Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music - from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival.Symphony no. 35, K385 ‘Haffner’ Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207 Concerto for Flute Harp and orchestra in C, K299 Symphony no. 31 D major, K297 'Paris' Idomeneo Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466 Concerto for Two pianos no. 10 in E flat major, K365 Exsultate Jubilate Symphony No. 29 in A major, K201 Vespers sollennes de confessore in C, K339 Sonata for Piano Four hands in D major, K381 String Quartet no. 20 in D Major, K499 ‘Hoffmeister’ Symphony no. 36, K425 ‘Linz’ String Quartet no. 19 in C major, K465 ‘Dissonance’ Fantasia in C minor, K475 Symphony no. 41 in C Major, K551 'Jupiter' Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail - Overture Der Schauspieldirektor, K486: Da Schlägt die Abschiedsstunde Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K491 Così fan tutte Chamber Orchestra of Europe Clarinet concerto in A major, K622 Masonic funeral music in C minor, K477 Trio in E flat for clarinet viola and piano, K498 'Kegelstatt' The Magic Flute: Overture The Magic Flute: Finale Requiem in D minor. K626Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Megan Jones for BBC Wales AudioFor 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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ztshAnd 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.

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 of Hanover to royal favour in Britain and the charitable culture of Dublin, Handel proved adept at navigating the worlds on which composers depended. Yet he remained unusually independent, moving between courts, theatres and concert halls while steadily building a career on his own terms. Along the way, patronage could offer opportunity, security and prestige, but it also brought rivalries, competing loyalties and political complications. Through sacred music, opera, anthem and oratorio, this podcast traces how Handel responded to the people and places that supported his work.Music featured includes extracts from:Dixit Dominus, HWV 232 Tu fedel? Tu costante?, HWV 171a: Recitative and aria Rodrigo, HWV 5: Overture; recitative and aria Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: Overture Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a: "Pure del cielo" La Resurrezione, HWV 47 Eternal Source of Light Divine, HWV 74 Nine German Arias, HWV 202–210: No. 6, "In den angenehmen Büschen" Rinaldo, HWV 7a: Overture Silla, HWV 10: Overture Il pastor fido, HWV 8a: "Sol nel mezzo risona del core" Water Music Suite No. 2 in D major, HWV 349 Acis and Galatea, HWV 49a: "Love sounds th'alarm" As Pants the Hart, HWV 251b Acis and Galatea, HWV 49a: Sinfonia Esther, HWV 50a Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest, HWV 258 Coronation Anthem: My Heart Is Inditing, HWV 261 Riccardo Primo, HWV 23: Act III Chorus Atalanta, HWV 35: Overture Alexander's Feast, HWV 75 Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, HWV 264 Messiah, HWV 56: Sinfonia L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55: "Sweet Bird" Imeneo, HWV 41 Messiah, HWV 56: Part III Foundling Hospital Anthem, HWV 268Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio WalesFor 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 George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002yxkn.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.

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 tradition shaped by European missionary education, church music and indigenous cultural practices, beginning with Fela Sowande’s pioneering synthesis of Yoruba and Western traditions. From Sowande's early years in Lagos and London to the work of later figures including Ayo Bankole, Akin Euba, Samuel Akpabot and Nkeiru Okoye, the podcast follows a continuing conversation about identity, heritage and musical innovation. Along the way, we hear how generations of composers drew on local traditions while creating new forms of concert music, and how their legacy continues to evolve today.Fela Sowande: High Life Joshua Uzoigwe: Talking Drums Fela Sowande: Go Down Moses Josiah Ransome-Kuti: Obángíjì Iwo Lo to Sìn Fela Sowande: African Suite Fela Sowande: 2 Preludes on Yoruba Sacred Folk Melodies – No. 1 K’A Mura Fela Sowande: Yoruba Lament Fela Sowande: Night and Day Fela Sowande: Sunset Fela Sowande: Obangiji Ayo Bankole: Egun Variations in G major Ayo Bankole: Variations for Little Ayo Ayo Bankole: Nigerian Suite Ayo Bankole: Three Yoruba Songs Ayo Bankole: Ya Orule Ayo Bankole: Piano Sonata No. 2 in C major “The Passion” Akin Euba: Three Yoruba Songs Without Words Akin Euba: Scenes from Traditional Life Akin Euba: Six Yoruba Folk Songs Akin Euba: Study in African Jazz 3 Akin Euba: Igba Kerin Akin Euba: Igba Kinni Akin Euba: Wakar Duru Joshua Uzoigwe: Nigerian Dance No. 1 Samuel Akpabot: Scenes from Nigeria – Pastorale Samuel Akpabot: Three Nigerian Dances Nkeiru Okoye: African Sketches Nkeiru Okoye: Breaking Bread Nkeiru Okoye: Songs of Harriet Tubman – I Am Harriet Tubman, Free WomanPresented by Donald Macleod with Alexander Douglas Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio WalesFor 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 Fela Sowande and the Art Music of Nigeria https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y62n.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.

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 and the influential friendships that helped launch his career, to his breakthrough as a young conductor and his success on Broadway, Bernstein combined a rare range of talents with a gift for public communication. His story encompasses symphonies and musicals, Hollywood and television, artistic triumphs and professional setbacks. Alongside his achievements ran a complex personal life, shaped by his marriage to Felicia Montealegre, his struggles with identity, and an enduring commitment to political and charitable causes. Through his music, we follow a figure who helped define American music in the twentieth century.Music featured includes: West Side Story – America Divertimento Anniversaries – I. For Aaron Copland Serenade after Plato’s Symposium – IV. Agathon Clarinet Sonata – 2nd movement Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" – Epilogue On the Town – New York, New York Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah" Three Dance Episodes from On the Town Fancy Free – Finale Slava! A Political Overture Trouble in Tahiti – Prelude Wonderful Town – Overture; Ballet at the Village Vortex; Wrong Note Rag Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront Prelude, Fugue and Riffs Facsimile – 1st movement West Side Story – Overture Mass – Pax: Communion Candide Overture 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite Songfest Four Anniversaries – I. For Felicia Montealegre A Quiet Place – Postlude West Side Story – Tonight Concerto for Orchestra – 3rd and 4th movements Chichester Psalms Arias and Barcarolles – Nachtspiel (Postlude)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor 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 Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y04k.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.

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, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions from Professor Lisa Colton and Professor Fay Hield, there is a focus on how anonymous works have been preserved, collected and sometimes reshaped over time, from medieval polyphony and early modern song to folk traditions passed down through generations. Along the way, questions emerge about authorship, ownership and how we listen to music when its origins are uncertain or shared.Music featured includes: Romance Anonimo (arr. Yepes) from Jeux interdits Horn Concerto in E flat major Three Medieval Dances: A que as cousas coitadas; Il Trotto; La Quarte Estampie Royal Shallow Brown Dances from Le Concert Royal de la Nuit (1653) Three Modinhas from 18th Century Portugal Neapolitan Songs: Barcarola napoletana; La favola dell'uccello grifone La Messe de Tournai: Gloria; Credo The Cruel Mother The Bull Ring Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite Three Dances (arr. Praetorius) Attrib. Beethoven: Waltz in B flat major ‘Gertrude’s Dream Waltz’ Attrib. L. Mozart: Cassation in G major ‘Toy Symphony’ Mrs Philarmonica: Sonata Sesta in G major Attrib. Mozart: Divertimento in E flat major, K.196e Attrib. Brahms: Piano Trio in A major, Op. post. El Cant de la Sibilla The Banks of the Nile Green Gravel In Te Domine speravi Three Medieval Dances Sumer is icumen in Agincourt Carol O sponsa Dei electa Three Worcester Fragments Lovely on the Water The Bloody Gardener Old England Grown New Three Cantigas de Santa María

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 Renaissance polyphony, Monteverdi gradually pushed against its limits, developing a more direct and expressive musical language. His years at the Mantuan court brought both opportunity and pressure, as he wrote increasingly bold madrigals and helped to establish opera as a new art form. After a period of upheaval, he rebuilt his career in Venice, adapting his music to new spaces, audiences and expectations as public opera emerged. Across sacred works, madrigals and stage pieces, Monteverdi’s writing reflects a composer responding closely to the demands of his time.Featuring excerpts from: Scherzi musicali a tre voci: Damigella tutta bella Sacrae cantiunculae Canzonette a tre voci (Nos. 1–3) Sinfonia for two violins and viola da brazzo Vattene pur, crudel L’Orfeo Madrigali amorosi Cruda Amarilli Io mi son giovinetta Vespers of 1610 Cor mio, non mori? L’Orfeo, Act 5 Lætaniæ della Beata Vergine Il sesto libro de madrigali Pianto della Madonna Zefiro torna e di soave accenti Selva morale e spirituale Beatus vir Chiome d’oro, bel tesoro Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria L’incoronazione di Poppea: Pur ti miroPresented by Kate Molleson Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio WalesFor 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 Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x7t6.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 (the same every week)

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 influential figures in 20th-century music. Kate is joined throughout the week by the leading American jazz critic Nate Chinen. Together, they'll survey his vast recorded output, which spans five decades, prioritising his own compositions but also appreciating the art of improvisation as spontaneous composition.

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 segregation shaped her early ambitions, Price’s story unfolds through persistence, reinvention and growing recognition. Moving through her years of study and early career, we hear how she drew on African American musical traditions while navigating the social and political pressures around her. In Chicago, she found a vibrant artistic community and new opportunities, leading to orchestral success and national visibility. In her later years, recognition remained uneven, and her music continued to evolve in the face of resistance and neglect, with works still coming to light long after her death.Music featured includes: Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint: No. 4 Shortnin’ Bread Violin Concerto No. 2 Symphony No. 4 in D minor (extract) Scenes in Tin Can Alley: Children at Play Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor Fantasie Nègre No. 2 in G minor String Quartet No. 2 in A minor – Finale Concert Overture No. 2 Adoration Fantasie No. 2 in F sharp minor A Day in the Life of a Washerwoman Fantasie No. 1 in G minor The Goblin and the Mosquito Songs to the Dark Virgin Ethiopia’s Shadow in America (extracts) Symphony No. 1 in E minor (extract) Symphony No. 1 in E minor – Juba Dance Piano Concerto in One Movement (extract) Sympathy My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord The Oak Resignation Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major – Allegro The Mississippi River (extracts) Fantasie Nègre No. 3 in F minorPresented by Kate Molleson Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor 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 Florence Price (1887-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vw41.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

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 founders of what we now call ethnomusicology, spending much of his time immersed in peasant life, collecting folk songs. As around him Europe was torn apart by conflict, Bartók found relief in rural life and took inspiration from these traditional tunes, incorporating them into his own compositions.Music featured: Romanian Folk Dances Rhapsody for piano, Op. 1, BB36a, Sz. 26 Kossuth Symphonic Poem Sz21 Szekely Folksong, BB 34, "Piros alma" 3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csik, BB 45b, Sz. 35a Eight Hungarian Folksongs Allegro Barbaro 14 Bagatelles For Children Violin Concerto No. 1, BB48a, Sz 36: Andante sostenuto 7 Sketches, BB 54, Sz. 44 Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48, Op. 11 Four Dirges, Op. 9a The Wooden Prince, Sz. 60 Village Scenes, Sz. 79 5 songs Op. 15 Hungarian Folksongs (5), for voice & orchestra, BB. 108, Sz. 101 44 Duos for Two Violins, BB 104, Sz. 98 Out of Doors, Sz. 81 Mikrokosmos, Book V String Quartet No. 6, Sz 114 Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor 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 Béla Bartók (1881-1945) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vl6fAnd 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

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Camille Saint‑Saëns, a composer whose career was shaped as much by personality and circumstance as by precocious talent. Raised in Paris by strong‑minded women who recognised his gifts early, Saint‑Saëns grew into a formidable pianist and an alert observer of the musical world around him. He moved easily through the city’s salons, where reputations were made, ideas exchanged, and music absorbed as a social force as much as an art. Alongside influential relationships, including a lasting creative bond with Gabriel Fauré, Saint‑Saëns was drawn into a life increasingly shaped by travel.Music featured includes: Danse macabre, Op. 40 Calme des nuits (Deux Chœurs, Op. 68 No. 1) Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12 (Movements 1–4) Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 2 Tarantelle in A minor, Op. 6 Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 14 Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 20 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 Le timbre d’argent (extract) Marche héroïque, Op. 34 La jeunesse d’Hercule, Op. 50 A Voice by the Cedar Tree Romance in C major, Op. 48 Romance, Op. 36 Le Déluge: Prelude Samson et Dalila: “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix” Requiem, Op. 54 (extracts) Suite algérienne, Op. 60: Prélude Étienne Marcel: Ballet Music (extracts) Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33 Le carnaval des animaux Oboe Sonata in D major, Op. 166Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor 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 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002v8nk.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.