Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 01 | In The Shadow Of Monteverdi | 20160307 | 20180423 (R3) | This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Barbara Strozzi. She was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas in the seventeenth century and, probably, also a Venetian courtesan. Documentary evidence relating to Strozzi's life is scarce, but we know she was born in Venice and was likely the illegitimate daughter of librettist and poet, Giulio Strozzi. Through him, Barbara came into contact with Monteverdi and later Cavalli who'd be her teacher. She was also introduced to the literati of Venice, whom she would sing for, and act as mistress of ceremonies for their meetings of the Accademia degli Unisoni, established by her father. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal works during her lifetime containing over one hundred works in total, and her music travelled as far as Austria, Germany and England. Dr Sara Pecknold joins Donald Macleod to help lift the veil on this elusive composer. Barbara Strozzi was fortunate to grow up in a household where she'd meet visitors such as Monteverdi, Cavalli, and other famous Venetian artists of the time. Her mother, Isabella Garzoni, was the long-term servant of the librettist Giulio Strozzi, and may have been a courtesan. Barbara Strozzi was possibly educated in one of Venice's famous ospedali, but she also mentioned in one of her publications that she was taught music by the composer Cavalli. Giulio Strozzi was keen for his illegitimate daughter to be educated to increase her future prospects, but this may also have involved grooming her for the life of a courtesan. L'Eraclito amoroso, Op 2 No 14 Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor Le Concert d'Astr退e Emmanuelle Ham, director, harpsichord, organ Hor che Apollo 耀 a Teti in seno, Op 8 No 3 Susanne Ryd退n, soprano Musica Fiorita Begli occhi, Op 3 No 9 Christine Brandes, soprano Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano New York Baroque Eric Milnes, director Cor donato, cor rubbato, Op 3 No 10 Kurt-Owen Richards, bass Canto de bella bocca, Op 1 No 2 Emma Kirkby, soprano Evelyn Tubb, soprano Alan Wilson, harpsichord Anthony Rooley, director and lute Mater Anna, Op 5 No 1 Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano Concerto Soave Producer Luke Whitlock. Donald Macleod focuses on Strozzi's upbringing in 17th-century Venice. |
| 2016 | 02 | Mixing With The Intellectual Elite | 20160308 | 20180424 (R3) | This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Barbara Strozzi. She was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas in the seventeenth century and, probably, also a Venetian courtesan. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal works during her lifetime, containing over one hundred works in total, and her music travelled as far as Austria, Germany and England. Dr Sara Pecknold joins Donald Macleod to help lift the veil on this elusive composer. By the 1630s there are accounts of Barbara Strozzi socialising with intellectuals in Venice, including members of the Accademia degli Incogniti. Her father Giulio Strozzi was part of these literary circles where Barbara first started to prove herself as a virtuoso singer, entertaining the men at these gatherings. Her voice was so admired that composers such as Nicolo Fontei wrote and dedicated music to her. By 1637 Giulio established the Accademia degli Unisoni where Barbara would showcase her musical activities further and act as the Mistress of Ceremonies, presiding over their debates, and awarding prizes. Amore 耀 bandito, Op 6 No 7 Glenda Simpson, mezzo soprano Barry Mason, baroque guitar Lamento: Su'l Rodano severo, Op 3 No 3 Judith Nelson, soprano William Christie, harpsichord Christophe Coin, baroque cello John Hutchinson, harp Nascente Maria, Op 5 No 12 Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano Concerto Soave Che si pu fare, Op 8 No 6 Emmanuela Galli, soprano La Risonanza Fabio Bonizzoni, harpsichord and director Godere e tacere, Op 1 No 9 Mona Sp䀀gele, soprano Nele Gram߀, soprano Orlando de Lasso Ensemble Silentio nocivo, Op 1 No 6 Detlaf Bratchke, alto Tobias Hiller, tenor Adolph Seidel, bass Vecchio amante che rende la piazza, Op 1 No 20 Beat Duddeck, alto Hans J怀rg Mammel, tenor Producer Luke Whitlock. Discussing Strozzi's becoming mistress of ceremonies at the Accademia degli Unisoni. |
| 2016 | 03 | An Object Of Desire | 20160309 | This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Barbara Strozzi. She was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas in the seventeenth century and, probably, also a Venetian courtesan. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal works during her lifetime containing over one hundred works in total, and her music travelled as far as Austria, Germany and England. Dr Sara Pecknold joins Donald Macleod to help lift the veil on this elusive composer. By the time that Barbara Strozzi was nineteen, reports started to appear in print of her capabilities and virtuosity as a singer. It was also mentioned that she had an amorous gaze, with the beauty of Venus and likened to the Phoenix of the day. Not all the reports which came into print praised Barbara Strozzi, and it was suggested by some that her father Giulio was pimping out his daughter. Dr Sara Pecknold discusses a painting of Barbara Strozzi from the time, which reinforces this idea of the composer as an object of sexual desire. By 1644, Strozzi had launched her career as a composer, publishing her Opus One collection of madrigals. Noiosa lontananza: Dimmi dove sei, Op 2 No 13 Mary Nichols, alto Kasia Elsner, theorbo Se volete cosi me ne content, Op 6 No 18 Doroth退e Leclair, soprano Yasunori Imamura, theorbo Lea Rahel Bader, baroque cello Jory Vinikour, harpsichord Cantata: Amante ravveduto: Chiudi l'audaci labra, Op 6 No 14 Moralita' amorosa, Op 3 No 2 Christine Brandes, soprano New York Baroque Eric Milnes, director A donna bella e crudele, Op 3 No 4 Lamento: Appresso a i molli argenti, Op 7 No 2 Judith Nelson, soprano William Christie, harpsichord Christophe Coin, baroque cello John Hutchinson, harp Dal pianto de gli amanti scherniti s'impar | |
| 2016 | 04 | Strozzi And Money | 20160310 | 20180426 (R3) | This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Barbara Strozzi. She was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas in the seventeenth century and, probably, also a Venetian courtesan. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal works during her lifetime containing over one hundred works in total, and her music travelled as far as Austria, Germany and England. Dr Sara Pecknold joins Donald Macleod to help lift the veil on this elusive composer. A few years after Barbara Strozzi had published her first set of madrigals, she brought out a second group of works in 1651. This Opus Two collection demonstrated Strozzi coming into her own as a composer, and shows less of the influence of her father, the librettist Giulio Strozzi. In her twenties she was also something of a financial wizard, making shrewd investments and loaning money. It was also during this period that she became a mother. Three of her four children were fathered by Giovanni Paolo Vidman, who was already married. Upon Vidman's death, financial support was given to Strozzi by Vidman's widow. Within a few years Strozzi was hard at work again, bringing further compositions into print, including her only collection of sacred works. All of her published works have significant dedications, and we see from this that Strozzi was keenly seeking patronage. Le tre grazie, Op 1 No 4 Emma Kirkby, soprano Evelyn Tubb, soprano Mary Nichols, alto Frances Kelly, harp L'amante segreto, Op 2 No 16 Susanne Ryd退n, soprano Musica Fiorita La vendetta, Op 2 No 9 Cantata: Sino alla morte mi protesto, Op 7 No 1 Con male nuove: Questa 耀 la nuova, Op 3 No 5 Glenda Simpson, mezzo soprano The Camerata of London Salve Regina, Op 5 No 11 Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano Concerto Soave O Maria, Op 5 No 7 Producer Luke Whitlock. Donald Macleod explains how Strozzi strove hard to bring her music to print. |
| 2016 | 05 LAST | Off To The Nunnery | 20160311 | 20180427 (R3) | This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Barbara Strozzi. She was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas in the seventeenth century and, probably, also a Venetian courtesan. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal works during her lifetime containing over one hundred works in total, and her music travelled as far as Austria, Germany and England. Dr Sara Pecknold joins Donald Macleod to help lift the veil on this elusive composer. By the late 1650s, there are reports of many musical activities taking place at the home of Barbara Strozzi. She was still publishing collections of music, which she dedicated to nobles and powerful people. Strozzi was seeking a patron, which she never achieved. During her final years she was keen to secure a better future for her children, and one of them became a nun, and another a monk. Strozzi's last publication was in 1664, but we know that she didn't stop composing at this point. In 1677 she travelled to Padua where she died at the age of 58. Parasti in dulcedine, Op 5 No 8 Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano Concerto Soave Lilla crudele: Lilla mia, non ti doler, Op 6 No 9 Doroth退e Leclair, soprano Yasunori Imamura, theorbo Lea Rachel Bader, baroque cello Jory Vinikour, harpsichord Lamento: Lagrime mie, a che vi trattenete?, Op 7 No 4 Susanne Ryd退n, soprano Musica Fiorita L'astratto, Op 8 No 4 Judith Nelson, soprano William Christie, harpsichord Christophe Coin, baroque cello John Hutchinson, harp Salve sancta caro, Op 5 No 4 Donna non sa che dice, Op 3 No 7 Christine Brandes, soprano Kurt-Owen Richards, bass New York Baroque Eric Milnes, director Desideri vani, Op 3 No 11 Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano Producer Luke Whitlock. Exploring Strozzi's last years, when she worked to secure a better future for her children |
| 2023 | 01 | Raised For Success | 20230227 | Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore Barbara Strozzi's early success as a singer and the role of her father in promoting his daughter. The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistent patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th-century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety. In Monday's episode, Donald and Laurie explore Barbara Strozzi's early success as a singer and the role of her father in promoting his daughter, through his contacts in Venice's literary Accademias. Mi fa rider la speranze, Op 7, No 10 Em怀ke Barကth, soprano Il Pomo d'Oro Francesco Corti, harpsichord & director Che si puo fare, Op 8, No 6 Capella Mediterranea Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon, conductor Sonetto Proemio dell'Opera, Op 1, No1 Dolce Rima Godere in gioventù, Op 1, No 12 Chloe Lankshear, soprano Anna Dowsley, mezzo-soprano David Greco, baritone Simon Martyn-Ellis, theorbo Erin Helyard, chamber organ L'Usignuolo, Op 1, No 5 Il contrasto di cinque sensi, Op 1, No 14 Fieri Consort Parla alli suoi pensieri, Op 6, No 5 Roberta Invernizzi, soprano Bizzarrie Armoniche L'Amante segreto, Op 2, No 16 Peggy B退langer, soprano Michel Angers, theorbo Consort Baroque Laurenita Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore Barbara Strozzi's early success as a singer. | |
| 2023 | 02 | To Be A Woman | 20230228 | Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore how Barbara Strozzi navigated the male-dominated music scene in Venice in the 17th century. The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistent patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th-century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety. In Tuesday's episode, Donald and Laurie explore how Barbara Strozzi navigated the male dominated musical scene in Venice in the 17th century, and the accusations of impropriety which have been levelled at her in her own time and since. Sospira respira, Op 6, No 17 Fieri Consort Godere e tacere, Op 1, No 9 La Venexiana Claudio Cavina, director Cuore che reprime alla lingua di manifestare il nome della sua cara, Op 3, No 1 Catherine Bott, soprano Paula Chateauneuf, chitarrone/baroque guitar Timothy Roberts, harpsichord Frances Kelly, harp La sol fa, mi, re, do, Op 2, No 25 Peggy Belanger, soprano Michel Angers, theorbo) Consort Baroque Laurenita Cor donato, cor rubato, Op 3, No 10 Christine Brandes, soprano Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano Kurt-Owen Richards, bass New York Baroque Eric Milnes, director Sino alla morte, Op 7, No 1 Renata Dubinskaite, soprano Canto Fiorito E pazzo il mio core, Op 8, No 9 Flavio Ferri-Benedetti, countertenor Il Profondo Exploring how Barbara Strozzi navigated the 17th-century male-dominated music scene. | |
| 2023 | 03 | Vidman | 20230301 | Donald MacLeod and Laurie Stras examine the role Giovanni Paolo Vidman played in Barbara Strozzi's life. The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistent patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th-century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety. In Wednesday's episode, Donald and Laurie examine the role Giovanni Paolo Vidman played in Barbara Strozzi's life, as the father of her children, despite being married to someone else. Fin che tù spiri, spera, Op 7, No 3 Cristiana Presutti, soprano Ensemble Poiesis La riamata da chi amava, Op 2, No 18 Lise Viricel, soprano Ensemble Le Stelle Silentio nocivo, Op 1, No 6 Capella Mediterranea Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon, conductor Donne Belle, Op 8, No 12 Fieri Consort Se volete cos쀀 me ne contento, Op 6, No 18 Trio de damas Lagrime Mie, Lamento, Op 7, No 4 Ruby Hughes, soprano Jonas Nordberg, theorbo Mime Yamahiro-Brinkmann, cello L'Eraclito amoroso, Op 2, No 14 Helen Charlston, mezzo-soprano Toby Carr, theorbo Examining the role Giovanni Paolo Vidman played in Barbara Strozzi's life. | |
| 2023 | 04 | Flourishing In Independence | 20230302 | Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore how Barbara Strozzi's career as a composer flourished after the deaths of both her own father and the father of her children. The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistent patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th-century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety. In Thursday's episode, Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore how Barbara Strozzi's career as a composer flourished, despite the deaths of both her own father, and of Giovanni Vidman - the father of her children. Amante loquace, Op 6, No 16 Emoke Barath, soprano Il Pomo d'Oro Francesco Corti, director Il Lamento - S'ul rodano severo, Op 3, No 3 Montserrat Figueras, soprano Hesp耀rion XXI Jordi Savall, conductor Begl'occhi, Op 2, No 2 Musica Secreta John Toll, harpsichord Mater Anna, Op 5, No 1 Miho Kamiya, soprano Anna Simboli, soprano Andrea Arrivabene, alto Aurata Fonte O Maria, Op 5, No 7 St退phanie d'Oustrac, mezzo-soprano Ensemble Amarillis Violaine Cochard, harpsichord, director Tradimento, Op 7, No 9 Emanuela Galli, soprano Ensemble Galilei Paul Beier, conductor Exploring the period when Barbara Strozzi's career as a composer flourished. | |
| 2023 | 05 LAST | Legacy | 20230303 | Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore Barbara Strozzi's legacy, both in her own time and today. The singer, and composer Barbara Strozzi neither held any position at church or court, nor had a consistent patron, and yet she published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod is joined by Professor Laurie Stras to explore the life of this extraordinary musician, and the world of 17th-century Venice in which she lived and worked. This was a world in which, despite the acknowledged successes of female artists in literature and music, being a successful composer seems to have aroused suspicion, and brought accusations of impropriety. In Friday's episode, Donald and Laurie explore the final years of Barbara Strozzi's life and discuss her legacy as a composer, both in her own time, and today Conclusione dell'opera, Op 1'25 Fieri Consort Parasti in dulcedine, Op 5, No 8 Olga Pasiecznik, soprano Altri Stromenti Lucie belle deh ditemi perche, Op 8, No 7 Emanuela Galli, soprano La Risonanza Fabio Bonizzoni, conductor Salve Regina, Op 5 Anna Jobrant, soprano Serikon Erik Westberg, conductor Gite, o giorni dolenti, Op 2, No 21 Peggy Belanger, soprano Michel Angers, theorbo Consort Baroque Laurenita L'amante modesto, Op 1, No 13 Cappella Mediterranea Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, conductor Donald Macleod and Laurie Stras explore Barbara Strozzi's legacy. |