); Jeux de plein air - I: Le Tirelitentaine; II: Cache-cache mitoula. Pascal Rogé (piano), Ami Rogé (piano); Quartet for Strings - I Modéré; II: Intermede; III: Vif. Stenhammar Quartet. Romance in A major. Nicolas Horvath (piano). Le Marchand d'oiseaux. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 31st July 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Stephen Sondheim and Judith Weir. Episode 1.

Composer of the Week is one of the longest-running strands on the BBC, first heard on the airwaves during the Second World War on the 2nd of August 1943. The first to be featured was Mozart and today, the programme tells the stories of well-known and rediscovered composers across classical music, jazz, contemporary and beyond. Donald Macleod celebrates its 80th anniversary with highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from his encounters with some of our greatest living composers. Today, Stephen Sondheim tells Donald about his early misadventures on Broadway, and Judith Weir gives an insight into her routine and the role of the composer in the 21st century. Stephen Sondheim: Pretty Little Picture - from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Stephen Sondheim (piano/vocals); Pretty Little Picture - from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Zero Mostel (Pseudolus), Brian Davies (Hero), Preshy Marker (Philia). Everything's Coming Up Roses - from Gypsy. Ethel Merman (Rose). Free - from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Zero Mostel (Pseudolus), Brian Davies (Hero). There's Always a Woman - from Anyone Can Whistle. Madeline Kahn (Cora), Bernadette Peters (Fay Apple), American Theatre Orchestra, Paul Gemignani (conductor). Judith Weir: Variations For Judith, No 5. Melvyn Tan (piano); Vertue for chorus. Gonville and Caius College Choir, Geoffrey Webber (conductor). Piano Quartet (1st movement). Schubert Ensemble. Airs from Another Planet for wind quintet and piano (excerpt). Lontano, Odaline de la Martinez (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 7th August 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Finding his Voice. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod examines the early signs of Monteverdi's prodigious musical talent, which led him from Cremona to Mantua, where he was appointed as musician to the Gonzaga court. Orfeo - Toccata. Le Concert Des Nations, Jordi Savall (conductor). 1st book of Motets (Sacrae cantiunculae) - Surge propera amica mea; O bone Iesu illumine oculos meus; Surgens Iesu; Iusti tulerunt spolia impioru. Gérard Lesne (countertenor), Josep Benet (tenor), Josep Cabré (bass). 2nd book of Madrigals - Non si levava ancor; E dicea l'una sospirand'all'hora. Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew (director). 3rd book of Madrigals - O come; O primavera; Occhi, un tempo; Rimanti in pace. Krijn Koetsveld (harpsichord), Le Nuove Musiche. Questi vaghi concenti. La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina (director). Vespro della Beata Vergine - Ave maris stella a 8. Ludus Modalis. Bruno Boterf (director).
(Repeat, Episode 1)

Composer of the Week: Henriette Bosmans
Monday 14th August 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Family Matters. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of the 20th-century Dutch composer and pianist, beginning by looking at her relationship with her parents, and a confrontation with the Gestapo. Bosmans seemed destined for a life in music from the moment of her birth in 1895, with her father the principal solo cellist in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and her mother a piano teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory. She developed a flourishing career and won international success with her Concert Piece for Violin and Orchestra. As a concert pianist she performed alongside conductors such as Ernest Ansermet and George Szell. Bosmans's mother was a Jew and, although Bosmans didn't consider herself Jewish, her ancestry played a significant role in the events of her life. She lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, when tens of thousands of Amsterdam Jews were deported to concentration camps, including fellow citizen Anne Frank. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by Bosmans expert Helen Metzelaar and Laurien Vastenhout from Amsterdam's Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide. Donald reveals how Bosmans set out to rescue her mother Sara, who was arrested by the Nazi secret police and sent to the transit camp at Wester. Bosmans: Prelude No 3, 4 & 6 (from Six Preludes). Danny Driver (piano); Cello Sonata (excerpt). Franz Bartolomey (cello), Clemens Zeilinger (piano); String Quartet. Utrecht String Quartet; Poème for Cello and Orchestra. Dmitri Ferschtman (cello), Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Ed Spanjaard (conductor).
(Series 1, Episode 1)

Monday 21st August 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Recollections. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Franz Liszt, beginning with his childhood in the Hungarian village of Raiding and the story of his youthful, rural upbringing, examining the influence of his musical father and of the travelling folk musicians that passed through his village. Donals recounts Liszt's first encounter with the piano and his emerging precocious musical talent, up to his departure to the bright lights of Vienna to begin a life as a travelling virtuoso. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No 8 in F sharp minor. Roberto Szidon (piano); Die Drei Zigeuner. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Daniel Baremboim (piano); Symphonic Poem: From the Cradle to the Grave. BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gian Andrea Noseda (conductor); Fantasy on Motifs from Beethoven's Ruinen von Athen. Michel Beroff (piano), Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur (conductor); Variation on a theme of Diabelli. Leslie Howard (piano); Hungarian Rhapsody No 10 in E - Preludio. Georges Cziffra (piano).
(Episode 1)

Monday 4th September 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Royal Launch. Episode 1.

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. She begins with the all-night boat party in 1717 at which he unveiled his Water Music to George I, the nocturnal voyage featuring a merry band of musicians, a floating monarch, and a Thames embankment thronged with listeners craning their ears to hear the hottest new music in town. Handel: Water Music - Suite 2: i. Allegro; ii. Hornpipe. The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock (conductor). Water Music - Suite 1: excerpt. Ensemble Zefiro, Alfredo Bernardini (conductor). Water Music - Suite 3. Academie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Georg Kallweit (conductor). Qual nave smarrita, from Radamisto. Emöke Bárath (soprano), Ensemble Artaserse, Philippe Jaroussky (conductor). Water Music - Suite 1: excerpt. B'Rock Orchestra, Dmitry Sinkovsky (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 11th September 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

New Fire. Series 1, episode 1.

Donald Macleod is joined by Odaline de la Martinez to explore the life and work of Carlos Chávez, who single-handedly revolutionised Mexican music and may have shaped American music more than any other. They begin with Chávez's formative years, learning piano as the Mexican Revolution unfolded outside his window. At first, the European avant-garde captured his imagination, but soon he discovered inspiration a little closer to home. Chávez: Three Pieces for Guitar. Eduardo Fernandez (guitar). Sexteto para Arcos y Piano: III. Andante & IV. Finale. Cuarteto Carlos Chávez. Los Cuatro Soles. Ambrosian Singers, London Symphony Orchestra, Carlos Chávez (conductor). Chapultepec - Republican Overture. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Enrique Batiz (conductor).
(Series 1, Episode 1)

Monday 18th September 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Ferrara. Episode 1.

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 is joined by Robert Quinney to explore Frescobaldi's life alongside some of the other great musicians of his time who fell into his orbit. They begin by looking at Frescobaldi's crucial years in Ferrara, where he came under the influence of composer and teacher Luzzasco Luzzaschi. Frescobaldi: Partite Sopra Ciaccona. Anthonello, Yoshimichi Hamada (conductor). Canzona Terza a 2. Concerto di Margherita. Il primo libro delle fantasie a quattro - Fantasia prima, sopra un soggietto; Fantasia undecima, sopra quattro soggietti; Francesco Tasini (organ). Luzzaschi: Madrigali per cantare et sonare a uno, e doi, e tre soprano; Aura soave; O dolcezz'amarissime d'Amore. Roberta Mameli (soprano), Francesca Cassinari (soprano), Emanula Galli (soprano), Cristiano Contadin (viola da gamba), Gabriele Palomba (lute), Marta Graziolino (harp), Davide Pozzi (harpsichord). Sacrarum Cantionum, Book 1: Deus tu scis insipientiam meam. Profeti Della Quinta Elam Rotem (director). Frescobaldi: Toccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo et organo, Book 1; Toccata nona (arr. for double harp). Hayao Soneda (harp). Il secondo libro di toccate canzone, versi d'hinni, Magnificat, gagliarde, correnti; Toccata prima. Steven Devine (harpsichord).
(Episode 1)

Monday 2nd October 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

The Father of Brazilian Classical Music. Episode 1.

Kate Molleson delves into Afro-Brazilian composer's José Garcia's early beginnings as the grandson of slaves, beginning by exploring the city of his birth in 1767 - Rio de Janeiro. Missa pastoril para a noite de natal (Kyrie eleison). Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore (director); Tenuisti manum dexteram meam. Apollini et Musis, Jörg Strodthoff (organ), Vinzenz Weissenburger (conductor); Missa pastoril para a noite de natal (excerpt). Katie Trethewey (soprano), Elizabeth Drury (soprano), Martha McLorinan (alto), Greg Skidmore (bass), Adrian Horsewood (bass), Nick Ashby (bass), Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore (director); Fantasy No 1: Mário Trilha (fortepiano); Fantasy No 2. Mário Trilha (fortepiano); Lição No 7 da Segunda Parte. Mário Trilha (fortepiano); Tota Pulchra es Maria. Vox Brasiliensis Chorus, Vox Brasiliensis Orchestra, Ricardo Kanji (conductor); Zemira, Overture. Vox Brasiliensis Orchestra, Ricardo Kanji (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 9th October 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Broken Engagement. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores some of the many turning points in Fauré's career, beginning with the impact of Pauline Viardot and her daughters upon the composer. Legendary singer Viardot was very taken with Fauré and liked him greatly, although she advised him to give up writing chamber music, and instead focus upon opera. Fauré at this time fell in love with Viardot's youngest daughter, Marianne, and eventually proposed to her. Marianne broke off their engagement, which some have suggested as a possible cause for Fauré turning into something of a Don Juan. Tarentelle, "Aux cieux la lune monte et luit" Op 10 No 2. Elly Ameling (soprano), Dalton Baldwin (piano); Violin Sonata No 1 in A, Op 13. Joshua Bell (violin), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano); Élégie in C minor, Op 24. Antonine Lederlin (cello), Basel Symphony Orchestra, Ivor Bolton (conductor); Berceuse, Op 16. Alex Schacher (violin), Basel Symphony Orchestra, Ivor Bolton (conductor); Après un rêve, Op 7 No 1; Automne, Op 18 No 3; Poème d'un jour, Op 21 No 1-3. Barbara Hendricks (soprano), Michel Dalberto (piano).
(Episode 1)

Monday 16th October 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Roots. Episode 1.

Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen is a remarkably versatile and prolific composer, pianist and songwriter and one of the most in-demand musical voices today. She was the first black woman to have a piece performed at the Proms, her music opened the 2012 Paralympic Games and has even been performed in space, aboard Nasa's STS115 mission. All this week, Donald Macleod gets to know Errollyn as she dials into his studio from her Scottish lighthouse where she retreats to concentrate on her work. Today, she talks about her deep connection to Belize and her childhood musical memories, being brought up in London to a soundtrack of Ella Fitzgerald and calypso. When she discovered the piano, she had to be begged not to practise, while her first-ever composition was written for her sisters to sing walking to primary school, and family has since been a thread through her work. Errollyn Wallen: I Wouldn't Normally Say. Errollyn Wallen (piano). It's a Quarter to Nine. Hull Music Hub Massed Choir, Errollyn Wallen (piano), Charles McDougall (conductor). Percussion Concerto (2nd movement - excerpt). Colin Currie (percussion), National Youth Orchestra Paul Daniel (conductor). Louis' Loops. Margaret Leng Tan (toy piano). Photography. Ensemble X, Nicholas Kok (conductor). NNENNA. BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ryan Bancroft (conductor). My Granny Sarah. National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Ben Parry (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 23rd October 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Man of Mystery. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod takes a look at the composer behind concert favourite the Symphonie Espagnole, first made famous by virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate. He sets about mapping the life and the music of this elusive yet significant figure in French musical history in a survey that takes us from Lalo's early experiences in Lille, where he first met Berlioz, to his eventual triumph at the age of 60 on the opera stage with Le roi d'Ys. In today's episode, Lalo decides to pursue a career in music, rather dashing his father's hopes that he would follow in the family's military tradition. Lalo: Guitarre, Op 28, arr. Ernest Guiraud. Philippe Graffin (violin), Ulster Orchestra, Thierry Fischer (conductor). Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op 15 - I: Allegro non troppo. René Capuçon (violin), Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi (conductor). Le roy d'Ys - Overture. BBC Philharmonic, Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor). Violin sonata in D, Op 12 (Grand duo concertant) - 2nd movement, Variations. Nikita Boriso-Glebsky (violin), Jean-Philippe Collard (piano). Piano Trio No 2 - III: Minuetto: Allegro. Leonore Piano Trio. Violin Concerto No 1 in F, Op 20, I: Andante - Allegro. Jean-Jacques Kantorow (violin), Granada City Orchestra, Kees Bakels (conductor).
(Episode 1)

Monday 30th October 2023
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Birth of a Legend - The First Piano Concerto. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores five of the composer's most famous works, discovering both the pieces' direct importance to the composer, and also finding wider issues that each of them point to in the general life of a complex and troubled man. Donald begins by examining the story of the young Beethoven's relationship with the city of Vienna, and his First Piano Concerto, which was to be a key work in his triumphant debut as a performer in the city. He also looks at Beethoven's encounters with Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven: Symphony No 7 - IV. Finale. Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Herbert Blomstedt (conductor). Piano Quartet No 1 in E flat, WoO 36 - II. Allegro con spirito. Konstantin Selheim (piano), Klaviertrio Hannover. Cantata on the death of Emperor Joseph II - I. Todt! Todt! - III. Da kam Joseph. Sally Matthews (soprano), Tamara Mumford (mezzo), Barry Banks (tenor), Andrew Foster-Williams (bass-baritone), San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor). Piano Sonata in C, Op 2'3 - IV. Allegro Assai. Igor Levit (piano). Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 15 - 1st movement. Krystian Zimerman (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor).
(Episode 1)