Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

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

Donald Macleod travels alongside J S Bach as he moves from place to place throughout his life.Donald begins with Bach’s early years in the towns of Eisenach and Ohrdruf, where his excellence as a singer and organist was first recognised. He first moved to Weimar at the age of 18, to work as a court musician, and later as an organist and concertmaster – it was here that he would write most of his organ repertoire, but also spent his time trying to please two antagonistic Dukes. Then we move to the city of Köthen, where Bach was employed at the court of Prince Leopold. The royal court offered Bach exactly what he had been denied in Weimar – the chance to build a really exceptional instrument ensemble. We arrive in Leipzig, where Bach was a public servant again, having to satisfy a plethora of different bodies and individuals. Although his time there was peppered with disputes and discontent, it was his home for 27 years and it is where he composed the bulk of the work that lives on. Finally, Donald explores the afterlife of Bach’s music, including his propulsion into outer space aboard the Voyager spacecraft’s Golden Record.Music featured: Magnificat Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major Concerto in C major for organ Partita No 1 for violin Widerstehe doch der Sunde Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother Komm, Jesu, Komm Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn The Art of Fugue Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Sonata for Violin and Piano No 3 Concerto No 2 in F major Well-Tempered Clavier, No 1 in C major Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Violin Sonata No 1 in G minor Orchestral Suite No 4 in D major Musical Offering Mass in B minor Partita for Violin No 3 in E major Capriccio in E major St Matthew Passion Goldberg VariationsPresented 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 Johann Sebastian Bach https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002l9vAnd 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