Composer Of The Week

Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid soundworlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.Music featured:Habanera Pavane pour une infante defunte Alborada del Gracioso (Miroirs) Piano Trio Don Quichotte a Dulcinée D’Anne jouant de l’espinette Jeux d’eau String Quartet (1st and 2nd movements) Miroirs (III. Une barque sur l‘océan; V. Vallée des cloches) Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet Valses

This week, Donald Macleod looks at Handel’s life and work during an important decade of his life. The 1730s saw Handel create some of his best-loved works, but also saw him fall out with singers and patrons in London, endure a stroke and attendant poor mental health, and mourn the death of one of his chief supporters, Queen Caroline.Music Featured:Esther HWV 50b (revised version 1732) (excerpts) Trio Sonata in C Major, HWV 403 Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 (Act I: Aria: Hush, ye pretty warbling quire) Concerto Grosso in D major Op. 3 No. 6 HWV 317 Orlando, HWV 31: Act II ScXI (Ah! Stigie larve; Vaghe pupille) Arianna in Creta HWV 32 (Act 2, Scene 12: Aria-Andante “Son qual stanco pellegrino”) Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op. 6, No. 1, HWV 319 Ariodante HWV 33 (excerpts) Deborah HWV 51 (excerpts) Alcina HWV 34 (Ombre Pallide) Alexander’s Feast HWV 75 (Part 1: Air and Chorus: Bacchus, ever fair and young; The many rend the skies (Chorus) Harp Concerto in B-flat major, Op. 4 No. 6 HWV 294 Organ Concerto Opus 4 No.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the English composer Ruth Gipps.Ruth Gipps was born in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1921. Her Swiss-born mother was an accomplished pianist and, recognising her daughter’s aptitude, taught her piano from an early age. Gipps was four years old when she gave her first public performance, at Grotrian Hall in London. It was from that moment on, she said later, that she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that playing the piano was her job and that she wanted to be a composer.A highly gifted and versatile musician, on 25th March 1945, Gipps took part in a public concert as the soloist in Glazunov’s Piano Concerto before re-joining the woodwind section of the City of Birmingham Orchestra as an oboist for the premiere of her first symphony. Four more symphonies were to follow. But a troublesome injury to her hand, which she had sustained in childhood, brought her career as a concert pianist to an end in the 1950s. By this stage she had achieved some notable successes as a composer. T

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the young Richard Strauss During Richard Strauss’s lifetime the sound and form of music altered radically. He was born at the tail end of the 19th century and saw the emergence of twelve tone music and atonality from younger composers like Arnold Schoenberg and his pupil Alban Berg. Strauss belonged to a previous generation and his music came to be regarded as conservative in style, but at the start of his career, Strauss had been seen as something of a modernist, breaking the mould with his series of innovative orchestral tone poems, and with the dissonant soundworld of operas such as Salome and Elektra.This week Donald Macleod follows the young Strauss’s pathway leading up to and including the tone poems, seeing how an immersion in music across his formative years influenced his ideas about orchestral writing, as well as opening up opportunities that helped him to establish a professional career as a conductor.Featured music:Oboe Concerto in D (3rd mvt: Allegro

Felix Mendelssohn was one of the most gifted and versatile musicians the world has ever seen. As a child prodigy he was likened to Mozart and he grew to become one of the most famous and beloved composers in Europe, during the middle of the 19th century. His life was cut tragically short, at the age of 38, while he was at the very height of his powers. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on the final five years of Mendelssohn’s life, and follows the composer through his extremely hectic work schedule which undoubtedly contributed to his early demise.Music Featured: Lied ohne Worte in E minor, Op 62 No 3 (Trauermarsch) Paulus, Op 36 (excerpt) Cello Sonata No 2 in D, Op 58 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op 61 (excerpt) O for the wings of a dove! (From Hear My Prayer) Lieder ohne Worte in B flat, Op 62 No 2, 5-6 Lieder ohne Worte in E flat, Op 67 No 1 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64 Organ Sonata No 5 in D, Op 65 Wenn sich zwei Herzen scheiden, Op 99 No 5 Lieder ohne Worte in C, Op 67 No 4 Lieder ohne Worte in A, Op

Donald Macleod finds connections between Mozart’s operas and the composer’s own lifeBorn in 1756, the theatre was a life-long passion for Mozart. Starting at the tender age of just 11, in the space of 22 years he produced an astonishing 24 theatrical works. His destiny was to follow in his father’s footsteps, as a court musician. Instead, by 1781, after a disagreement over his frequent absences from court, Mozart parted ways with his employer, the Elector of Cologne. He left Salzburg and servitude behind, to set himself up in Vienna, a thriving centre for music. The following year he triumphed with his comic singspiel, Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The succession of works that followed include many of the mainstays of operatic repertory, among them The Magic Flute, which was completed in the year of his death, at the age of 35 in 1791.This week Donald Macleod finds connecting points between the characters Mozart created for the stage and the composer's own experiences in life. He examines how Mozart struggle

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Ralph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain’s most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies which span almost fifty years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting Ninth. This week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th Century - paying special attention to the symphonies. Music Featured:The Robin’s Nest Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Prayer to the Father of Heaven A Cambridge Mass (Credo : Credo in Unum Deum) A London Symphony (original 1913 version) (IV. Andante con moto) Linden Lea Bushes and Briars God that madest heaven and earth The Lark Ascending (original piano and violin version) Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 On Wenlock Edge (On Bredon Hill) A Sea Sympho

Franz Schubert’s short life spanned a crucial period in music history as the elegant, classical stylings of Mozart and Haydn were giving way to the drama and passion of the romantic era. Schubert came to embody that transformation, in music that was all about personal expression and individual inspiration. This week, Donald Macleod throws the spotlight on Schubert’s chamber music and explores the stories around five key works for small ensembles.Music Featured: Pensa, che questo istante, D76 Symphony No 2 in B flat major, D125 (III. Menuetto & IV. Presto vivace) Fantasie in G minor, for four hands, D9 Kyrie in D minor, K49 String Quartet No 10 in E flat major, D87 Klage, D436 Andenken, D423 Widerhall, D428 Die Bürgschaft, D435 (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in B flat, D485 (Andante con moto & Menuetto) String Quartet No 11 in E, D353 March in E major, D606 Overture in D major, D556 Salve Regina in A major, D676 Erlafsee, D586 Atys, D585 Piano Quintet in A major, “Die Forelle” D667 (Scherzo, Thema, Finale) Ro

In a first for Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Joseph Martin Kraus. Kraus has been called the Swedish Mozart; he was born in the same year as Mozart, in 1756, and survived him by just twelve months. Originally from Germany, Kraus found work as a composer based at the Swedish royal court and quickly came to be regarded as one of the leading music directors in all Europe. Haydn said that he knew of only two geniuses, Mozart and Joseph Martin Kraus.Music Featured: Soliman II Overture Miserere in C minor, VB 4 (excerpt) String Quartet in B flat major, VB 181 Sinfonie in C major, with Violin obligato, VB 138 Proserpin, VB 19 (Overture) Azire, VB 18 (excerpt) Sinfonie in C minor Flute Quintet (Largo & Allegro con brio) La Pesca, VB 44 Symphony in E flat major, VB 144 La Tempesta, VB 63 (Ma tut remi) Du temps, qui détruit tout, VB 58 Sonata in E flat major, VB 195 (Allegro ma non troppo presto) Riksdagsmarsch, VB 154 Piano Sonata in E major, VB 196 (Vivace) Soliman II (excerpts

This week Donald Macleod reflects on five aspects of Tchaikovsky. The rich vein of fairy tale and fantasy, his love of literature and his long-standing love-affair with Italy. Also, the composer’s relationship with the man he called ‘Modya’, his beloved younger brother, Modest. In 19th-century Russia, music was a key strand in national identity. Tchaikovsky’s ancestral Russian roots were a matter of great pride to him, but just how Russian a composer was he?Music featured: The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 1 Scene 2, March of the Toy Soldiers) The Snow Maiden, Op 12 (No 2, Dance and Chorus of the Birds) Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 No 13e, Danse des cygnes: Pas d'action (Odette et le prince)) The Slippers (Act 1 scene 2, extract – Oksana’s aria) The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (Act 1 No 5 (‘The Palace Garden’), No 6 (‘Valse’)) The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 2 No 12, Divertissement) 12 Romances, Op 60 (No 5, ‘Simple Words’) Manfred Symphony, Op 58 (2nd mvt, Vivace con spirito) Eugene Onegin, Op 24 (Act 1 scene 2) Hamlet, overture

Donald Macleod explores Grieg's music through the places from which he took inspiration.On 9th September 1907, it’s estimated that some forty to fifty thousand people turned out to pay their respects and watch Edvard Grieg’s cortège pass through the streets of Bergen. It’s an image that speaks of the enormous affection and esteem in which Grieg was held at the time of his death.Bergen was where Grieg was born in 1843, and in a speech he made 60 years later, he acknowledged that his music was drawn from the life of its people, the surroundings of the town and its natural beauty.This week Donald Macleod’s exploring Grieg’s life through the contrasting environments he needed to find the inspiration to write music. Donald begins his survey in Bergen, before assessing the decade Grieg spent in Oslo, the solitude he found in the picturesque Hardanger region and in the house he had built in the mountains. But Grieg had another, contradictory side to his nature, he was also a restless spirit and a keen traveller.Musi

Donald Macleod introduces personal highlights of his year-long celebration of BeethovenDonald Macleod embarks on the final week of his year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, selecting his personal highlights of conversations he's had with special guests over the course of 25 series.Composer of the Week has this year, every alternate week, explored the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth. In this, the final week of 25 series devoted to the extraordinary composer, Donald Macleod looks back over the year, and presents his personal highlights from the interviews he carried out over the course of 125 programmes. From historian Simon Schama to conductors Marin Alsop and John Eliot Gardiner, and pianists Jonathan Biss and Angela Hewitt, Donald was joined by experts and performers who gave remarkable insights into the unique human being that was Beethoven. This week he brings together some of the conversations that s

Donald Macleod is joined by Sir George Benjamin to discuss his musical influencesComposer of the Week marks the sixtieth birthday of the celebrated British composer Sir George Benjamin. This week, Benjamin joins Donald Macleod in the studio to provide listeners with personal insights into his music and distinguished career. They discuss the composer's musical connections, his inspirations, his interest in collaboration, the compositional process, and his work as a pianist, conductor and teacher.Music Featured: Viola, Viola Piano Sonata (Vivace) Palimpsests Written on Skin (XIV & XV The Protector of Agnès & The Boy / Angel 1) Panorama Tape A Mind of Winter Dance Figures Dream of the Song Piano Figures At First Light Written on Skin (VIII The Protector of Agnès) Upon Silence Ringed by the Flat Horizon Into the Little Hill (Scene VI & VII) Lessons in Love and Violence (Sc.3 Please everyone be seated) Sometime Voices Three Inventions for Chamber Orchestra Shadowlines Lessons in Love and Violence (Sc.1

This week, Donald Macleod reaches the final chapters of his year-long biography of Beethoven. The composer’s remaining years, 1825-1827, were marred by failing health and a traumatic family crisis but also saw Beethoven pushing resolutely forward in his art. He continued to surprise and astonish, producing a series of extraordinary late string quartets. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.Music Featured:Piano Sonata No. 29 Op.106 ‘Hammerklavier’ (I. Allegro) String Quartet in E flat, Op.127 (III. Scherzando vivace) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (III. Molto Adagio) Kühl, nicht lau, WoO.191 Ars Longa, vita brevis, WoO.192 Piano Concerto No. 4 in G (II. Andante con moto) Piano Trio in D, Op. 70 No. 1 ‘Ghost’ (I. Allegro vivace e con brio) String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (II. Allegro ma non tanto) Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’

Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, joins Donald Mcleod to discuss Beethoven’s symphoniesThey have been described as “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man”, “an expression of monumental intellect and innermost feeling”, and “music [which] sets in motion the machinery of awe, of fear, of terror, of pain.” There is no question that Beethoven’s nine symphonies changed music forever. The colossal legacy of these works has hovered over generations of composers since, leading Johannes Brahms to exclaim “You can't have any idea what it's like always to hear such a giant marching behind you!”Over this week of programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner, founder of the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, to delve into the world of these nine sublime works.Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beeth

James P. Johnson is known as the Father of Stride Piano, and composed the most iconic work that captures the essence of the Roaring Twenties, the Charleston. Both pianist and composer, he not only wrote jazz but also music for theatrical shows, symphonic works and opera too. He performed alongside jazz greats such as Fats Waller, Willie The Lion Smith and Sidney Bechet, and also collaborated with George Gershwin as well. Johnson was an early pioneer in the recording industry, and made many studio recordings as a soloist and with his own jazz band. Yet despite all of this, his name has been largely forgotten today. One possible reason for this is that being a transitional figure between ragtime and jazz, he’s been hard to categorise. This week, Donald Macleod will explore five periods in Johnson’s life where Johnson strove to achieve a different role: recording artist, theatre composer, performer and teacher, and also a Tickler - a ragtime saloon pianist.Music featured: Charleston Carolina Shout Fascination Co

This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years of 1822-1824 – a period during which the composer completed his greatest late masterpieces. It was also a time at which Beethoven became acutely aware of his own mortality, struggling with both his dwindling finances and his deteriorating health, and sought help from, among others, his brother Johann and a new secretary - Anton Schindler.Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.Music Featured:Symphony No. 9, Op. 125 (II. Molto Vivace – Presto) Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Sanctus - Pleni sunt cœli - Osanna Music for Consecration of the House, WoO. 98 Fidelio, Op.72 - O namenlose Freude! Piano Sonata no 32 in C minor, Op.111 Bundeslied, Op. 122 “In allen guten Stunden” String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 (I. Maestoso – Allegro) Missa Solemnis, Op.123 - Credo: Credo - Et Incarnatus Est

Donald Macleod steps into the French baroque with Desmarets and BoismortierDonald Macleod discovers the stories of two very colourful figures of the French baroque, Henri Desmarets and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.Born a generation apart, Boismortier and Desmarets are perhaps lesser known figures of the French baroque, but together they provide a fascinating picture of life and music-making in the reigns of the Sun King and Louis XV after him.Boismortier’s success came from what seems to be a natural ability to keep his finger on the pulse: his music followed all the latest trends and styles. He made a small fortune supplying music to the amateur market. They were works that fall cleverly under the fingers, and he advanced his profits by publishing them for any number of different combinations of instruments. That’s not to say he didn’t dip his toe into deeper waters: he wrote cantatas, motets and stage works, of which the comic opera about Don Quixote is probably the best known. After a golden career in 1753

This week, the world-renowned pianist Angela Hewitt chooses five contrasting aspects of the piano sonatas to discuss with Donald Macleod. In 2020, Hewitt reaches the end of her survey of Beethoven’s piano works with the last recording in her acclaimed series of his 32 piano sonatas. Begun in 2005, her Beethoven odyssey has been taken at a deliberately measured pace, to give ample space and time to reflect on each sonata, each recording being a testament to her deep understanding of Beethoven. Well known for her award-winning interpretation of Bach’s music, she brings that special insight to Beethoven’s profound admiration for the composer, after which she explores the humour Beethoven injects into his music, the composer’s ability to write cantabile or singing style and how Beethoven responded to the advancement of the piano.Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s bir

“Music is a study of my own self and of the human spirit”, so says the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Her passion for music is all consuming, with the inspiration to compose reflecting the breadth of her interests, in poetry, literature, fine arts, and cinematography to name but a few.One of the foremost composers of our time, Kaija Saariaho was born in 1952 in Helsinki. She studied with the modernist Paavo Heininen, before founding the pioneering “Ears Open” group with fellow composer Magnus Lindberg. Her studies continued in Freiburg with Brian Fernyhough and Klaus Huber at the Darmstadt summer courses, and then at the ground-breaking IRCAM research institute in Paris.Earlier this year Donald Macleod and Kaija Saariaho met up in Paris, the city where she’s made her home since 1982, to talk about five contrasting aspects of her music.Music Included: D’Om le vrai sens (excerpt) Notes on Light for cello and orchestra (II. Fire & III. Awakening) Noa Noa for flute and electronics D’Om le vrai sens, (III.