Composer of the Week

Nov 15 2024 606 ep. 65 mins 31.4k

Composer of the Week Podcast artwork

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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Bud Powell (1924-1966)

Nov 15 2024 90 mins

Kate Molleson explores the life and work of the amazing Bud PowellThis week Kate Molleson explores the life and work of a jazz giant in his centenary year: the amazing Bud Powell, in the company of Powell’s biographer Peter Pullman. Focusing on Bud Powell as a performer, prioritising his own compositions but also appreciating the art of improvisation as spontaneous composition.Bu

Ballroom Blockbusters

Nov 15 2024 65 mins

Donald Macleod takes a whirl around the world through the music of ballroom dancing. With the help of Hilary French, author of Ballroom: A People’s History of Dancing, Donald waltzes across Viennese ballrooms, foxtrots through New York clubs, tries the tango in the arrabales of Buenos Aires, sambas on the streets of Salvador and finally cha-cha-cha’s his way to Havana.Presented

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Nov 01 2024 74 mins

Donald Macleod uncovers key aspects of Liszt’s soul and identity Franz Liszt was the original musical heartthrob - the most photographed man of the 19th century, who left a legacy of more than 700 compositions and in the course of his career made well over 1000 concert appearances. With his electrifying talent at the keyboard, he transformed the status of musician from servant to

Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)

Oct 25 2024 76 mins

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of African American composer Margaret BondsThis week, Donald Macleod is joined by musicologist and pianist Dr Samantha Ege to delve into the life and music of African American pioneer composer, Margaret Bonds (1913-1972). Bonds was one of the most important composers and pianists of her time. She wrote several dozens of art songs, arrange

Charles Ives (1874-1954)

Oct 11 2024 75 mins

Kate Molleson delves into the life and music of the “Yankee Maverick”, Charles Ives.Charles Ives is considered a leading American composer of the early 20th century. Known for many musical innovations, his was a unique voice, a pioneer who combined elements of Western and American music traditions. He’s also been called a Yankee Maverick and much of his creative life was spen

Dorothy Howell (1898-1982)

Oct 11 2024 73 mins

Donald Macleod and Leah Broad survey the life and work of British composer Dorothy HowellThis week Donald Macleod is joined by the award-winning author Leah Broad to explore the story of the British composer Dorothy Howell, who shot to fame aged 21 after the triumphant premiere of her orchestral work ‘Lamia’ at the Proms. By the mid-1920s she was regarded as one of the leading

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)

Sep 27 2024 63 mins

Donald Macleod showcases the life and music of Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) arguably did more to transform opera than any composer of his generation: thinking deeply about how text and music should work together, and trying to strip away fripperies to ensure it was urgent, powerful and arresting. His radical approaches made him one of the most inf

Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Sep 20 2024 66 mins

We often think of composers as solitary geniuses, scribbling away at their masterpieces, working alone. But this isn’t always the case. Gustav Holst, most famous for composing The Planets, struggled all his life with neuritis, a condition that made his arms feel like “jelly overcharged with electricity.” It was frequently impossible for him to play or even write, so, to bring

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

Sep 13 2024 80 mins

Kate Molleson explores the twists and turns of Schoenberg’s lifeIs there a more controversial, infamous figure in 20th Century music than Arnold Schoenberg? Arguably no other twentieth-century composer’s ideas have been more influential among composers since, however his music is still neglected and misunderstood by programmers and audiences. Schoenberg was a revolutionary - on

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

Sep 06 2024 66 mins

Donald Macleod examines Bruckner’s lifelong struggle to become the great composer we know todayFrom our modern perspective, it can be difficult to appreciate why it took so long for Anton Bruckner to be recognised as one of the leading musical voices of the 19th century. His spectacular symphonies regularly pack out concert halls today but his own era took many decades to warm up