Composer of the Week Podcast

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...

17 Loka 20251h 6min

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...

10 Loka 20251h 8min

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 ...

26 Syys 20251h 6min

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...

12 Syys 20251h 5min

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...

22 Elo 20251h 9min

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...

8 Elo 20251h 11min

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...

1 Elo 20251h 19min

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...

25 Heinä 20251h 12min