Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisite...
26 Mar 20211h 6min
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
This week, Donald Macleod looks at Handel’s life and work during an important decade of his life. The 1730s saw Handel create some of his best-loved works, but also saw him fall out with singers and p...
19 Mar 20211h 11min
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the English composer Ruth Gipps.Ruth Gipps was born in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1921. Her Swiss-born mother was an accomplished pianist and, recognising her daug...
12 Mar 20211h 27min
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the young Richard Strauss During Richard Strauss’s lifetime the sound and form of music altered radically. He was born at the tail end of the 19th century...
5 Mar 202159min
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Felix Mendelssohn was one of the most gifted and versatile musicians the world has ever seen. As a child prodigy he was likened to Mozart and he grew to become one of the most famous and beloved compo...
26 Feb 202151min
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Donald Macleod finds connections between Mozart’s operas and the composer’s own lifeBorn in 1756, the theatre was a life-long passion for Mozart. Starting at the tender age of just 11, in the space of...
19 Feb 202159min
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Ralph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain’s most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies which span almo...
12 Feb 20211h 21min
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Franz Schubert’s short life spanned a crucial period in music history as the elegant, classical stylings of Mozart and Haydn were giving way to the drama and passion of the romantic era. Schubert came...
5 Feb 202154min
