Composer of the Week

BBC Radio 3

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MUSIC
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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.

3D AGO

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 friendships, to his bold ventures in opera, ballet and international musical life, Chisholm’s story is one of restless curiosity and invention. We follow his journey from Scotland to India, Singapore and South Africa, tracing the ideas, collaborations and passions that shaped his distinctive voice. Music featured includes: Airs from the Patrick MacDonald Collection: Nos. 18, 23–26 Piano Sonatina No. 1 Straloch Suite: Nos. 1–2 Piano Concerto No. 1 “Piobaireachd”: I & IV Violin Concerto: II. Allegro scherzando The Three Worthies; Dirge for Summer; Snail, Snail, Shoot Out Your Horn Dance Suite for Orchestra: III. March; IV. Reel Piobaireachd: Nos. 1–4 Piano Concerto No. 2 “Hindustani”: III. Rondo burlesca Pictures from Dante (After Doré): I. Inferno; II. Paradisio Poems of Love Symphony No. 2 “Ossian”: Prelude; Allegro animado; Epilogue Piano Sonata in A major “a Rhiobain Dearg”: IV. Allegro moderato Tango Scottish Airs for Children: Nos. 6–12 From the True Edge of the Great World: Preludes 1, 8, 9 Ceol Mòr Dances: Nos. 1–2 Night Song of the Bards: Bard 3; Bard 4 Simoon: excerpts Dance Suite for Orchestra and Piano: I. Allegro energico; II. Piobaireachd Presented by Kate Molleson. Produced by Ellie Ajao 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 Erik Chisholm (1904-1965) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002qh44. 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.

1h 36m
JAN 30

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 Piano Quartet in G minor Op 1 Variation 28 for Anton Diabelli’s Waltz Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Allegro maestoso) Rondo in F, Op 4 (excerpt) Nein! (Sechs Lieder, No 3) Violin Sonata in B flat, Op 7 Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Adagio) Polonaise mélancolique No 5 in F minor, Op 17 Piano Concerto No 1 in C, Op 14 (Allegretto) Violin Sonata in F, Op 15 (excerpt) Sinfonia in D Das liebende Mädchen (Sechs Lieder, No 1) An spröde Schönen (Sechs Lieder, No 2) Piano Sonata in G Violin Sonata in F, Op 15 (Polonaise) In der Väter Hallen ruht, Op 12 Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (excerpt) Variations on a Theme of an Ukrainian Folk Song, Op 18 An Emma, Op 24 Grand Sonata for piano and cello in E, Op 19 Polonaise mélancolique, Op 22 No 1 (Risoluto) Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (Allegro con brio) Engel Gottes künden Rondo in E minor Polonaise mélancolique, Op 22 No 2-4 An den Abendstern, Op 27 No 1 Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat, Op 25 (excerpt) 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 Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002q4m1 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

1h 12m
JAN 13

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 the search for an unmistakably American sound. We hear music that captures the spirit of a nation – from Billy the Kid and Lincoln Portrait to his Fanfare for the Common Man, before he made the move from composer to conductor. Music featured includes: 4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo: iv. Hoe Down Two Preludes for violin and piano Four Early Songs: i. Night; ii. A Summer Vacation; iii. My Heart is in the East; iv. Alone Four Motets: iii. Have Mercy on Us, O My Lord Three Moods: i. Embittered; ii. Wistful; iii. Jazzy Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: ii. Scherzo; iii. Finale: Lento The Cat and the Mouse Old Poem; Pastorale Music for the Theater: i. Prologue; ii. Dance Piano Concerto Vitebsk (trio for violin, cello and piano) Hear Ye! Hear Ye! – ballet in one act: Scene i (Prelude) Piano Variations Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): i. Incisivo; ii. Espressivo; iii. Presto e ritmico El Salón México Billy the Kid Suite: i. Introduction: The Open Prairie; ii. Street in a Frontier Town; iii. Mexican Dance and Finale Letter from Home Appalachian Spring Suite: v. Solo Dance; vi. Meno mosso; vii. Variation on a Shaker Hymn Clarinet Concerto Lincoln Portrait Fanfare for the Common Man Two Pieces for String Quartet: No. 2. Allegro Moderato Piano Quartet: iii. Non troppo lento Music for a Great City: i. Skyline Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Elizabeth Ajao 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 Aaron Copland (1900-1990): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002p75g 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

1h 14m
12/26/2025

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 Viotti: Violin Concerto No 13 in A Major Handel: Messiah Cimarosa: L'Olimpiade: Sinfonia Thomas Wilson: Wellington's Triumph Thomas Straight: Trip to Vauxhall, Sailor Laddie Weber (orch Berlioz): Aufforderung zum Tanz Trad (arr. Townsend): Arise and Hail the Joyful Day Trad.: Awake, and join the cheerful choir Attrib. Wade (arr. Vincent Novello): O come, all ye faithful Arr. Thomas Butts: Hark! how all the welkin rings Attwood: O God, Who by the Leading of a Star Mendelssohn: The Evening Bell Jarman: There were shepherds abiding John Wainwright: Christians, awake, salute the happy morn Pleyel: Symphony No.12 in E flat Kalmar Wesley: Rondo on God Rest You Merry Gentlemen Trad: The First Nowell Anon: Remember The Poor John Hill: The people that walked in darkness Richard Charke: Harlequin Restor'd John Frederick Lampe: The Dragon of Wantley, Overture Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor 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 A Georgian Christmas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026800 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

1h 2m
12/19/2025

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 lights of New York, and finally to his dramatic homecoming, Prokofiev’s journey is full of ambition, upheaval and colour. We hear music that tells tales – fairytales, fantasies and fragments of real life – revealing a composer who never stopped dreaming. Troika (from Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60) Cinderella Suite, Op. 87 The Winter Bonfire, Op. 122: IV–VIII Music for Children, Op. 65: Nos. 1–9 Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 Four Études, Op. 2 Autumnal Sketch Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 The Ugly Duckling, Op. 18 Cinderella Suite No. 1, Op. 107: IV. Fairy Godmother and Winter Fairy Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical' Seven, They Are Seven, Op. 30 Scythian Suite, Op. 20: I–II Old Grandmother’s Tales, Op. 31: Nos. 1–4 Overture on Hebrew Themes The Love of Three Oranges: Suite Five Songs Without Words Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63: II. Andante assai Le Pas d’acier Suite, Op 41a: I, II The Prodigal Son, Op. 46, Scene 1: IV–VIII Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Ellie Ajao 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 Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n9nv 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

1h 7m
12/05/2025

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 also an international conductor, arranger, editor and producer, describing himself as a musical “magpie.” Across the week, we hear hallmark carols alongside music shaped by his life’s milestones: from childhood in London and formative years in Cambridge, to his long association with America, his response to personal tragedy, and his latest creative ventures. Music featured: Nativity Carol 4 Orchestral Miniatures: Dance to Your Daddy London Town: A Choral Celebration Shepherd’s Pipe Carol The Lord Bless You and Keep You Visions Cityscapes: Flower of Cities All Banquet Fugue (from The Reluctant Dragon) A Clare Benediction Reflections: Prelude What Sweeter Music Wind in the Willows (Extract – Opening) Somerset Wassail Candlelight Carol I’ll Make Me a World Gloria Cityscapes: Big Apple Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit Lord Make me an Instrument (arr. for orchestra) Requiem: Lux Aeterna Mass of the Children: Sanctus and Benedictus The Gift of Life: The Gift of Each Day There is a flower When Icicles Hang: Good Ale Bird Songs: If I were an Owl Dancing Tree (In My Garden) Celebration Overture All the Stars Looked Down Carol of the Magi Presented by Donald Macleod. Produced by Amelia Parker 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 John Rutter (b 1945) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mk0y. 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.

1h 45m
11/28/2025

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, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, through his pioneering role as a bandleader, his political activism during the civil rights era, and his later innovations in percussion and collaboration. Roach’s story is one of constant reinvention as performer, composer and activist, shaping jazz and beyond for more than half a century. Music includes: Dr Free-Zee (from Max Roach +4) Joy Spring (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach) Bu Dee Daht (from Coleman Hawkins: Rainbow Mist) Salt Peanuts (from Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker: Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945) Ko-Ko (from Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes) Bird Gets the Worm (from Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes) Move (from Miles Davis: The Complete Birth of the Cool) Cherokee (from Jazz at Massey Hall) Cou Manchi-Cou (from Max Roach Quartet, featuring Hank Mobley) Maximum (from In the Beginning) Daahoud (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach) Sandu (from Study in Brown) Take the A Train (from Study in Brown) Fleurette Africain (from Money Jungle) Driva’man (from We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite) Freedom Day (from We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite) Garvey’s Ghost (from Percussion Bitter Sweet) Lonesome Lover (from It’s Time: Max Roach, his Chorus and Orchestra) The Drum Also Waltzes (from Drums Unlimited) Libra (from Members Don’t Git Weary) Let Thy People Go (from Lift Every Voice and Sing) Joshua (from Lift Every Voice and Sing) A Quiet Place (from Collage) Double Delight (from Bright Moments) Spirit Possession (from Birth and Rebirth) Love is a Many Splendored Thing (from Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street) Presented by Kate Molleson. Produced by Martin Williams 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 Max Roach (1924-2007) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mb7w. 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.

1h 46m
11/21/2025

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 ambitions and radical uprisings to scandal, patronage and the creation of Bayreuth, we follow a composer whose dreams were as grand as his music. Götterdämmerung, Act III: Siegfried’s Funeral March Die Feen, Act II: Weh uns, weh!; O musst du, Hoffnung, schwinden Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, WWV 21, Op. 1 (ii. Larghetto) Lohengrin, Act III: Prelude and Bridal Chorus Das Liebesverbot, Act 1: Kennst du das Leid der Elternlosen; Herbei, betrognes Volk The Flying Dutchman, Extract from Act III Rienzi, Overture Das Rheingold, Prelude and Scene 1 Tristan und Isolde, Act 3: Isoldes Liebestod Albumblatt (arr. August Wilhelmj) Huldigungsmarsch Lohengrin, Act III: In fernem Land “Grail Narration” Tristan und Isolde, Extract from Act II Siegfried, Love duet from Act III Scene 3 Parsifal, Act III Suite, ed. Abbado: Good Friday Music Siegfried, extract from Act II Scene 1 Kinder-Katechismus Die Walküre, Act III Scene 3: Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music Presented by Donald Macleod. Produced by Ellie Ajao 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 Richard Wagner: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002m0kk. 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.

1h 1m

See All (651)

out of 5

230 Ratings

Doesn’t work!

11/19/2022

Kreestalle

The podcast itself is good (thus 2 stars) but only on those rare moments it works! Older episodes often don’t charge and overall it’s a lot of hassle to get to listen to it. When you can, it’s great. Can anyone fix the problems please?
Good content but it is unavailable

04/20/2025

Sallenicar

Please fix this.
“This episode in unavailable” NONE OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE.

06/21/2024

P1Day1

They won’t play so no way to know if they are good.
Can’t listen

08/12/2023

miso328

Please fix. I can’t hear anything

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.