Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

Donald Macleod explores how Cesar Franck, who was, known for being retiring and unassuming, became a leading figure of French musical life.It seems as if Franck's diffident character positively hindered his advancement. He wasn't interested in moving in glamorous social circles, and lived, according to one visitor who called on him the year before he died, "like a monk". This natural reticence may be why the composer of popular works such as the Violin Sonata, the Piano Quintet, a ground-breaking String Quartet and the glorious Symphony in D found that all too often his critics were quick to find fault and were slow to recognise his worth. He had some disappointments to bear, in an age when opera was thriving, none of his four operas saw the light of day in his lifetime. Recognition for his two major choral works, La Rédemption and Les Béatitudes was to come after his death in 1890 at the age of 67. Franck did enjoy some support. Early on Liszt recognised his talent and did his best to help him get his work performed, and later on a band of his pupils, among them the composer Vincent d'Indy did their best to promote their beloved teacher's music.To mark the 200th anniversary of Franck's birth, Donald Macleod spends the week delving a bit deeper into this enigmatic and complex character from his early compositions which pay homage to Liszt and the pianistic tradition of Hummel, to the wonderfully vivid pictorial canvas of Le Chasseur Maudit.Music Featured: Panis angelicus (Messe á trois voix, Op 12 FVW 61) Variations brillantes sur Gustave III, Op 8 (excerpt) Trio Concertant No 2 in B flat Op 1, No 2 (4th mvt) Ce qu’on entend sur la montagne L’ange et l’enfant Les Septs Paroles du Christ au Croix, No 7 Prélude, Fugue et Variation (Six Pieces, Op 18) Symphonic Variations Egologue, Op 3 Stradella (Overture) Hulda (Act 4: excerpt) Patria Piano Quintet in F minor (3rd mvt) La Rédemption (7th – 9th mvt) Violin sonata Op 23 (1st mvt) Prélude, Choral et Fugue Blessed are the Meek (Les Béatitudes, No 2) Rebecca (Camel drivers’chorus) Prélude (Prélude, Aria et Final) String Quartet in D major (4th mvt) Chorale No 3 in A minor, M40 Symphony in D (3rd mvt)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for César Franck (1822-1890) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fnfsAnd 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 Chopin and his relationship with novelist George Sand, from their first meetings to their fractious end. Early in 1837, Franz Liszt introduced Chopin to a woman who would have a profound influence on his life. Her name was George Sand and Chopin’s relationship with the novelist would go on to stretch for almost a decade and prove to be the longest romantic bond of the composer’s life, and a defining creative relationship for both of them. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the intertwined lives of these two key figures in French romantic-era life.Music Featured: Impromptu No 1 in A-flat major, Op 29 Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21 (1st mvt) Ballade No 1 in G minor, Op 23 Nocturne, Op 37, No 12 Preludes, Op 28, No 2 Ballade no 2 in F major, Op 38 Polonaise in C minor, Op 40, No 2 Minute Waltz, Op 64, No 1 Nocturne in C minor, Op 48, No 1 Sonata No 3 in B minor, Op 58 (1st mvt) Ballade No 3 in A flat major, Op 47 Wiosna (Spring), Op 74, No 2 Mazurka No 51 in F minor, Op 68, No 4 Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 (2nd mvt) Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op 60 Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11 (2nd mvt) Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op 64, No 2 Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam PhillipsFor 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 Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fdx8And 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

Marking the centenary of her birth, Donald Macleod delves in to the little known world of 20th century British composer Doreen Carwithen.Doreen Carwithen is one of only a handful of female British composers who worked in the film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. Dramas, mysteries, horror flicks, documentaries, the thirty plus films she scored form a substantial part of her musical legacy.An award winning student, Carwithen first came to critical attention in the concert hall, with the catchily titled ODTAA, One damn thing after another, in 1947. Predictably, newspaper headlines made much of her gender and her youth. She was just 24. It seemed as if a bright future lay ahead, yet, at the beginning of the 1960s Carwithen would stop writing music, a situation which perhaps in part explains why her music dropped off the radar for many years. One hundred years since her birth, Donald Macleod brings to light the little-known yet fascinating story of this 20th century British composer.This week Donald Macleod is joined in conversation by Leah Broad, whose new biography of Carwithen is due out next year. They chart Carwithen’s career from the age of five, when she began piano and violin under the guidance of her musical mother, to the moment when she ceased to compose.Music Featured: Men of Sherwood Forest (excerpt), arr Philip Lane Serenade for tenor and piano String Quartet No 1 Concerto for piano and strings Piano sonatina Violin sonata Bishop Rock String Quartet No 1 (2nd mvt) Four Piano Preludes Suffolk suite (1st mvt) Cello sonatina String Quartet No 2 Mantrap Suites, arr Philip Lane Three Cases of Murder, arr Philip Lane East Anglian Holiday, arr Philip Lane Boys in Brown Suite, arr Philip Lane Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith