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Rating
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This podcast has
657 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
BBC Radio 3Explicit
No
Date created
2008/02/29
Latest episode
2026/03/27
Average duration
74 min.
Release period
10 days
Description
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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Check latest episodes from Composer of the Week podcast
Thomas Adès
2026/03/27
Donald Macleod talks to British composer, pianist and conductor Thomas Adès.
Music featured:
Hotel Suite from Powder Her Face
Gefriolsae Me, Op 3B
Arcadiana
Chamber Symphony
…but all shall be well
Powder Her Face
Still Sorrowing
Asyla
Concerto Conciso
The Tempest
Lieux retrouvés (Les champs)
Violin Concerto
Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face
In Seven Days
The Four Quarters
Totentanz
Coffee-Spoon Cavatina
Alchymia
Blanca Variations
Növények
Concerto for piano and orchestra
Aquifer
Produced by Luke Whitlock.
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 Thomas Adès: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sq64
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
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
2026/03/20
Gaetano Donizetti was one of Italy’s most prolific tunesmiths, with almost 70 operas to his name – about as many as Rossini, Bellini and Verdi all combined - whose arias still cut straight to the heart today. Donald Macleod follows his irresistible rise: from a child brought up in a dark, cramped cellar to become a pioneering master of the style known as bel canto. And like any opera plot, there’s triumph and tragedy, headaches and heartbreak…
Music featured:
L’Elisir d’amore
Gloria (from Messa di Gloria)
String Quartet No 5 in E minor
Waltz in G major
Zoraida
Amor marinaro
L’Esule di Roma
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucia di Lammermoor
String Quartet No 16
Maria Stuarda
Messa di Requiem
ll sogno “Nostre misere menti”
Il sospiro “Donna felice, stanca d’amore”
Poliuto
La fille du regiment
Les Martyrs
La fille du regiment
Maria Padilla
Trovatella “Sovra il campo della vita”
Don Pasquale
String Quartet No 18
Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terre
Requiem: Offertorio – Lux Aeterna
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 Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sd9n
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
New Zealand Composers
2026/03/13
Donald Macleod explores five classical composers from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand: Douglas Lilburn, Jenny McLeod, Dame Gillian Whitehead, John Psathas, and Gareth Farr.
Music featured:
Douglas Lilburn:
Symphony No 1
Aotearoa
Elegy
Sings Harry
Symphony No 3
Three Inscapes, No 1
17 Pieces for Guitar
Symphony No 2
Jenny McLeod:
Rock Concerto
Hear the Great Ocean (from Childhood, No 4)
24 Tone Clock
Dolly Bird (Music for Four)
Nā Kui ki a Tama: Te Pūroto Kōpua
Three celebrations
Dame Gillian Whitehead:
Hineaukatauri
Tōrua
Alice
Pūhake ki te Rangi
Lullaby for Matthew
Karohirohi
John Psathas:
RealBadNow – V
Craving the World
Voices at the End (Mitote)
Three Psalms (No 3, Sergei Bk. Ch. 1)
Songs for Simon (No 1, His Second Time)
Helix (No 3, Tarantismo)
The All-Seeing Sky
Gareth Farr:
Pukul
The Horizon from Owhiro Bay
Tentang Cara Gamelan
Waipoua
Headrush
Te Papa
Kembang Suling
Nga Tai Hurihuri
From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs (The Invocation of the Sea)
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 New Zealand Composers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002s3nm
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
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
2026/03/06
This week, Kate Molleson traces the development of Jean Sibelius’s symphonies. Set against Finland’s changing political climate and Sibelius’s own, turbulent personal circumstances, the podcast explores what shaped each symphony’s character – from the nationalism surrounding Nos. 1 and 2, to the renewed sense of form in the Third, the more inward Fourth, and the reworked Fifth. The week concludes with the distinctive Sixth and the single‑movement Seventh, composed during a period of uncertainty both for Finland and Sibelius himself.
Music featured includes:
Symphony No 2 in D, Op 43
Song of my Heart, Op 18 No 6
Symphony No 1 in E minor, Op 39
The Diamond on the March Snow, Op 36 No 6
Sunrise, Op 37 No 1
Kyllikki, Op 41 No 3
Symphony No 3 in C, Op 52
The Captive Queen, Op 48
Erloschen
String Quartet in D minor, Op 56 ‘Voces Intimae’
Des Abends, Op 58 No 5
Symphony No 4 in A minor, Op 63
Spring’s Spell, Op 61 No 8
Romance, Op 78 No 2
The Oceanides, Op 73
The Echo Nymph, Op 72 No 4
Symphony No 5 in E flat, Op 82
Jokamies, Op 83
Autrefois, Op 96b
Symphony No 6 in D minor, Op 104
Danses Champêtres, Op 106 No 1
Symphony No 7 in C, Op 105
Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced by Luke Whitlock 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 Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rr2j
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
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
2026/02/27
Donald Macleod explores how Amy Beach railed against the sexism of her time to journey from a child piano prodigy to a respected composer.
Young Birches
Valse – Caprice, op.4
3 Songs, Op 2 no 3 - Empress of Night
Eilende Wolken, segler der Lufte, Op. 18
Violin Sonata, Op.34 - I. Allegro Moderato
Quartet for Strings in One Movement
The Lark Quartet
Romance for violin and piano, op.23
Ecstasy, Op.19 no 2
Symphony in E Flat, Op.32 'Gaelic'
Peace I leave with you
Dreaming (4 Sketches, Op.15)
Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op.67
Deus Misereatur, Op.78 no 2
Jephthah’s Daughter, Op.53
A Hermit Thrush At Morn, Op.92, no.2
Piano Concerto, Op. 45
From Grandmother’s Garden - V. Honeysuckle
By the still waters, Op.114 (arr. Lewin for 2 guitars)
Hermit Thrush At Eve, Op.92, no.1 (1922)
3 Piano pieces, Op. 128 (I. Scherzino)
Ses Yeux, Op. 66
Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 150
Cabildo, Op. 149 “Ah, love is a jasmine vine”
Canticle of the Sun
Scottish Legend, Op. 54, No 1
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 Amy Beach (1867-1944): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rf45
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
Producer: Steven Rajam / Sam Phillips
Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
2026/02/17
Donald Macleod delves into the life of the great German composer Heinrich Schütz.
Music featured:
Wohl denen, die ohne Wandel leben, SWV 482
Tugend ist der beste Freund, SWV 442
O primavera, SWV 1
Wohl dem der ein tugendsam Weib hat, SWV 20
Zion spricht, der Herr hat mich verlassen, SWV 46
En novus Elysiis, SWV 49 (Syncharma Musicum)
Ich heb mein Augen sehnlich auf, SWV 226 (Becker Psalter)
Mit dem Amphion zwar mein Orgel und mein Harfe, SWV 501
Auferstehungshistorie, SWV 50
Fili mi, Absalon, SWV 269
Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt, SWV 305
Erhöre mich, wenn dich ich rufe, SWV 289
O der grossen Wundertaten, SWV 278
Musikalische Exequien, SWV 279
Ich werde nicht sterben, SWV 346 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)
Die mit Tränen säen, SWV 378 (Geistliche Chormusik)
Haus und Güter erbet man von Eltern, SWV 21
Teutoniam dudum belli, SWV 338
Was betrübst du dich, SWV 353 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)
Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, SWV 386
Seid barmherzig, SWV 409 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)
Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener, SWV 432
Schütz: Die Erde trinkt für sich, SWV 438
Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich, SWV 415 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)
St Matthew Passion, SWV 479
Vater Abraham, erbarme dich mein, SWV477
Ich rufe von ganzem Herzen, SWV 491
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 Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002qqry
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
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
2026/02/06
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.
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844)
2026/01/30
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
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
2026/01/13
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
A Georgian Christmas
2025/12/26
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
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
2025/12/19
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
John Rutter (born 1945)
2025/12/05
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.
Max Roach (1924-2007)
2025/11/28
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.
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
2025/11/21
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.
Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929)
2025/11/14
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Elfrida Andrée, a Swedish composer and organist who fought for women’s rights in classical music.
Featuring guests Anastasia Belina and Jonas Lundblad.
Music Featured:
Fritiof Suite
Summer memories from Bjurslätt
Piano Sonata in A, Op 3
An angel walks through the room
Symphony No 1
Romance No 2
Serenade
String Quartet in A major
Chorale with variations in D minor
Piano Quintet in E minor
Andante quasi recitativo
Swedish Mass No 1
Symphony No 2
Four Piano Pieces
Symphony No 2
Piano Trio in G minor
Organ Symphony No 1 in B minor
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 Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lnpf
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
Podcast reviews
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Kreestalle 2022/11/19
Doesn’t work!
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 ...
Sallenicar 2025/04/20
Good content but it is unavailable
Please fix this.
P1Day1 2024/06/21
“This episode in unavailable” NONE OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE.
They won’t play so no way to know if they are good.
miso328 2023/08/12
Can’t listen
Please fix. I can’t hear anything
mgcvcc 2023/05/31
Doesn’t download
Doesn’t download
Catersa 2023/04/29
Can’t play it at all in the USA
Why? Why make it unplayable for people in the USA?
Distant Prommer 2022/05/26
Somebody is fooling us.
I thought that the BBC podcasts are available worldwide. This podcast proves that to be a lie as it is only available in the UK. Why is that so? You c...
Sayandy 2022/02/10
Classic British inefficiency
You press ‘play’ and the following message pops up: ‘Episode Unavailable: This episode is temporarily unavailable from “Composer of the Week”’. You cl...
GrooveOdyssey 2021/06/19
Unavailable in the US
Still unavailable in the US. Probably best to either take it down or let us actually listen.
Ya lyublyu Tap the Frog 2021/03/22
Why can’t I play any episode?
I’m in the USA and I can’t play any episode and I have been trying for a few months.
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