Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

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.Music Featured:2 Elegiac Melodies, Op 34, (Varen) Piano concerto in A minor (3rd movt - Allegro moderato molto e marcato) 4 Psalms, Op 74 (Jesus Kristus er opfaren) 4 piano pieces, Op 1 (Allegro con leggerezza) String Quartet in G minor, Op 27 (3rd movt - Intermezzo) Holberg Suite, Op 40 Lyric pieces, Op 12 (Arietta) Sigurd Jorsalfar: Three orchestral pieces, Op 56 (Intermezzo: Borghild’s Dream) Piano Sonata in E minor, Op 7 (I. Allegro moderato) In Autumn, Op 11 Haugtussa, Op 67 Grieg, arr. J. Halvorsen: Folkelivsbilder, Op 19 (Bridal procession) Humoresque, Op 6, No 2 Album Leaves, Op 28 Norwegian Dances, Op 35 The Mountain Thrall, Op 32b Lyric Pieces Op 54: No 3 Trolltog; No 4 Notturno; No 6 Klokkeklang Fra Monte pincio Piano Concerto in A minor (2nd movt - Adagio) Violin Sonata No 3 (Allegro animato – Prestissimo) Peer Gynt Suite No 2, Op 55 6 songs, Op 25 No 2 (En Svane) Symphonic Dances op 64 No 4 (Andante) Lyric pieces, Op 71 (Remembrances) Melodies of the Heart, Op 5 (No 1,To brune Ojne; No 3, Jeg elsker Dig) Ballade in G minor (in the form of variations on a Norwegian folktune), Op 24 Cello Sonata in A minor Op 36 (Allegro molto e marcato) Slåtter, Op 72: (Nos 1- 4)Presented by Donald MacLeod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC 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 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qlk0And 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 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 stayed with him, building a picture of Beethoven the man, the composer, the interpretation of his music since his death, the times he lived in, and what he means to us today.Composer of the Week has been 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:Mass in C, Op 86 - Sanctus Piano Concerto No 4 in G, Op 58 (Andante con moto & Rondo vivace) Violin Sonata No 5 in F, Op 24 “Spring” (4th movement: Rondo) Piano Sonata No 27, Op 90 Maigesang, Op 52 No 4 Piano Sonata No 4 in E flat, Op 7 (2nd movement: Largo, com gran espressione) Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 (1st movement) String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 (4th movement: Grave, ma non troppo tratto) Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 (2nd movement: Largo) Fidelio Act 2 Nr 14 & Nr 15 String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 (3rd movement: Lento assai, cantate e tranquillo) Sonata No 26 in E flat, Op 81A “Les adieux” (The Absence & The Reunion) Wind Octet in E flat, Op 103(1st movement: Allegro & 2nd movement: Andante) Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur, Op 48 No 4 (The Heavens are Telling) Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 “Eroica” (2nd movement: Marcia funebre. Adagio assai) Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 in C minor (4th movement: Prestissimo) 11 Bagatelles, Op 119 No 3 in D major (A l’Allemande) String Quartet Op.130 (I.Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro) Piano Sonata No 30 in E major, Op.109 (1st movement: Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo) Symphony No 4 in B flat, OP 60 - 4th movement: Allegro ma non troppo Fidelio Act 1 - FinalePresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC 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 Beethoven Unleashed: In Perspective https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q853And 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 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 Not when you grip my neck) Duet for Piano and OrchestraPresented by Donald Mcleod Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC WalesPhoto credit: Matthew LloydFor 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 George Benjamin https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q36pAnd 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