Composer of the Week Podcast7 Des 2018

Camille Saint-Saëns

Donald Macleod delves into the character and music of Camille Saint-Saëns

This week’s episode begins with a look at Saint-Saëns the innovator, who introduced new-fangled ideas to an opera-loving Parisian public. Donald investigates the driving force behind the composer’s unstoppable ambition and his dogged determination to find an audience for his music. Next, the playful side of Saint-Saëns’ character - one which he kept under wraps in public, yet amongst friends and in private correspondence he sparkled with wit, and it reveals itself in some of his most popular and enduring music. We hear about the many obstacles Saint-Saëns encountered in his attempts to be recognised as a serious operatic composer, and finally, the composer’s critical views on emerging musical trends in the final decades of his life, when he was condemned as a reactionary for his outmoded attitudes.

Music featured: Guitares et mandolines Havanaise Piano Trio No 1 in F, Op 18 (1st mvt) Piano Concerto No 2 Danse Macabre Tarantelle Piano Quintet in A minor Op 14 (final mvt) Cello Concerto No 1 Septet La Cigale et la Fourmi Wedding Cake Waltz La Coccinelle Suzette et Suzon Tournoiement ‘Songe d’opium’ Six Studies for the Left Hand, Op 135 (Nos 4, 5 & 6) Le Carnaval des Animaux La Princesse Jaune: Overture O Cruel Souvenir (Henry VIII) Samson et Dalila: Act II (excerpt) Bacchanale (Samson et Dalila) Proserpine: Act II (excerpt) L’Assassinat du Duc de Guise (5th tableau) Fantaisie for violin and harp Piano Concerto No 5 (1st mvt) Romance for flute and piano Organ Symphony (2nd mvt)

Presenter: Donald Macleod Producer: Deborah Preston for BBC Wales

For full tracklistings, 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 Camille Saint-Saëns: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001d2q

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

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(667)

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 Italy and the court ...

24 Jul 1h 15min

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 emergence of a musical tr...

10 Jul 1h 33min

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 years at Harvard an...

3 Jul 1h 19min

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 deliberately obscured, t...

19 Jun 1h 22min

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 traditions of Renais...

12 Jun 1h 8min

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 most innovative and i...

29 Mai 1h 20min

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 realities of racial segregat...

15 Mai 1h 26min

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 was also one of the fo...

8 Mai 1h 10min