Composer of the Week

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Composer of the Week

1antimuzak
nov 23, 2020, 1:55 am

Gesualdo
Monday 23rd November 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Getting Away with Murder. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of late-Renaissance Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo, looking at how he got away with murdering his first wife and her lover. Gesualdo: Moro lasso (transc. by Tonu Kaljuste). Tallinn Chamber Orchestra; Ne reminiscaris; In te Domine speravi. La Compagnia del Madrigale; Baci soave e cari; Quanto ha di dolce Amore; Mentre Madonna il lasso fianco posa; Ahi, troppo saggia nell'erar; Com'esser può ch'io viva se m'uccidi; Son sì belle le rose; Bell'angioletta da le vaghe piume. Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam, Harry van der Kamp (director). Caro amoroso neo; Ma se tale ha costei ; Se cosi dolce e il duolo; Ma se averra ch'io moia. Delitiae Musicae, Marco Longhini (director); Canzon francese del principe. Fabio Antonio Falcone (harpsichord). Sento che nel partire. Kassiopeia Quintet. O Crux benedicta (arr. Erkki Sven Tuur). Tallinnn Chamber Orchestra, Tonu Kaljuste (conductor).

2antimuzak
nov 30, 2020, 1:52 am

Beethoven
Monday 30th November 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

People Skills. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the composer's final years from 1825-27, which were marred by failing health and a traumatic family crisis, but also saw him pushing resolutely forward in his art as he produced a series of extraordinary late string quartets. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No 29, Op 106 - Hammerklavier: I. Allegro. Mitsuko Uchida (piano). String Quartet in E flat, Op 127, III. Scherzando vivace. Van Kuijk Quartet; String Quartet in A minor, Op 132, III. Molto Adagio. Tokyo String Quartet; Kühl, nicht lau, WoO 191. Ars Longa, vita brevis, WoO 192. Accentus. Piano Concerto No 4, II. Andante con moto. Krystian Zimerman (piano), Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (conductor).

3antimuzak
dec 7, 2020, 1:46 am

George Benjamin
Monday 7th December 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

George Benjamin's Musical Connections. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod talks to the English composer to mark his 60th birthday, looking at his life and music from a specific perspective, beginning with his influences. One of the first composers whose music Benjamin felt a particular connection to was Beethoven, then around 1975 he met Olivier Messiaen and was taken under his wing. While studying with Messiaen, Benjamin not only took piano lessons with his teacher's second wife Yvonne Loriod, but also met Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez. Boulez would also become a significant early influence upon Benjamin and his music, including a period of study at the Institute for Music and Acoustic Research and Coordination. Benjamin: Viola, Viola. Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Antoine Tamestit (viola); Piano Sonata (Vivace). George Benjamin (piano); Palimpsests. Ensemble Moderne Orchestra, George Benjamin (conductor); Written on Skin (XIV & XV The Protector of Agnès & The Boy/Angel 1). Christopher Purves (baritone: Protector), Barbara Hannigan (soprano: Agnès), Bejun Mehta (countertenor: Angel 1), Mahler Chamber Orchestra, George Benjamin (conductor).

4antimuzak
dec 14, 2020, 1:44 am

Beethoven
Monday 14th December 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Beethoven the Man. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod embarks on the final week of his celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, selecting his personal highlights of conversations he had had with special guests over the course of the year. He begins by looking back at what he learnt about Beethoven was like as a human being in conversation with Simon Schama, Marin Alsop, Aakanksha Virkar Yates, Erica Buurman, Jan Swafford and Jonathan Biss. Beethoven: Mass in C, Op 86, Sanctus. Collegium Musicum 90, Collegium Musicum 90 Chorus, Richard Hickox (conductor); Piano Concerto No 4 in G, Op 58, Andante con moto & Rondo vivace.Jaen-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), Swedish Chamber Orchestra; Violin Sonata No 5 in F, Op 24, Spring - 4th movement: Rondo. Renaud Capuçon (violin), Frank Braley (piano); Piano Sonata No 27, Op 90. Jonathan Biss (piano).

5antimuzak
dec 21, 2020, 1:51 am

JS Bach
Monday 21st December 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Bach and the Organ. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod examines Bach's life and music primarily during his time in Weimar, exploring his role as organist, teacher, servant, entrepreneur and composer, starting by examining his early early introductions to the organ. The instrument was a central part of Bach's life from early on, so it was destined that he'd develop as an organist himself, being appointed to music positions in Arnstadt, and then Mühlhausen. His appointment as organist in Weimar came in 1708, where he remained until 1717. His fame as an organist became such that when visiting Dresden, he was asked to take part in a musical play-off against French keyboard player Louis Marchand. On the day of the competition, probably in awe of Bach's reputation, Marchand didn't show. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No 3, BWV 1048 (ohne Satzbezeichnung). The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock (director). Sonata No 2 in C minor, BWV 526. Peter Hurford (organ). Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 550. Simon Preston (organ). Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63. Claron McFadden (soprano), Sally Bruce-Payne (alt), James Gilchrist (tenor), Peter Harvey (bass), the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, John Elliot Gardiner (conductor).

6antimuzak
dec 28, 2020, 1:48 am

Composer of the Week: Grieg
Monday 28th December 2020
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Difficult Relationship. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores Grieg's life through the contrasting environments he needed to find the inspiration to write music. beginning with his birthplace of Bergen. Busy and bustling, the city Grieg knew as a child was a thriving fishing centre, with the harbour the hub of trade, and he was to say fondly `I'm sure my music has a taste of the codfish in it." Grieg: Varen - Two Elegiac Melodies, Op 34. Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi (conductor). Piano concerto in A minor, 3rd movt - Allegro moderato molto e marcato Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Berlin Philharmonic, Mariss Jansons (conductor); Jesus Kristus er opfaren - Four Psalms, Op 74. Audun Iversen (baritone), Edvard Grieg Kor, Hakon Matti Skrede (conductor); Allegro con leggerezza - Four piano pieces, Op 1. Hakon Austbo (piano); String Quartet in G minor, Op 27, 3rd movt - Intermezzo. Emerson String Quartet; Holberg Suite, Op 40. Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti (director).

7antimuzak
jan 4, 2021, 1:47 am

Composer of the Week: Florence Price
Monday 4th January 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Florence Price Experiences Racial Prejudice. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod looks at the early years of the African-American composer and pianist and explores the impact of racial prejudice on her life and career. Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1887 into a relatively well-off middle-class family. Her mother would often host musicians in their house, and she encouraged her daughter Florence to play music, giving her first public recital as a pianist at the age of four. Racial tensions at this time were never far away, and when Florence was at university she changed her birthplace to Mexico. Her parents believed that her future career would be hampered when being identified as black, whereas it would be improved if she were considered of Spanish origin. Florence only perpetuated this myth regarding her birthplace for a year or so. Once she graduated Florence returned to Little Rock. She went on to teach at Shorter College in Argenta, going on to become Head of Music at Clark University in Atlanta. Despite rising so quickly to the position of Head of Music, black teachers at this time including Price, were often paid less than their white counterparts. Price: The Deserted Garden. Zina Schiff (violin), Cameron Grant (piano); Sonata in E minor (Andante - Allegro). Althea Waites (piano); Suite for Organ No 1 (Fughetta and Air). Kimberly Marshall (organ); The Oak. The Women's Philharmonic, Apo Hsu (conductor); Violin Concerto No 2. Er-Gene Kahng (violin), Janacek Philharmonic, Ryan Cockerham (conductor).

8antimuzak
Bewerkt: jan 11, 2021, 1:50 am

Monday 11th January 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Finding Her Voice. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod charts Amy Beach's quest to create a uniquely American sound for her music. Beach was born in the 19th century and, like all women composers of her generation found her path to greatness strewn with obstacles. Famed conductor Leopold Stokowski noted that her symphony was `full of real music, without any pretence or effects but just real, sincere, simple and deep music." In today's programme, Donald follows Beach's search to develop her individual voice as a composer, responding to Dvorak's call for Americans to establish their own classical music tradition, but chastising him for his presumption that only men could lead the way. Beach: Pastorale, Op 151. The Reykjavik Wind Quintet: Romance, Op 23. Tasmin Little (piano), John Lenehan (piano); Symphony in E minor - Gaelic: Alla sicilana & Lento, Op 32. Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi (conductor); Evening Hymn, Op 125, No 2. Harvard University Choir, Kate Nyhan (soprano), Navaz Karanjia (alto), Erica Johnson (organ), Murray Forbes Somerville (conductor); From Grandmother's Garden, Op 97. Kirsten Johnson (piano).

9antimuzak
jan 18, 2021, 1:44 am

Monday 18th January 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Magical Realms. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod reflects on five aspects of Tchaikovsky, the Russian composer who put his country on the international musical map with his uniquely personal style. He begins by exploring the rich vein of fairy tale and fantasy in the composer's music. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 1 Scene 2, March of the Toy Soldiers). State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia `Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski (conductor); The Snow Maiden, Op 12 (No 2, Dance and Chorus of the Birds). MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Krystjan Jarvi (conductor); Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 No 13e, Danse des cygnes: Pas d'action (Odette et le prince)). Rafael Druian (violin), Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati (conductor); The Slippers (Act 1 scene 2, extract - Oksana's aria). Ekaterina Morosova (soprano: Oksana), Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (conductor); The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (Act 1 No 5 (The Palace Garden), No 6 (Valse)). Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev (conductor); The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 2 No 12, Divertissement); Chocolate (Spanish Dance); Coffee (Arabian Dance); Tea (Chinese Dance); Trepak (Russian Dance); Dance of the Reed Pipes; Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles (Clowns); State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia `Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski (conductor).

10antimuzak
feb 1, 2021, 1:48 am

Monday 1st February 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Schubert at School. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the composer's achievements in chamber music, beginning by examining the period in which Schubert composed his 10th string quartet. In the time leading up to writing it in 1813, Schubert was emerging from being an introverted schoolboy to a young man with a dream of being a composer. He studied at the choir school of the Imperial Court Chapel in Vienna, and it was here that his passion for music was well and truly cemented. Schubert soon joined the school orchestra, and he became familiar with the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. His school reports were good, and he was singled out for special praise for his exemplary application to the art of music. Within a few years, Schubert's achievements were rather more negative as the school's musical standards no longer satisfied him, and he was determined to leave so he could pursue his musical ambitions. Schubert: Pensa, che questo istante, D76. Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), Andras Schiff (piano); Symphony No 2 in B flat, D125 (III Menuetto & IV Presto vivace). Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm (conductor); Fantasie in G minor, for four hands, D9. Yaara Tal (piano), Andreas Groethuysen (piano); Kyrie in D minor, K49. Helen Donath (soprano), Lucia Popp (soprano), Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo), Peter Schreier (tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Bavarian Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch (conductor); String Quartet No 10 in E flat, D87. Sorrel Quartet.

11antimuzak
feb 8, 2021, 1:43 am

Composer of the Week: Vaughan Williams
Monday 8th February 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Unpromising Beginnings. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Ralph Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th century - paying special attention to the symphonies. He starts by examining the composer's well-to-do background, and how that contrasted with the inauspicious musical beginnings of a composer who would go on to become the torch-bearer for British music. He also explores the composer's relationship with England's capital city, hearing from his A London Symphony, a work that Vaughan Williams said should really be called Symphony by a Londoner. Vaughan Williams: The Robin's Nest. Frank Ericson (piano); Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Iona Brown (violin), Trevor Connah (violin), Stephen Shingles (viola), Kenneth Heath (cello), Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (conductor); Prayer to the Father of Heaven. Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (director); A Cambridge Mass - Credo: Credo in Unum Deum. Olivia Robinson (soprano), Rebecca Lodge (contralto), Christopher Bowen (tenor), Edward Price (baritone), Bach Choir, New Queen's Hall Orchestra, Alan Tongue (conductor), Martin Ennis (organ); London Symphony (original 1913 version) - IV. Andante con moto. London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hickox (conductor); Linden Lea. David John Pike (baritone), Isabelle Trüb (piano).

12antimuzak
feb 15, 2021, 1:50 am

Monday 15th February 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A Servant's Lot in Life. Episode 1.

The characters Mozart created in his operas are some of the most acutely observed heroes, heroines and villains ever to grace the stage. They reflect both the strengths and the weaknesses of humanity in ways that are still easily recognisable more than two hundred years later. All this week Donald Macleod examines connecting points between the characters Mozart created for the stage and the composer's own experiences in life, beginning with the pivotal roles played by servants in his operas Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni. Mozart: Overture to Le nozze di Figaro; Le nozze di Figaro (Act 1): Cinque, dieci - Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino. Lucia Popp (soprano: Susanna), Samuel Ramey (baritone: Figaro), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti (conductor). La finta giardiniera (Act 1) - Appena mi vedon. Dawn Upshaw (soprano: Serpetta), Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (director). Così fan tutte (Act 1, Sc 3 excerpt): In uomini, in soldati - alla bella Despinetta. Hanny Steffek (soprano: Despina), Walter Berry (bass: Don Alfonso), Alfredo Kraus (tenor: Ferrando), Giuseppe Taddei (baritone: Guglielmo), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano: Fiordiligi), Christa Ludwig (mezzo soprano: Dorabella), Philharmonia Orchestra, Karl Böhm (conductor). Don Giovanni (Act 1) - Notte e giorno faticar; Ah! Chi mi dice mai - Madamina, il catalogo è questo. Joyce di Donato (mezzo: Donna Elvira) Luca Pisaroni (baritone: Leporello), Diana Damrau (soprano: Donna Anna), Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (bass: Don Giovanni), Vitalij Kowaljow (bass: Il Commendatore), Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor).

13antimuzak
feb 22, 2021, 1:45 am

Composer of the Week: Felix Mendelssohn
Monday 22nd February 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Between Two Cities. Episode 1.

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. The year 1843 began sadly for Mendelssohn, following the sudden death of his mother just before Christmas. He buried himself in his work, and found himself frequently commuting between Leipzig and Berlin to fulfil is heavy commitments in both cities. He became a guiding force behind the newly opened Conservatory in Leipzig. When Mendelssohn petitioned the King of Prussia to be released from some of his duties in Berlin he was, instead, given a promotion and made responsible for improving the standards of sacred music across the city. Mendelssohn: Lied ohne Worte in E minor, Op 62 No 3,Trauermarsch. Daniel Barenboim (piano); Paulus, Op 36 (excerpt). Susan Gritton (soprano), Barry Banks (tenor), Peter Coleman-Wright (bass), BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox (conductor); Cello Sonata No 2 in D, Op 58. Mischa Maisky (cello), Sergio Tiempo (piano); A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op 61 (excerpt). Sandrine Piau (soprano), Delphine Collot (soprano), Choir of the Chapel Royal, Collegium Vocale, Orchestra of the Champs Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe (director).

14antimuzak
mrt 1, 2021, 1:49 am

Monday 1st March 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

The Making of a Composer. Episode 1.

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 12-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. Strauss's raw musical talent was discovered early on having written his first compositions aged five, and his progress continued at such a rate that by 11 he was conducting an amateur orchestra, and by 18 he had written something in the region of 150 works. R Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D - 3rd movt: Allegro (excerpt). Alexei Ogrintchouk (oboe), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor); Festmarsch in E flat, Op 1. Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi (conductor); Horn Concerto No 2 in E flat, AV 132, III: Rondo (allegro molto). David Pyatt (horn), Britten Sinfonia, Nicholas Cleobury (conductor); Symphony No 1 in D minor, TrV 94, II: Andante. Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Schermerhorn (conductor); Concerto for violin in D minor, I: Allegro. Thomas Albertus Irnberger (violin) Israel Philharmonic, Martin Sieghart (conductor); Concert Overture in C minor, Op 80, TrV125. Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Hermann Bäumer (conductor).

15antimuzak
mrt 15, 2021, 2:48 am

Monday 15th March 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Handel - Fallings Out 1730-1732. Episode 1.

This week of programmes 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. In this episode, Donald Macleod explores the crackling tension between Handel and his fashionable librettist, Metastasio, and his falling out with the singers in the opera company on whom his work depended. In 1730 Handel was a popular composer for opera, still fashionable and successful. But he was also a volatile, hot-blooded man who could rub people up the wrong way. He was no diplomat, and spoke his mind forcefully, not tactfully. His collaborators were often on the receiving end of his passionate opinions. Oratorio: Esther HWV 50b (revised version 1732). Act 1 Scene 4 - Air: Tune Your Harps to Cheerful Strains. Act 3 Scene 2 - Chorus: The Lord Our Enemy Has Slain. Rebecca Outram, (soprano: Israelite Woman). London Handel Choir, London Handel Orchestra, Laurence Cummings (conductor). Trio Sonata in C, HWV 403. The Brook Street Band. Seranata: Acis and Galatea, HWV 49. Act I: Aria: Hush, ye pretty warbling quire. Sophie Daneman(soprano: Galatea). Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (conductor). Concerto Grosso in D, Op 3 No 6 HWV 317. Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra, Christopher Hogwood (conductor). Orlando, HWV 31: Act II ScXI: Ah! Stigie larve. Vaghe pupille, Patricia Bardon, (mezzo-soprano: Orlando). Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (conductor).

16antimuzak
mrt 22, 2021, 2:43 am

Monday 22nd March 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Motherland. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores Ravel's powerful bond with the Basque Country, his spiritual home and a place that held a strong sentimental pull over him. Although he only lived there for the first few weeks of his life, he returned time and time again to his coastal motherland, where a key part of his personal and creative identity was formed. Habanera. London Symphony Orchestra, Francois-Xavier Roth (conductor). Pavane pour une infante defunte. Louis Lortie (piano). Alborada del Gracioso (Miroirs). Louis Lortie (piano). Piano Trio. Florestan Trio. Don Quichotte a Dulcinée. Jose van Dam (baritone), Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Kent Nagano (conductor).

17antimuzak
mrt 29, 2021, 1:48 am

Monday 29th March 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Free But Alone. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Johannes Brahms to find out what made him tick, beginning by looking at his early romance with singer Agathe von Siebold, a relationship doomed to failure. Brahms: Sonata No 3 in F minor, Op 5, 4th movement. Stephen Hough (piano); Lieder & Romanzen, Op 14 (No 4, Ein Sonett & No 7, Ständchen). Simon Bode (tenor), Graham Johnson (piano); Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor, Op 15 (1st movement). Nelson Friere (piano). Gewandhausorchester, Riccardo Chailly (conductor); Ave Maria, Op 12. Tenebrae, Nigel Short (conductor); String Sextet No 2 in G, Op 36 (1 Allegro non troppo). Amadeus Quartet.
(Episode 1)

18antimuzak
apr 5, 2021, 1:50 am

Composer of the Week: Stravinsky
Monday 5th April 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

In the Orbit of Rimsky-Korsakov. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of the composer who is said to have ushered in the 20th century with his music. Igor Stravinsky is probably still most associated with the utterly extraordinary, revolutionary evening that prompted that accolade - the premiere of The Rite of Spring in Paris on May 29, 1913. Today Donald focuses on Stravinsky's early relationship with Rimsky-Korsakov, a pivotal figure in Russian classical music. Stravinsky: Rite of Spring (Introduction). City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor); Scherzo in G minor. Oxana Shevchenko (piano); Pastorale. Phyllis Bryn-Julson (soprano), Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez (conductor); Four Etudes, Op 7, Nos 3 and 4. Oxana Shevchenko (piano); Symphony in E flat (1st and 2nd movements). Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Neeme Jarvi (conductor); Faun and Shepherdess. Lucy Shelton (soprano), Cleveland Orchestra, Oliver Knussen (conductor); Scherzo Fantastique. St Petersberg Philharmonic, Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor).

19antimuzak
apr 12, 2021, 1:42 am

Monday 12th April 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

A New Chapter Begins. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores Haydn's string quartets, beginning with the composer's return to the form after some years, and excerpts from Op 33/2 and Op 51/1 as well as the fourth of his Prussian Quartets. From his Opus 0 and Opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished Opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet of the father of the string quartet as he elevated it to new heights and his ideas took the quartet from its 18th-century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar today. In 1781, Haydn was about to embark on a series of business deals that would disseminate his music across Europe, and make him one of the most famous and most popular composers. It seemed the moment was right for him to return to writing for string quartets. Haydn: String Quartet in E flat - The Joke, Op 33 No 2; IV: Presto. The Lindsays. The Seven Last Words of Christ Hob XX.2 arr. for string quartet; Sonata I: Vater, vergib innen. Cuarteto Casals. String Quartet Op 54 No 1 in G; II: Allegretto. Emerson Quartet. Symphony No 98; Adagio. Concertgebouw Orchestra, Colin Davis (conductor). Symphony No 94 in G - Surprise; II: Andante. Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor). String Quartet Op 50 No 4 in F sharp minor. Amati Quartet.

20antimuzak
apr 19, 2021, 1:50 am

Monday 19th April 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Incognito. Episode 1.

Frédéric Chopin made just two trips to Britain, both in later life, and these visits are often portrayed as a disaster - a calamitous mistake of no worth that hastened the composer's death. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores these two trips in depth, during which the virtuoso pianist played six of the 30 public concerts he gave during the whole of his life, and also made many private appearances meeting the great and the good of British society. He begins with the first time Chopin visited Britain in 1837, when the composer was in the midst of a heartbreaking romantic break-up. Chopin wanted to remain incognito and so travelled under a pseudonym so that he could secretly accompany his friend - the pianist, piano maker, publisher and concert hall owner Camille Pleyel - on a trip to London. Chopin: Mazurka No 47 in A minor, Op 68 No 2, Lento. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano); Etudes - in C sharp minor, Op 10 No 4, Torrent; in F, Op 25 No 3, Horsemen; in B minor, Op 25 No 10, Octave; in C minor, Op 25 No 12, Ocean. Murray Perahia (piano); Variations on La Ci Darem la mano, Op 2 (version for piano and orchestra). Jan Lisiecki (piano), NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Krzysztof Urba?ski (conductor); Impromptu No 1 in A flat, Op 29. Mikhail Pletnev (piano); Scherzo No 2 in B flat minor, Op 31. Janina Fialkowska (piano).
(Episode 1)

21antimuzak
Bewerkt: apr 26, 2021, 1:48 am

Monday 26th April 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

The Trailblazer. Episode 1.

On Erik Satie's death in July 1925, the Musical Times pronounced that he had written `little of real importance in itself", yet grudgingly acknowledged that `his influence on modern French music was considerable". The obituary writer was probably taking his cue from Ravel, whose support for Satie, nine years his senior but still languishing in obscurity, had taken concrete form in January 1911, when he put on a concert in Satie's honour at a fashionable new venue in the eighth arrondissement of Paris. On that occasion, Ravel paid homage to the older composer's `inventor's mind par excellence" and praised the manner in which he had opened up paths `to new fields of experiment". From this point on, Satie ceased to be a kind of musical satnav for other composers; now he was on the map himself. This week, Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Erik Satie, beginning by looking at him as a trailblazer who Ravel dubbed a precursor of genius and John Cage termed indispensable. Satie: Trois Gymnopédies - No 1, Lent et douloureux. Pascal Rogé (piano); Trois Sarabandes - No 2. Francis Poulenc (piano); Uspud - ballet chrétien (3rd act). Reinbert de Leeuw (piano); Le piège de Méduse. Tzenka Dianova (prepared piano); Relâche - ballet instantanéiste. New London Orchestra, Ronald Corp (conductor); Vexations (très lent) - excerpt. Nicolas Horvath (piano).
(Episode 1)

22antimuzak
mei 3, 2021, 1:44 am

Monday 3rd May 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

South American Journeys 1940-41. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the music Aaron Copland produced during the 1940s, beginning by looking at how his initial trip to Mexico left a lasting impression on him. Inspired by the cultural riches he discovered there that seemed to him to be so lacking in the US, his visit spurred him to `awaken the spiritual consciences of the people" in his music. It also encouraged him to travel more widely in South America in 1941, and marked a new stage in his lifelong friendship with the Mexican composer Carlos Chávez. Copland: John Henry: A Railroad Ballet for Orchestra. London Symphony Orchestra, Aaron Copland (conductor); Quiet City. Maurice Murphy (trumpet), Christine Pendrill (cor anglais), London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor); Piano Sonata. Leon Fleisher (piano); Our Town. St Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin (conductor).
(Episode 1)

23antimuzak
mei 10, 2021, 1:46 am

Monday 10th May 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Romantic Entanglements. Episode 1.

Robert Schumann made significant contributions as a composer to all musical genres, but he is best remembered today in particular for his piano music and songs. His early career was focused towards becoming a concert pianist, but due to a hand injury he turned increasingly to composition where the piano frequently featured. This week Donald Macleod delvies into specific periods when Schumann composed some of his most famous and notable works for the piano, including one of the most iconic romantic pianos concertos of all time. To launch his career as a composer of orchestral music he composed his Zwickau Symphony, which was reviewed as being highly artistic, but also very difficult. Within a few years Schumann was writing Carnaval, one of his most popular works for solo piano and inspired by his intense feelings for Ernestine von Fricken, with whom he had become engaged. Schumann: So wahr die Sonne scheinet, Op 37 No 12, (from Zwölf Gedichte aus Liebesfrüling). Juliane Banse (soprano), Olaf Bär (bass-baritone), Helmut Deutsch (piano); Symphony in G minor, Woo29, Zwickau. Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner (conductor); Allegro in B minor, Op 8. Eric Le Sage (piano); Carnaval, Op 9. Evgeny Kissin (piano).
(Episode 1)

24antimuzak
mei 17, 2021, 1:51 am

Monday 17th May 2021
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)

25antimuzak
jun 14, 2021, 1:45 am

Composer of the Week: Pauline Viardot and Her Circle
Monday 14th June 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

The Garcia Clan. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the French singer, pianist and composer, who was admired from Paris to St. Petersburg as a sublime interpreter of Rossini, Bellini, Handel and Gluck. Beyond her incomparable voice, her twice weekly artistic salons were a high point in Parisian cultural life. She knew, and was admired by, Chopin, George Sand, Delacroix, Liszt, Fauré, Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns to name but a few. She was also an accomplished composer, including a substantial body of songs, one or two instrumental works and a series of highly appealing operettas. Donald begins by looking at her early training as a member of the Garcias, a family of singers originally from Spain. Viardot: Les filles de Cadix. Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), Myung-Whun Chung (piano); Scène d'Hermione (Andromaque): Act IV: Je ne t'ai point (pas), Cruel? Györgyi Dombrádi (mezzo), Lambert Bumiller (piano). Manuel Garcia Sr: La figlia dell'aria: È non lo vedo... Son regina. Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), International Chamber Vocalists, Zurich La Scintilla Orchestra, Ádám Fischer (conductor). Liszt: El Contrabandista - Rondo Fantastique sur Un Thème Espagnol, S 252. Valentina Lisitsa (piano); Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (Act 2) - Don Basilio! Cosa veggo? briconi, birbanti. Hermann Prey (baritone: Figaro), Teresa Berganza (mezzo: Rosina), Luigi Alva (tenor: Count Almaviva), Enzo Dara (bass: Dr Bartolo), Paolo Montarsolo (bass: Don Basilio), London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado (conductor). Rossini: Otello (Act 3, Sc 1); Canzone del Salice: Assisa a pie d'un salice. Joyce Didonato (mezzo: Desdemona), Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Edoardo Müller (conductor).
(Episode 1)

26antimuzak
jun 21, 2021, 1:42 am

Monday 21st June 2021
Time: 12:00 to 13:00 (1 hour long)

Music Born of Turmoil. Episode 1.

Donald Macleod sets Purcell's work during his short life in the context of the turbulent times in which he lived, beginning with the political intrigue surrounding him amid his earliest music, including - in 1680 alone - his first stage work Theodosius, his first royal `welcome" ode and his first dazzling collection of chamber music. Purcell: Blow Up the Trumpet in Sion, Z 10. Laurence Cummings (organ), Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly (conductor); Sonata a 4 No 7 in C, Z 808. Musica Amphion, Pieter-Jan Belder (conductor); Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King, Z 340. Barbara Borden (soprano), Belinda Sykes (soprano), Douglas Nasrawi (tenor), Harvey Brough (tenor), Harry van der Kamp (bass), Simon Grant (bass), Steve Dugardin (countertenor), Tragicomedia; Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences, Z 50. Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill (director); Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z 135. Maldwyn Davies (tenor), John Tomlinson (bass), Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (conductor); Sonata a 4 No 4 in D Minor, Z 805. London Baroque; Theodosius, or The Force of Love, Z 606; The Gate to Bliss; Sad as Death at Dead of Night; Hail to the Myrtle Shade; Dream No More of Pleasures Past; Ah! Cruel, Bloody Fate. Judith Nelson (soprano), Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood (conductor).
(Episode 1)

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