Episodes
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Clara Schumann and Her Circle
Donald Macleod meets the friends (and foes) of composer Clara Schumann. Clara Schumann is considered one of the most talented composer-pianists of the Romantic era. Put to work by her domineering father from an early age, as a touring performer she soon drew the admiration of her peers - and made...
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Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Giuseppe Verdi, following the rebellious streak that carried him from a small village in northern Italy to the centre of the operatic world. Supported by mentors but determined to follow his own path, Verdi overcame early setbacks, personal tragedy and...
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Tania León
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Tania León in conversation with the composer herself. Born in Cuba and later settling in the United States, León has built an international career as a composer, conductor, educator and advocate for new music. From her early musical experiences in…
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The Venetian School
Donald Macleod explores the rise and fall of the Venetian School, the group of composers who helped make sixteenth-century Venice one of the musical capitals of Europe. As the Republic's political and commercial influence began to wane, its cultural life flourished. Music spilled out from…
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Cyril Scott (1879-1970)
Donald Macleod explores the life of Cyril Scott. Music featured: Lotus Land, Op 47 No 1 Lullaby, Op 57 No 2 Water Wagtail, Op. 71 No. 3 Paradise-Birds (Five Poems, No 5) Symphony No 1 in G (excerpt) Etude, Op 4 No 3 Piano Quartet in E minor, Op 16 Three Symphonic Dances, Op 22 (Allegro con brio –...
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Franz Schubert - The Final Years
Kate Molleson explores the last five years of Franz Schubert’s life. Music featured: Octet in F, D. 803 Hungarian Melody in B minor, D. 817 Rosamunde, D797 String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 Ave Maria, D. 839 Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845 Symphony No. 9 in C, D. 944 Mass in C, D. 452 Der...
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Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
Donald Macleod reflects back on the life and work of a Titan of Musical Theatre.
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Sally Beamish
Donald Macleod joins Sally Beamish at her home on the south coast of England to celebrate her 70th birthday. Across a lifetime in music, Beamish has combined careers as performer and composer, drawing inspiration from places, people and collaborations along the way. From a musical childhood in...
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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Kate Molleson follows Felix Mendelssohn's journeys across Europe, tracing how travel shaped one of the nineteenth century's most gifted musical minds. From a privileged upbringing in Berlin and early encounters with Goethe, through concert tours in Britain and adventures in Scotland and Italy,...
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music - from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival. Symphony no. 35, K385 ‘Haffner’ Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207 Concerto for Flute Harp and orchestra in C, K299…
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Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
Donald Macleod journeys through the life and work of Alice Mary Smith, with guests Ian Graham-Jones and Leanne Langley. Music featured: Symphony in C minor Weep no more! Rondo: The Vale of Tempe Lover’s melancholy The First Snowfall Out of the Deep (Psalm 130) Overture ‘Lalla Rookh’ String…
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George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of George Frideric Handel through the patrons, employers and institutions that helped shape his career. From the aristocratic circles of Italy and the court of Hanover to royal favour in Britain and the charitable culture of Dublin, Handel proved adept…
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Fela Sowande and the Art Music of Nigeria
Donald Macleod explores the development of Nigerian art music through the lives and work of some of its most influential composers. Joined by Alexander Douglas, he traces the emergence of a musical tradition shaped by European missionary education, church music and indigenous cultural practices,...
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Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Leonard Bernstein – conductor, composer, educator and one of the most recognisable figures in American cultural life. From his student years at Harvard and the influential friendships that helped launch his career, to his breakthrough as a young...
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Anonymous
Donald Macleod explores a rich and varied body of music gathered under a single name: Anonymous. Bringing together works whose creators were never recorded, later forgotten or deliberately obscured, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions...
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Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Claudio Monteverdi, following his path from early experiments in Cremona to a career that would reshape European music. Trained in the traditions of Renaissance polyphony, Monteverdi gradually pushed against its limits, developing a more direct and...
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Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
Donald Macleod and guest Paul Spicer journey into the early life of Sir Arthur Bliss. Music featured: Checkmate Suite (excerpt) String Quartet in A, Op 4 (Moderato ma tranquillo) Pastoral Piano Quartet in A minor, Op 18 Madam Noy Mêlée fantasque The Ballads of the Four Seasons (No 1, Spring) Rout…
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Miles Davis 100
This week Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a cultural icon: trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis, who was born 100 years ago this week and remains one of the most innovative and influential figures in 20th-century music. Kate is joined throughout the week by the leading...
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Florence Price (1887-1953)
Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Florence Price, joined by pianist and scholar Samantha Ege. From her childhood in Little Rock, where family, education and the realities of racial segregation shaped her early ambitions, Price’s story unfolds through persistence, reinvention and…
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Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Béla Bartók was regarded as one of Hungary’s greatest composers. His fellow countryman, the pianist Andras Schiff, called him “one of the giants in the history of music.” But he was also one of the founders of what we now call ethnomusicology, spending much of his time immersed in peasant life,...
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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Camille Saint‑Saëns, a composer whose career was shaped as much by personality and circumstance as by precocious talent. Raised in Paris by strong‑minded women who recognised his gifts early, Saint‑Saëns grew into a formidable pianist and an alert...
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Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
This week, Donald Macleod traces the making of Joseph Haydn – from his long years of service to the Eszterházy princes on a remote Hungarian estate to his emergence as one of the most celebrated composers in Europe. Working in relative isolation, Haydn developed a distinctive musical voice while...
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Thomas Adès
Donald Macleod talks to British composer, pianist and conductor Thomas Adès. Music featured: Hotel Suite from Powder Her Face Gefriolsae Me, Op 3B Arcadiana Chamber Symphony …but all shall be well Powder Her Face Still Sorrowing Asyla Concerto Conciso The Tempest Lieux retrouvés (Les champs)…
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Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
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...
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New Zealand Composers
Donald 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…
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Jean 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...
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Amy 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...
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Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
Donald Macleod delves into the life of the great German composer Heinrich Schütz. Music featured: Wohl denen, die ohne Wandel leben, SWV 482 Tugend ist der beste Freund, SWV 442 O primavera, SWV 1 Wohl dem der ein tugendsam Weib hat, SWV 20 Zion spricht, der Herr hat mich verlassen, SWV 46 En…
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Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
This week, Kate Molleson, joined by Dr John Purser, explores the life and music of Erik Chisholm – one of Scotland’s most original and adventurous composers. From his early fascination with folk melody and the piano in Glasgow, through his championing of new music and his wide‑ranging artistic...
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Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844)
Donald Macleod takes a tour of the life of Franz Xaver Mozart, son of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with guest Professor Cliff Eisen. Music featured: Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (excerpt) Das Finden, Op 27 No 2 (Drei Deutsche Lieder) Variations on a Minuet from W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op 2...
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Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Aaron Copland, one of the most distinctive voices in 20th-century American music. From his Brooklyn childhood and formative studies in Paris to his return home with bold new ideas, Copland’s career charts a path through modernism, jazz, and...
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A Georgian Christmas
Donald Macleod visits the home of Jane Austen with historian Amanda Vickery to discover some of the seasonal customs and Christmas music of late-Georgian Britain. Music featured: Thomas Clark: While Shepherds Watched William Matthews: How beauteous are their feet Anon: The Holly and the Ivy…
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Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
This week, Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Sergey Prokofiev – a composer whose imagination shaped some of the most vivid music of the 20th century. From childhood stories in rural Ukraine to bold experiments at the St Petersburg Conservatory, from revolutionary Russia to the bright...
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John Rutter (born 1945)
This week, Donald Macleod visits Sir John Rutter at his Cambridgeshire home to celebrate his 80th birthday and explore the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. One of the most influential choral composers of the 20th and 21st centuries – and for many, the sound of Christmas – Rutter is...
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Max Roach (1924-2007)
This week, Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a musical giant – drummer and composer Max Roach – in the company of writer and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre. Together they trace Roach’s extraordinary journey: from his early days at the heart of bebop alongside Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk,...
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Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
This week, Donald Macleod explores Wagner’s world of dreams – musical, romantic and revolutionary. Wagner didn’t just write operas; he imagined entire worlds, reshaping reality to fit his ideals. His stories blur fact and fantasy, turning myth into truth and politics into drama. From youthful...
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Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929)
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Elfrida Andrée, a Swedish composer and organist who fought for women’s rights in classical music. Featuring guests Anastasia Belina and Jonas Lundblad. Music Featured: Fritiof Suite Summer memories from Bjurslätt Piano Sonata in A, Op 3 An angel walks...
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Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the often overlooked younger Haydn brother, Michael. From his early years in Vienna to his long tenure in Salzburg, Michael Haydn’s career was shaped by family ties, shifting patronage, and ecclesiastical politics. His relationship with the...
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Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
To celebrate the centenary of his birth, Kate Molleson explores the life and music of one of most influential figures in all of modern music – Luciano Berio. Berio’s music is lyrical and expressive, while never ignoring the most advanced techniques and technologies of his time. He worked with…
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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Johann Sebastian Bach is a towering cultural icon, a composer who might be seen as the poster boy for “serious music” and spent most of his career in the service of the church. But he played many roles in the course of his life, and could be funny, sassy, conniving, obstinate, and rebellious....
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Eleanor Alberga
Kate Molleson speaks to Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga about her life and career. Eleanor Alberga is a quietly rebellious composer. She draws inspiration from Jamaican folk songs, children's fairytales, ancient mythology - even chemistry. She was one of the first pianists to take modern...
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Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Donald Macleod explores the life of Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. The Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo is responsible for one of the most instantly recognisable works for classical guitar - if not one of the most famous pieces of classical music full stop. But when he was just three years…
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Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Donald Macleod explores Robert Schumann’s years in Dusseldorf – the city where he would spend the final years of his life. Despite often being portrayed as a creative disaster, during this period, Schumann was greatly inspired by the city and by the countryside which surrounded it, and would…
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Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
Donald explores the life of Delius through five of his relationships Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music. Music Featured: The Walk to the Paradise Garden Irmelin Requiem Brigg Fair Songs of Farewell On Hearing the First...
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Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Donald Macleod explores Dmitri Shostakovich’s life during the years of World War II, a period indelibly linked to his most famous work – the ‘Leningrad’ symphony - which became an international symbol of resistance against the Nazis when it was performed by an orchestra suffering from the effects...
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Arvo Pärt
Composer of the Week celebrates the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt, one of the world’s most-performed and recognisable living composers. A composer who had the courage to defy Soviet edicts, to spend years searching for answers, to invent a personal language that pivots on past and present, on sound,...
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Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky’s life away from home. He spent significant parts of his peak years travelling or staying with friends, and a remarkable amount of his music was composed whilst staying with friends, on holiday or concert tours, or sometimes as a fugitive on the run. This…
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Grace Williams (1906-1977)
Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Welsh composer, Grace Williams. Music Featured: Elegy for Cynddylan Missa Cambrensis Castell Caernafon Four Medieval Welsh Poems Trumpet Concerto Suite for 9 Instruments Hen Walia Sextet Elegy for Strings Suite for 9 Instrument Symphony No 1 Sea...
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Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of “furniture music”, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions – and their peculiar annotations – were a revolution, paving the way for a new generation of musical rebels, including Les Six....
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Gavin Bryars
Kate Molleson meets Gavin Bryars, the celebrated and much-loved composer whose kaleidoscopic career defies categorisation. As an inveterate collaborator, Bryars has worked alongside figures as diverse as Brian Eno, Tom Waites, the Hilliard Ensemble, Mainz Opera and Faroese singer-songwriter…
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About this show
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.
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BBC Radio 3
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