Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Leonard Bernstein – conductor, composer, educator and one of the most recognisable figures in American cultural life. From his student years at Harvard and the influential friendships that helped launch his career, to his breakthrough as a young conductor and his success on Broadway, Bernstein combined a rare range of talents with a gift for public communication. His story encompasses symphonies and musicals, Hollywood and television, artistic triumphs and professional setbacks. Alongside his achievements ran a complex personal life, shaped by his marriage to Felicia Montealegre, his struggles with identity, and an enduring commitment to political and charitable causes. Through his music, we follow a figure who helped define American music in the twentieth century.Music featured includes: West Side Story – America Divertimento Anniversaries – I. For Aaron Copland Serenade after Plato’s Symposium – IV. Agathon Clarinet Sonata – 2nd movement Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" – Epilogue On the Town – New York, New York Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah" Three Dance Episodes from On the Town Fancy Free – Finale Slava! A Political Overture Trouble in Tahiti – Prelude Wonderful Town – Overture; Ballet at the Village Vortex; Wrong Note Rag Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront Prelude, Fugue and Riffs Facsimile – 1st movement West Side Story – Overture Mass – Pax: Communion Candide Overture 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite Songfest Four Anniversaries – I. For Felicia Montealegre A Quiet Place – Postlude West Side Story – Tonight Concerto for Orchestra – 3rd and 4th movements Chichester Psalms Arias and Barcarolles – Nachtspiel (Postlude)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and 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 Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y04k.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 a rich and varied body of music gathered under a single name: Anonymous. Bringing together works whose creators were never recorded, later forgotten or deliberately obscured, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions from Professor Lisa Colton and Professor Fay Hield, there is a focus on how anonymous works have been preserved, collected and sometimes reshaped over time, from medieval polyphony and early modern song to folk traditions passed down through generations. Along the way, questions emerge about authorship, ownership and how we listen to music when its origins are uncertain or shared.Music featured includes: Romance Anonimo (arr. Yepes) from Jeux interdits Horn Concerto in E flat major Three Medieval Dances: A que as cousas coitadas; Il Trotto; La Quarte Estampie Royal Shallow Brown Dances from Le Concert Royal de la Nuit (1653) Three Modinhas from 18th Century Portugal Neapolitan Songs: Barcarola napoletana; La favola dell'uccello grifone La Messe de Tournai: Gloria; Credo The Cruel Mother The Bull Ring Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite Three Dances (arr. Praetorius) Attrib. Beethoven: Waltz in B flat major ‘Gertrude’s Dream Waltz’ Attrib. L. Mozart: Cassation in G major ‘Toy Symphony’ Mrs Philarmonica: Sonata Sesta in G major Attrib. Mozart: Divertimento in E flat major, K.196e Attrib. Brahms: Piano Trio in A major, Op. post. El Cant de la Sibilla The Banks of the Nile Green Gravel In Te Domine speravi Three Medieval Dances Sumer is icumen in Agincourt Carol O sponsa Dei electa Three Worcester Fragments Lovely on the Water The Bloody Gardener Old England Grown New Three Cantigas de Santa María

Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Claudio Monteverdi, following his path from early experiments in Cremona to a career that would reshape European music. Trained in the traditions of Renaissance polyphony, Monteverdi gradually pushed against its limits, developing a more direct and expressive musical language. His years at the Mantuan court brought both opportunity and pressure, as he wrote increasingly bold madrigals and helped to establish opera as a new art form. After a period of upheaval, he rebuilt his career in Venice, adapting his music to new spaces, audiences and expectations as public opera emerged. Across sacred works, madrigals and stage pieces, Monteverdi’s writing reflects a composer responding closely to the demands of his time.Featuring excerpts from: Scherzi musicali a tre voci: Damigella tutta bella Sacrae cantiunculae Canzonette a tre voci (Nos. 1–3) Sinfonia for two violins and viola da brazzo Vattene pur, crudel L’Orfeo Madrigali amorosi Cruda Amarilli Io mi son giovinetta Vespers of 1610 Cor mio, non mori? L’Orfeo, Act 5 Lætaniæ della Beata Vergine Il sesto libro de madrigali Pianto della Madonna Zefiro torna e di soave accenti Selva morale e spirituale Beatus vir Chiome d’oro, bel tesoro Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria L’incoronazione di Poppea: Pur ti miroPresented by Kate Molleson Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio WalesFor 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 Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x7t6.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 (the same every week)