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.
Latest episodes
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1 h 13 ↗
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 w…
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1 h 42 ↗
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 internati…
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1 h 28 ↗
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 Repu…
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60 min ↗
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…
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1 h 01 ↗
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…
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1 h 07 ↗
Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
Donald Macleod reflects back on the life and work of a Titan of Musical Theatre.
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1 h 38 ↗
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 a…
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1 h 13 ↗
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…
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1 h 04 ↗
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…
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1 h 02 ↗
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…
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1 h 15 ↗
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…
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1 h 33 ↗
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 emerg…
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1 h 19 ↗
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…
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1 h 22 ↗
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 deli…
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1 h 08 ↗
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…
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1 h 12 ↗
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) Pa…
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1 h 20 ↗
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 m…
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1 h 26 ↗
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 realitie…
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1 h 10 ↗
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 wa…
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1 h 11 ↗
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 Par…