Gaetano Donizetti was one of Italy’s most prolific tunesmiths, with almost 70 operas to his name – about as many as Rossini, Bellini and Verdi all combined - whose arias still cut straight to the heart today. Donald Macleod follows his irresistible rise: from a child brought up in a dark, cramped cellar to become a pioneering master of the style known as bel canto. And like any opera plot, there’s triumph and tragedy, headaches and heartbreak…Music featured:
L’Elisir d’amore
Gloria (from Messa di Gloria)
String Quartet No 5 in E minor
Waltz in G major
Zoraida
Amor marinaro
L’Esule di Roma
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucia di Lammermoor
String Quartet No 16
Maria Stuarda
Messa di Requiem
ll sogno “Nostre misere menti”
Il sospiro “Donna felice, stanca d’amore”
Poliuto
La fille du regiment
Les Martyrs
La fille du regiment
Maria Padilla
Trovatella “Sovra il campo della vita”
Don Pasquale
String Quartet No 18
Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terre
Requiem: Offertorio – Lux AeternaProduced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West.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 Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sd9nAnd 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
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Composer of the Week 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.
Folgen von Composer of the Week
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Folge vom 20.03.2026Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
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Folge vom 13.03.2026New Zealand ComposersDonald Macleod explores five classical composers from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand: Douglas Lilburn, Jenny McLeod, Dame Gillian Whitehead, John Psathas, and Gareth Farr.Music featured:Douglas Lilburn: Symphony No 1 Aotearoa Elegy Sings Harry Symphony No 3 Three Inscapes, No 1 17 Pieces for Guitar Symphony No 2Jenny McLeod: Rock Concerto Hear the Great Ocean (from Childhood, No 4) 24 Tone Clock Dolly Bird (Music for Four) Nā Kui ki a Tama: Te Pūroto Kōpua Three celebrationsDame Gillian Whitehead: Hineaukatauri Tōrua Alice Pūhake ki te Rangi Lullaby for Matthew KarohirohiJohn Psathas: RealBadNow – V Craving the World Voices at the End (Mitote) Three Psalms (No 3, Sergei Bk. Ch. 1) Songs for Simon (No 1, His Second Time) Helix (No 3, Tarantismo) The All-Seeing Sky Gareth Farr: Pukul The Horizon from Owhiro Bay Tentang Cara Gamelan Waipoua Headrush Te Papa Kembang Suling Nga Tai Hurihuri From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs (The Invocation of the Sea)Presented by Donald Macleod. Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales & West.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 New Zealand Composers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002s3nmAnd 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
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Folge vom 06.03.2026Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)This week, Kate Molleson traces the development of Jean Sibelius’s symphonies. Set against Finland’s changing political climate and Sibelius’s own, turbulent personal circumstances, the podcast explores what shaped each symphony’s character – from the nationalism surrounding Nos. 1 and 2, to the renewed sense of form in the Third, the more inward Fourth, and the reworked Fifth. The week concludes with the distinctive Sixth and the single‑movement Seventh, composed during a period of uncertainty both for Finland and Sibelius himself.Music featured includes: Symphony No 2 in D, Op 43 Song of my Heart, Op 18 No 6 Symphony No 1 in E minor, Op 39 The Diamond on the March Snow, Op 36 No 6 Sunrise, Op 37 No 1 Kyllikki, Op 41 No 3 Symphony No 3 in C, Op 52 The Captive Queen, Op 48 Erloschen String Quartet in D minor, Op 56 ‘Voces Intimae’ Des Abends, Op 58 No 5 Symphony No 4 in A minor, Op 63 Spring’s Spell, Op 61 No 8 Romance, Op 78 No 2 The Oceanides, Op 73 The Echo Nymph, Op 72 No 4 Symphony No 5 in E flat, Op 82 Jokamies, Op 83 Autrefois, Op 96b Symphony No 6 in D minor, Op 104 Danses Champêtres, Op 106 No 1 Symphony No 7 in C, Op 105Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Luke Whitlock 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 Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rr2jAnd 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
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Folge vom 27.02.2026Amy Beach (1867-1944)Donald Macleod explores how Amy Beach railed against the sexism of her time to journey from a child piano prodigy to a respected composer.Young Birches Valse – Caprice, op.4 3 Songs, Op 2 no 3 - Empress of Night Eilende Wolken, segler der Lufte, Op. 18 Violin Sonata, Op.34 - I. Allegro Moderato Quartet for Strings in One Movement The Lark Quartet Romance for violin and piano, op.23 Ecstasy, Op.19 no 2 Symphony in E Flat, Op.32 'Gaelic' Peace I leave with you Dreaming (4 Sketches, Op.15) Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op.67 Deus Misereatur, Op.78 no 2 Jephthah’s Daughter, Op.53 A Hermit Thrush At Morn, Op.92, no.2 Piano Concerto, Op. 45 From Grandmother’s Garden - V. Honeysuckle By the still waters, Op.114 (arr. Lewin for 2 guitars) Hermit Thrush At Eve, Op.92, no.1 (1922) 3 Piano pieces, Op. 128 (I. Scherzino) Ses Yeux, Op. 66 Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 150 Cabildo, Op. 149 “Ah, love is a jasmine vine” Canticle of the Sun Scottish Legend, Op. 54, No 1For 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 Amy Beach (1867-1944): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rf45And 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-zProducer: Steven Rajam / Sam Phillips