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)
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Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen
BBC Radio 3's Composer Of The Week is a guide to composers and their music. The podcast is compiled from the week's programmes and published on Friday. It is only available in the UK.
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Folge vom 12.06.2026Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
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Folge vom 05.06.2026Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)Donald Macleod and guest Paul Spicer journey into the early life of Sir Arthur Bliss.Music featured: Checkmate Suite (excerpt) String Quartet in A, Op 4 (Moderato ma tranquillo) Pastoral Piano Quartet in A minor, Op 18 Madam Noy Mêlée fantasque The Ballads of the Four Seasons (No 1, Spring) Rout A Colour Symphony (Red) Oboe Quintet (Assai sostenuto) The Women of Yueh (No 2, Many a girl of the south is white and lucent) Things to Come (March) Morning Heroes (The City Arming) Viola Sonata, Op 91 (Moderato) Music for Strings (Allegro moderato, enerfico) Checkmate Suite (The Red Knight’s Mazurka) Piano Concerto in B flat (Andante maestso) Miracle in the Gorbals (The Young Lovers) String Quartet No 1 (Allegretto grazioso) Miracle in the Gorbals (The Killing of the Stranger) Adam Zero (Approach of Autumn) Piano Sonata (excerpt) Welcome the Queen Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Vivo – Tranquillo)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 Arthur Bliss: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002wtqnAnd 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-zProduced by Luke Whitlock
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Folge vom 29.05.2026Miles Davis 100This week Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a cultural icon: trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis, who was born 100 years ago this week and remains one of the most innovative and influential figures in 20th-century music. Kate is joined throughout the week by the leading American jazz critic Nate Chinen. Together, they'll survey his vast recorded output, which spans five decades, prioritising his own compositions but also appreciating the art of improvisation as spontaneous composition.
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Folge vom 15.05.2026Florence Price (1887-1953)Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Florence Price, joined by pianist and scholar Samantha Ege. From her childhood in Little Rock, where family, education and the realities of racial segregation shaped her early ambitions, Price’s story unfolds through persistence, reinvention and growing recognition. Moving through her years of study and early career, we hear how she drew on African American musical traditions while navigating the social and political pressures around her. In Chicago, she found a vibrant artistic community and new opportunities, leading to orchestral success and national visibility. In her later years, recognition remained uneven, and her music continued to evolve in the face of resistance and neglect, with works still coming to light long after her death.Music featured includes: Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint: No. 4 Shortnin’ Bread Violin Concerto No. 2 Symphony No. 4 in D minor (extract) Scenes in Tin Can Alley: Children at Play Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor Fantasie Nègre No. 2 in G minor String Quartet No. 2 in A minor – Finale Concert Overture No. 2 Adoration Fantasie No. 2 in F sharp minor A Day in the Life of a Washerwoman Fantasie No. 1 in G minor The Goblin and the Mosquito Songs to the Dark Virgin Ethiopia’s Shadow in America (extracts) Symphony No. 1 in E minor (extract) Symphony No. 1 in E minor – Juba Dance Piano Concerto in One Movement (extract) Sympathy My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord The Oak Resignation Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major – Allegro The Mississippi River (extracts) Fantasie Nègre No. 3 in F minorPresented by Kate Molleson Produced by Ellie Ajao 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 Florence Price (1887-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vw41.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