Composer of the Week Podcast
1) 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 role...Show More
2) 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 f...Show More
3) 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 ...Show More
4) 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, Sch...Show More
5) Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
Donald explores the life of Delius through five of his relationshipsDonald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.Music Featured:The W...Show More
6) 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...Show More
7) 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 year...Show More
8) 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 sta...Show More
9) 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 ...Show More
10) 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 annotatio...Show More