Composer of the Week BBC Radio 3

Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
This week, Donald Macleod traverses the dramatic and vivid musical landscapes of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: a vital, fascinating, and perhaps under-appreciated figure in the evolution of the canon of western art music. His life alone was extraordinary: beginning as a cadet in the Tsar’s navy, it ended soon after the tumult of the 1905 revolution; the prospect of far greater upheaval, national and international, looming.
Music Featured:
Flight of the Bumblebee
The Tsar of Sultan Suite, Op 57 (3rd mvt, The Three Wonders)
Symphony No 1, Op 1
Capriccio Espangnol, Op 34 (excerpts)
The Maid of Pskov: Overture
Mussorgsky arr. Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on the Bare Mountain
Legend of Sadko, Op 5
Quintet
Scheherazade, Op 35 (excerpt)
The Golden Cloud Slept, Op 3, No 3
Trombone Concerto in B flat major
Symphony No 3, Op 32 (3rd & 4th mvts)
The Tatar Captivity, Op 18, No 2
The Octave, Op 45, No 3
Mussorgsky arr. Rimsky-Korsakov: Gopak from Sorochintsi Fair
Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op 36
String Quartet in F major, Op 12 (3rd mvt)
Mlada Suite
The Snow Maiden: Prologue; Dance of the birds
Against the Cruel Crag from Sadko
The Invisible City of Kitzeh Suite (A Hymn to Nature)
The Golden Cockerel Suite
Four Songs, Op 2 (No 2, The Nightingale and the Rose)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Lyndon Jones 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 Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001z5dz
And 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

Kate Molleson sets out so show us why Elizabeth Maconchy deserves much more of our attention
Elizabeth Maconchy is surely the greatest composer of string quartets ever to emerge in the British Isles; and yet her music is often ignored in favour of lesser works by more famous British composers. So says Maconchy’s biographer, Erica Siegel, who joins Kate Molleson to explore the life and works of this key figure in Britain and Ireland’s musical story. Across the week, Kate and Erica set out to show us why Maconchy deserves much more of our attention. We’ll hear stories of personal crises, public apathy and outrageous institutional sexism, and how Maconchy met each challenge with characteristic grace and perseverance. Her works fizz with invention and purpose and she described her own music as “impassioned argument”.
Music Featured:
String Quartet No 2 (4th mvt)
Clarinet Quintet (3rd & 4th mvt)
Four Shakespeare Songs (No 1, Come Away, Death)
The Land - A Suite for Orchestra
Concertino No 2 for Piano and String Orchestra
String Quartet No 1 (4th mvt)
Concertino for Piano and Chamber Orchestra (2nd mvt)
Oboe Quintet
Sonata for Viola and Piano
String Quartet No 3
Nocturne
Dialogue for Piano and Orchestra (2nd & 4 mvts)
Two Dances from Puck Fair
String Quartet No 5 (2nd & 3rd mvt)
Concertino for Bassoon and String Orchestra
String Quartet No 7: (4th mvt, Scherzo I)
Proud Thames Overture
The Sofa (excerpts)
The Departure (excerpts)
Serenata Concertante
There is no rose
Trittico
Epyllion
Morning, Noon and Night
String Quartet No 13 'Quartetto Corto'
Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced by Chris Taylor 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 Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yyf6
And 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

In 1773, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sat down to record his life story. He’d been asked to write it down for a new book on German music and it made him one of the first composers to produce an autobiography. This week, Donald Macleod follows the composer’s story, using Bach’s own account as his guide. Bach’s words provide fascinating insights into the things he considered most important but it’s possible that what he chose to leave out is even more revealing.
Music Featured:
L'Aly Rupalich, Wq 117 No 27
Symphony for Strings and Continuo in G major, Wq 182 No 1
Fantasia for keyboard in C major, Wq 61 No 6
Trio Sonata in B minor, Wq 143
Keyboard Concerto in G major, Wq 3
Symphony in G major, Wq 173 (1st mvt)
Trio Sonata in A Minor, Wq 148
Sonata in A minor, Wq 132 (1st mvt)
Cello Concerto No 3 in A major, Wq 172 (2nd & 3rd mvts)
Sonata in E minor, Wq 49 No 3
Magnificat in D, Wq 215 (1, Magnificat anima mea Dominum; 5, Fecit potentiam; 10. Sicut erat in principio)
Keyboard Sonata in E flat major, Wq 52 No 1( 2nd & 3rd mvts)
Sonata in C minor ‘Sanguineus and Melancholicus’ Wq 161 No 1
Phyllis and Thirsis, Wq 232 (excerpt)
Sinfonia in B-Flat Major, Wq 182 No 2 (3rd mvt)
30 Geistliche Gesänge mit Melodien, Book 2, Wq 198: (Nos 2 & 8)
Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq 238 (extract from Part 1)
Symphony in B minor, Wq 182 No 5
Rondo in E Major, Wq 58 No 3
Rondo in F Major, Wq 57 No 5
Sonata in D Minor, Wq 57 No 4 (2nd mvt)
Quartet in G Major, Wq 95 (3rd mvt)
Heilig, Wq 217
Keyboard Sonatina in D Major, Wq 109
Freye Fantasie in F sharp minor, Wq 80
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Chris Taylor 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 CPE Bach (1714-1788) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yr0r
And 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 tracks the scandalous life of Achille-Claude Debussy
In the music of Claude Debussy there have been said to run dangerous and destructive currents. His radical works did forge a path which would redefine music in the 20th Century, but his beautiful music runs contrary to his shocking personal life. The Scottish soprano Mary Garden said of him, “I honestly don’t know if he ever loved anybody really. He loved his music – and perhaps himself.” The lies and duplicity, deception and debt left other unfortunate people in their wake, with Debussy unrepentant throughout. In the aftermath of these scandals, Debussy was disowned by his friends, and by most of Parisian society, but the notoriety he gained only seemed to heighten his appeal with audiences. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod tracks the scandalous life of Achille-Claude Debussy and tries to reconcile his appalling behaviour with his transcendent music.
Suite Bergamasque (3rd mvt, Claire de Lune)
La Mer (2nd mvt, Jeux de vagues)
Ariettes Oubliee (No 5, Green)
Images for Orchestra (No 2, Iberia)
Mélodies de Jeunesse (No 3, Les Papillons)
Recueil Vasnier, L 53 (Romance – Silence ineffable)
Printemps (2nd mvt, Modere)
Danse bohemienne
Deux Arabesques
Rodrigue et Chimene (excerpt) (arr. Smith & orch. Denisov)
La damoiselle élue (Chorus: La damoiselle élue s’appuyait)
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Proses Lyriques (No 3, De fleurs)
Prelude – La Fille aux cheveux de lin
3 Chansons de Bilitis
Fetes Galantes (Claire de Lune)
Trois Nocturnes
Images, L 110 (No 2, Hommage a Rameau)
Estampes (No 2, La soiree dans Grenade)
Pelléas et Mélisande, Act III (excerpt)
Rhapsodie for saxophone and orchestra
L’isle joyeuse
Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane
La Mer (3rd mvt. Dialogue of the Waves)
Children’s Corner (Cakewalk)
5 Poemes de Charles Baudelaire (No 3, Le Jet d’eau)
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (Act V: Paradise)
Jeux, L 126
Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L 137 (Finale)
La chute de la maison Usher, L112 (excerpt) (completed and orchestrated by R Orledge)
Syrinx
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips 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 Claude Debussy (1862-1918) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ygtn
And 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 key influences and music of Edvard Greig.
Donald Macleod looks at the people and places that had a significant impact on Edvard Grieg’s life and work, meeting Norwegian fiddlers, folksong collectors and nationalist firebrands along the way. From Henrik Ibsen, who commissioned Grieg to write his most famous work, to the composer's wife Nina, for whom he wrote all his songs, this week Donald explores the key influences on the composer’s outlook and development.
Music Featured:
Holberg Suite: I. Praeludium
Symphonic Dances (3rd & 4th mvts)
Piano Concerto No 1 (2nd & 3rd mvts)
Peer Gynt Suite No 1
Lyric Pieces Book 1: IV Elves’ Dance
Violin Sonata No 1 in F major (3rd mvt)
In Autumn
Funeral March for Richard Nordraak (arr for orch by Johan Halvorsen)
Ballade
Hjertets melodier: III Jeg Elsker Deg
6 Songs, Op 25 (No 2, En Svane & No 4, IV Med en Vanlilje)
Violin Sonata No 2 (3rd mvt)
Piano Concerto No 1 (1st mvt)
6 Songs Op 39 (No 4, Millom Rosor)
6 Songs Op 39 (No 5 Veng en ung Hustrus Bare) arr. for choir
6 Songs Op 48 (No 4, Zur Rozenheit & No 6, Ein Traum)
Two Elegaic Melodies
Springar after Kristian Lund
Album Leaves, Op 28 (No 4)
String Quartet Op 27 (3rd & 4th mvts)
The Mountain Thrall
12 Melodies Op 33 (No 9)
19 Norwegian Folk Tunes Op 66 (excerpts)
Norwegian Dances, Op 35 (Nos 3 & 4)
Lyric Pieces Op 43 (No 3, In my homeland)
Violin Sonata No 3 (1st mvt)
Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
Peer Gynt Suite No 2
Haugtussa (Nos 6-8)
Stimmungen Op 73
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Megan Jones 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 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001y2c0
And 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

Johannes Brahms, the bearded and magisterial Romantic composer, could certainly do grandeur when required. But really, he was more interested in what music meant in ordinary life - how it can whisper, joke and console. He was a man who tried to find a place to belong all his life, wrote for the people closest to him, and that fondness is writ large in his music. This week, Kate Molleson focuses on Brahms at home, revealing the subtle sides of this sometimes brawny composer – the tender heart behind the famous beard - through the music he wrote for himself and his friends to play.
Music Featured:
Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op 52a No 1
Ballade in G minor, Op 118 No 2
Sandmännchen WoO 31, No 4 (Children’s Folk Songs)
Scherzo in E flat minor, Op 4
An die Nachtigall, Op 46 No 4
Vier Gesänge für Frauenchor, Op 17
Piano Quartet No 1 in G minor Op 25 (3rd mvt – Andante)
Einförmig ist der Liebe Gram, Op 113 No 13
Sonata in C major (4th mvt)
FAE Sonata (3rd mvt – Scherzo)
Piano Trio, Op 8 (3rd mvt – Adagio)
Geistliches Lied, Op 30
Intermezzo, Op 117 No 2
Sextet No 2 (1st mvt – Allegro non troppo)
Waltz in A flat
Six Quartets, Op 112 (No 1, Sehnsucht)
Piano Quartet No 2 in A major (3rd mvt – Scherzo)
Ein Deutsches Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen; Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Geistliches Wiegenlied
Piano Concerto No 2 (3rd mvt - Andante)
Wiegenlied, Op 49 No 4
Romance in F major, Op 118 No 5
String Quintet in F (1st movement)
Wie Melodien zieht es mir; Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer
Violin Sonata in A major (1st mvt)
Clarinet Quintet (1st movement)
Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op 52: Ein kleiner hübscher Vogel
Hungarian Dance in D major, WoO1 No 18
Wo ist ein so herrlich Volk, Op 109 No 3
Denn es gehet dem Mennschen (Serious Songs, Op 121 No 1)
Intermezzo in E flat major, Op 117 No 1
Intermezzo in B minor, Op 119 No 1
Piano Trio No 1 (1st mvt – Allegro con brio)
Double Concerto for violin and cello (2nd mvt – Adagio)
Intermezzo in A major, Op 118 No 2
Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced 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 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xvy4
And 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