Ballroom Blockbusters

Ballroom Blockbusters

Donald Macleod takes a whirl around the world through the music of ballroom dancing. With the help of Hilary French, author of Ballroom: A People’s History of Dancing, Donald waltzes across Viennese ballrooms, foxtrots through New York clubs, tries the tango in the arrabales of Buenos Aires, sambas on the streets of Salvador and finally cha-cha-cha’s his way to Havana.

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West

For full track listings, 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 Ballroom Blockbusters https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024dnd

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

Episoder(652)

Frederick Delius (1862-1934)

Frederick Delius (1862-1934)

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 Aug 20251h 9min

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)

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 Aug 20251h 11min

Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt

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 Aug 20251h 19min

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

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 Jul 20251h 12min

Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Welsh composer, Grace Williams.Music Featured: Elegy for Cynddylan Missa Cambrensis Castell Caernafon Four Medieval Welsh Poems Trumpet Concerto Suite ...

11 Jul 20251h 2min

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of “furniture music”, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions – and their peculiar annotatio...

4 Jul 20251h 2min

Gavin Bryars

Gavin Bryars

Kate Molleson meets Gavin Bryars, the celebrated and much-loved composer whose kaleidoscopic career defies categorisation. As an inveterate collaborator, Bryars has worked alongside figures as diverse...

28 Jun 20251h 20min

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)

Donald Macleod investigates the life of a Renaissance genius, Giovanni da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) was one of the most influential composers in European classical music...

20 Jun 20251h 11min

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