Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the bandoneon virtuoso and composer Astor Piazzolla, through five key locations.All his life he fought against the tide, and in the end, he was the victor. Astor Piazzolla was a rebel with a cause. A virtuoso bandoneon player and a composer, he set out to break tango free from its roots, and make it a music with a future far beyond the dance halls and cafes of 1950s Buenos Aires. Hits like “Libertango” and collaborations with jazz giants like Gary Burton and Gerry Mulligan made his name beyond the tango world, while his classical compositions brought his instrument, the bandoneon critical acclaim in the concert hall. The secrets of musical technique came, he said, from his studies with French pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger and Argentinian composer, Alberto Ginastera but they also came from his teenage experiences in Buenos Aires, the city where had played bandoneon and arranged music for Anibal Troilo’s famous tango band. Across the week Donald Macleod traces Astor Piazzolla’s life through the places which played an important part in his musical development: New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Rome and the Uraguayan resort of Punta del Este.Music featured: Tanguedia Tres minutos con la Realidad Piano sonata No 1, Op 7 Sideral Requiem para un Malandra Adios nonino Concierto para quinteto Buenos Aires hora cera (Buenos Aires zero hour) El desbande Tiernamente El recodo Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar Balada para mi muerte Sinfonía Buenos Aires, Op 15 Otoño porteño Two pieces for clarinet and string orchestra Triunfal Prepárense Tangos, El Exilio de Gardel (excerpts from the original soundtrack) Mumuki Michelangelo 70 Amelitango Maria de Buenos Aires (excerpt) Summit Close your eyes and listen 3 Movimientos Tanguisticos Portenos Tristezas de un Doble A Jeanne y Paul Resurreccion del Angel Concerto for bandoneon, string orchestra & percussion Le Grand Tango La Camorra II Five Tango Sensations Libertango Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith 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 Astor Piazzolla https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003c6fAnd 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 the life and music of Hector BerliozBerlioz is perhaps unique among composers in having had a literary gift almost the equal of his musical one. He earned his bread-and-butter living as a writer, turning out witty and often acerbic music criticism for the influential Journal des débats and Gazette musicale among others. Donald starts this week with a look at Berlioz through his engaging, passionate and entertaining Memoirs. Next, he delves into the world of Berlioz’s literary muses – first and foremost, Virgil, Goethe and Shakespeare. We hear about Benvenuto Cellini, the opera whose “verve, impetus and brilliance” Berlioz feared he would never again equal, and his attempt to secure the coveted Prix de Rome amidst the thundering July Revolution. We also encounter some of the celebrated musicians he rubbed shoulders with – among them Liszt, Cherubini, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Wagner and Paganini.Music featured: Les Nuits d’été, Op 7 (Villanelle) Overture Les Francs-Juges, Op 3 Grande Messe des Morts, Op 5 (Dies irae) La Damnation de Faust, Op 24 (extract) Béatrice et Bénédict (Act 1) Zaïde, Op 19 No 1 La Damnation de Faust, Op 24 (Part 2) Waverley, grande ouverture, Op 1 Les Troyens, Op 29 (Act 1, finale) Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet (Tristia, Op 18) La Captive, Op 12 Harold en Italie, Op 16 (IV. Orgie des brigands) Le carnaval romain, Op 9 Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (extracts) Messe solennelle (Quoniam tu solus Sanctus) Épisode de la vie d’un artiste – Grande Symphonie fantastique, arr. Franz Liszt Le roi Lear, grande ouverture, Op 4 Les nuits d’été, Op 7 (Absence) Romeo et Juliette, Op 17 (Part 3)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow 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 Hector Berlioz https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000345cAnd 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 visits Debbie Wiseman at home to discuss her long and varied career.Debbie Wiseman has over two hundred credits for her music, ranging from television and film, to the concert hall and music for royal pageantry. Not only is she a multi-award winning composer, but also a teacher, pianist and conductor, often performing in and recording her own works. This week, Donald Macleod visits Debbie Wiseman at her home in London to discuss her long and varied career. We hear about the film composer's craft of evoking different worlds in music, Debbie’s belief in versatility and lifelong learning, the challenges of composing for royal events, and her life outside the studio.Music featured: Wolf Hall The Musical Zodiac Haunted Lesbian Vampire Killers Wilde Judge John Deed (Man of Law) The Andrew Marr Show (Affairs Current) Tom & Viv The Nightingale and the Rose Arsene Lupin Lighthouse The Promise Warriors Edie The Ugly Duckling Quiet Room Gigue The 90th Birthday Celebration Suite The Glorious Garden Tom’s Midnight Garden Flood Middletown The Upper Hand (Joe & Diana) Joanna Lumley’s Nile (Journey of a Lifetime) Father Brown Land Girls (While We’re Away) The Selfish GiantPresented 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 Debbie Wiseman https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002zfyAnd 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