Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

Donald Macleod explores the music of Dmitry Shostakovich through the lens of his family life.In this week’s episode, Donald introduces us to Shostakovich - the family man. Turning his attention to the middle of the Russian composer's life, we hear the story of his relationships with his two children (Galina, born in 1936, and Maxim, born in 1938) and his first wife Nina, who he was married to from 1935 until her death in 1954. Starting with the complicated early days of building a family, Donald tells us how Shostakovich celebrated the birth of his first daughter, plus the answer to an important question: was Shostakovich a cat or a dog person? Next, we meet the family as wartime evacuees and hear about the symphony that was almost lost in a toilet on a train. We join the Shostakoviches in a country retreat set up by the USSR Union of Composers, where they spent memorable summers, and hear about the terrifying moment Shostakovich received a phone call from Stalin. Lastly, Donald reveals how Shostakovich coped following Nina’s death, and the music which his grief inspired.Music featured: Suite for Variety Orchestra Six Romances on Texts by Japanese Poets, Op 21 The Tale of the Silly Little Mouse Symphony No 4 in C major Op 43 6 Romances on Verses by English Poets, Op 62 - 1. Sir Walter Raleigh to His Sonne Sonata No 2 in B minor, Op 61 Symphony No 7 in C major ‘Leningrad’, Op 60 Children's Notebook Op 69 (1-7) String Quartet 2 in A major, Op 68 Piano Trio No 2 Op 67 Symphony No 8 in C minor Op 65 Pirogov (Finale) Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77 The Song of the Forests Op 81 String Quartet No 4, Op 83 Festive Overture, Op 96 Symphony No 10 in E minor, Op 93 Piano Concerto No 2 in F major, Op 102 String Quartet No 7 in F sharp minor, Op 108 Youth (Romance) from The Gadfly Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amy Wheel for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, 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 Dmitry Shostakovich https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005736And 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 surveys the life and music of Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky.In this week’s episode, Donald explores the composer who is said, in his music, to have ushered in the 20th century: Igor Stravinsky. His name 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 the 29th of May 1913. We’ll hear about his pivotal relationships with fellow musician Rimsky-Korsakov, his assistant Robert Craft and the impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Plus, Donald delves into some of the most formative periods in Stravinsky’s life: his creative move towards neo-classicism, the death of his wife, his lonely exile to the USA, and his experiments with serialist methods.Music featured: Rite of Spring Scherzo in G minor Pastorale Four Etudes, Op 7, Nos 3 and 4 Symphony in E flat major (1st and 2nd movements) Faun and Shepherdess Scherzo Fantastique Fireworks The Firebird Suite Three Movements from Petrushka Pulcinella (Overture) Mavra: Russian Song (arr for cello & piano) Octet (2nd movement) Symphony of Psalms Concerto in E flat major 'Dumbarton Oaks' Tango Ebony Concerto (1st and 2nd movements) Scherzo a la Russe Symphony in Three Movements Rake's Progress: Act I Scene 3 (excerpt) Mass (Kyrie, Gloria) In Memoriam Dylan Thomas Movements for Piano and Orchestra Agon: Act IV The dove descending breaks the air Canticum SacrumPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, 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 Igor Stravinsky https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004y0pAnd 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 follows Amy Beach’s quest to create a uniquely American sound in her music.Amy Beach was born in the 19th century and, like all women composers of her generation, she found her path to greatness strewn with obstacles. This week, Donald Macleod charts her struggle to take control of her own destiny and become one of America’s most cherished cultural figures; a composer who helped lead her nation into the mainstream of classical music. 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 her search to develop her individual voice as a composer, Donald discusses the impact of her religious beliefs, her marriage and the places which shaped her work: her first tour of Europe, and the MacDowell Colony, where she composed most of her later works.Music featured: Pastorale, Op 151 Romance, Op 23 Symphony in E minor, Op 32 (Gaelic) (Alla sicilana & Lento) Evening Hymn, Op 125 No 2 From Grandmother’s Garden, Op 97 The Year’s at the Spring, Op 44 No 1 Valse Caprice, Op 4 Canticle of the Sun, Op 123 Though I take the wings of morning, Op 152 Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op 150 Ah, love, but a day, Op 44 No 2 A Prelude, Op 71 No 1 When far from her, Op 2 No 2 Come, ah come, Op 48 No 1 Nunc Dimittis, Op 8 No 1 Peace I leave with you, Op 8 No 3 Violin Sonata in A minor, Op 34 Symphony in E minor, Op 32 (Gaelic) (Allegro di molto) Autumn Song, Op 56 No 1 Prelude Op 81 Der Totenkranz, Op 73 No 2 The Candy Lion, Op 75 No 1 Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op 45 On a Hill Je demande à l’oiseau, Op 51 No 4 A Hermit Thrush at Eve, Op 92 No 1 A Hermit Thrush at Morn, Op 92 No 2 Quartet for Strings, Op 89 Ambache Trois morceaux caractéristiques, Op 28Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, 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 Amy Beach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004ltqAnd 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