Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe’s leading composers. He hobnobbed with roy...
28 Apr 20231h 13min
Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)
Donal Macleod explores how, from childhood, Poulenc was exposed to two versions of Paris: one that was working class and religious, another that was high society, secular... and avant-garde.Francis Po...
21 Apr 202357min
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
Sir Arthur Sullivan became the most renowned composer of the Victorian era, with his fame spreading across Europe and America too. His output spanned many genres including oratorios, a symphony, chamb...
14 Apr 202357min
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries...
7 Apr 20231h 11min
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)
150 years ago this week, Sergei Rachmaninov was born: one of the finest pianists of his generation, touring the world in the 1920s and 30s as a musical megastar. Composing had been his real passion si...
31 Mar 20231h 5min
Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)
Georges Bizet’s story ought to have been a very straightforward one. It was clear to everyone who met him just how brilliantly and excitingly talented he was. He was also fortunate to live and work in...
24 Mar 202357min
Johanna Müller-Hermann (1868-1941)
Johanna Müller-Hermann once held a significant place as a composer and teacher in Vienna, yet has been largely forgotten over the decades since her death in 1941. Radio 3 has been working to unearth h...
10 Mar 20231h 27min
Barbara Strozzi (1619 – 1677)
The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistant patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in ...
10 Mar 20231h 11min
