Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Donald Macleod explores Chopin’s time in BritainChopin made just two trips to Britain, both in later life. These visits are often portrayed as a disaster - a calamitous mistake of no worth to Chopin w...
23 Apr 20211h 24min
Joseph Haydn
Donald Macleod surveys the string quartets of Joseph Haydn.From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn’s 68 string quartets span the major part of his composition...
16 Apr 20211h 9min
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
