Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 01 | 20081013 | Donald Macleod visits Venice for this special series on Monteverdi. He visits St Mark's Basilica, where he meets Justine Rapaccioli, the vice maestro di capella. Responsorium: Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina (Vespro della Beata Vergine) Monica Piccini, Roberta Invernizzi (sopranos) Francesco Ghelardini (alto) Luca Dordolo, Gianluca Ferrarini (tenors) Daniele Carnovich (bass) Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini (director) Credo (Missa in illo tempore) King's Consort Robert King (director) Zefiro torna e 'l bel tempo rimena; Una donna fra l'altre onesta e bella; A dio, Florida bella (Madrigals, Book 6) Delitiae Musicae Marco Longhini (director) Magnificat (Vespro della Beata Vergine) Anna Simboli, Roberta Invernizzi (sopranos) Gianluca Ferrarini (tenor) Pietro Spagnoli, Furio Zanasi (baritones) Daniele Carnovich, Antonio Abete (basses) Rinaldo Alessandrini (director). Donald Macleod meets Justine Rapaccioli, vice maestro di capella at St Mark's Basilica. | ||
| 2008 | 02 | 20081014 | Donald Macleod visits Venice for this special series on Monteverdi. He explores the music Monteverdi wrote for St Mark's Basilica and visits Venice's State Archive, a remarkable institution chronicling the past thousand years of Venetian life. Cantate Domino Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini (director) Magnificat Cantus Colln Concerto Palatino Konrad Junghanel (lute and director) Adoramus te Jubilet tota civitas; Laudate dominum in sanctis ejus Mass for four voices The Sixteen Harry Christophers (director). Donald Macleod explores the music Monteverdi wrote for St Mark's Basilica. | ||
| 2008 | 03 | 20081015 | Donald Macleod visits Venice for this special series on Monteverdi. He explores Monteverdi's musical life beyond St Mark's Basilica and talks to Professor David Bryant about the extraordinary diversity of Venetian music-making in Monteverdi's day. Come dolce hoggi l'auretta Emma Kirkby, Judith Nelson, Poppy Holden (sopranos) Consort Of Musicke Anthony Rooley (director) Fugge, anima mea Concerto Vocale William Christie (harpsichord) Konrad Junghanel (theorbo) Selva morale e spirituale (excerpts) Soloists Cantus Colln Konrad Junghanel (lute and director) Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda Rene Jacobs (harpsichord and director). Donald Macleod explores Monteverdi's musical life beyond St Mark's Basilica. | ||
| 2008 | 04 | 20081016 | Donald Macleod visits Venice for this special series on Monteverdi. All the music in this programme is associated with a single day, 21 November 1631, when Venice celebrated deliverance from the plague which had wiped out a third of its population. Gloria a 7 voci (Selva morale e spirituale) Les Arts Florissants William Christie (director) Ab aeterno ordinata sum (Selva morale e spirituale) David Thomas (bass) Parley of Instruments Roy Goodman, Peter Holman (directors) Crucifixus; Et resurrexit; Et iterum; Beatus vir; Laudate Dominum; Dixit Dominus (Selva morale e spirituale) Soloists Cantus Colln Concerto Palatino Konrad Junghanel (lute and director). On 21 November 1631, Venice celebrated deliverance from the plague. | ||
| 2008 | 05 LAST | 20081017 | Donald Macleod visits Venice for this special series on Monteverdi. He visits the sites of the world's first two public opera houses, where the composer's late operatic masterpieces were first performed. Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Act III (complete). Guillemette Laurens (Melanto) Mario Cecchetti (Eurimaco) Marcello Vargetto (Antinoo) Fabian Schofrin (Pisandro) Pablo Pollitzer (Anfinomo) Gloria Banditelli (Penelope) Furio Zanasi (Ulisse) Maria Cristina Kiehr (Minerva) Ensemble Elyma Gabriel Garrido (director) L'Incoronazione di Poppea (excerpts) Francesco Ellero D'Artegna (Seneca) Dana Hanchard (Nero) Sylvia McNair (Poppea) Constanze Backes (Valletto) Marinella Pennicchi (Damigella) English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner (director) E questa vita un lampo (Selva morale e spirituale) Cantus Colln Konrad Junghanel (director). Donald Macleod visits the sites of the world's first two public opera houses. | ||
| 2011 | 01 | 20110321 | 20120618 (R3) | Donald Macleod discusses Monteverdi's musical obsession with sex and violence. | |
| 2011 | 02 | 20110322 | 20120619 (R3) | Donald Macleod reveals how Monteverdi found work at Mantua stressful and underpaid. | |
| 2011 | 03 | 20110323 | 20120620 (R3) | Donald Macleod discusses Monteverdi's work towards a revolutionary new form called opera. | |
| 2011 | 04 | 20110324 | 20120621 (R3) | A royal wedding gave Monteverdi a chance to shine. Would the strain prove too much? | |
| 2011 | 05 LAST | 20110325 | 20120622 (R3) | Donald Macleod on how a Monteverdi sought a way out of service to the Dukes of Mantua. | |
| 2014 | 01 | From Mantua To Venice | 20140519 | This week Donald McLeod explores the life and times of Monteverdi in his Venice years, when he became the most famous composer in Italy, if not the world. Mantua, where Monteverdi was overworked and underpaid, had become intolerable. His wife, Claudia, had died and any ties to Mantua were sundered. With his two small sons, Monteverdi wanted to move on in the world; getting the sack from his job in Mantua simply spurred him on. When the Director of Music job at St Mark's in Venice fell vacant, Monteverdi threw his hat in the ring and landed the job. He would never look back, writing some of the most beautiful and expressive music the world has ever heard during his time in Venice. Monteverdi is sick of Mantua. Venice beckons, as the best music job in Italy falls vacant. | |
| 2014 | 02 | Church And Theatre | 20140520 | This week Donald Macleod examines the life and work of Monteverdi during the years he was the Director of Music at St Mark's in Venice. Today we hear how Monteverdi's son Francesco gave up his legal studies and takes up singing, despite his father's wishes that he should pursue a more lucrative career. Donald plays some of the more substantial pieces from Monteverdi's early Venice years, including the dramatic music theatre piece, Il combattimento de Tancredi e Clorinda. Plus, we hear how troop movements between Mantua and Venice brought plague to Venice, wiping out 50,000 people ? one third of the population. Monteverdi composed his magnificent Gloria as part of the Mass of Thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague, celebrated at St Marks in 1631. A son rebels, a piece of musical theatre is commissioned and a deadly plague hits Venice. | |
| 2014 | 03 | Songs Of War And Love | 20140521 | Today Donald Macleod plays us a selection of music from Monteverdi's superb Eighth Book of Madrigals, '...Of War and Love'. It contains some of the most dramatic music the world had ever heard. Monteverdi was not universally loved, and in 1637 became embroiled in an unpleasant incident with a singer who had slandered him in public. The protracted court proceeding were eventually concluded to his satisfaction; it must have been a relief to turn to the publication of his Eighth Book of Madrigals, which shows off his superb dramatic style of vocal writing. Sensuous, martial, erotic, mournful, witty, these pieces are incredibly expressive and require real vocal agility and acting skills from the performers. At the grand old age of 76, Monteverdi went on a tour of Lombardy, which was something of a triumph. However, it seems to have worn the old man out, and he died shortly after returning to Venice. He is buried in the Lombard Chapel of the beautiful Frari church, where a plain marble slab marks his final resting place. We'll conclude the week, tomorrow and Friday, by looking at Monteverdi's last great operatic masterpieces - The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, and The Coronation of Poppea. Featuring Monteverdi's eighth book of madrigals, Of War and Love. | |
| 2014 | 04 | The Return Of Ulysses | 20140522 | Today Donald Macleod explores a masterpiece from the pens of Monteverdi and Homer - Ulysses. Monteverdi's penultimate opera is a compelling version of Homer's Odyssey, and the first opera ever to focus on real human characters and their feelings. Opera had only just been developed as a public entertainment; before 1637 the rich nobility had been the only ones who could afford this luxurious form of artistic endeavour. However, the power and expression in Monteverdi's The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland proved an immense hit with Venetian audiences. But we begin by hearing two pieces which show Monteverdi's ability to exploit the expressive power of religious music: an Offertory and Sanctus from his collection Selva morale e spirituale (literally: 'Moral and Spiritual Forest'). Donald Macleod on Monteverdi's penultimate operatic masterpiece, The Return of Ulysses. | |
| 2014 | 05 LAST | The Coronation Of Poppea | 20140523 | In the last of this week's programmes about Monteverdi in Venice, Donald Macleod looks at the composer's last masterwork - the thrillingly immoral Coronation of Poppea. In his seventies, Monteverdi was coaxed back to writing for the operatic stage, and had a hit with The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland. To satisfy the demand for yet more, he wrote what many consider his masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppea, the world's first opera to be based on a real historical incident, and featuring real people on stage. The gossipy, scurrilous tone of much of the opera chimes very well with modern audiences, and seems to have done so with Monteverdi's contemporaries too. Today, we hear passages taken from a classic recording, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, given in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank, in 1993. We end the week with an unbridled, joyous recording of one of his best loved duets - the wonderful 'Zefiro torna' from the ensemble L'Arpeggiata. Monteverdi's masterpiece, the thrillingly immoral Coronation of Poppea. | |
| 2017 | 01 | The Man From Cremona | 20170515 | To mark 450 years since the composer's birth, Donald Macleod traces Claudio Monteverdi's remarkable rise from relatively humble origins in Cremona (he was the son of a barber-surgeon) to his subsequent career as instrumentalist and composer at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua, and his later promotion to the role of Director of Music at the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice. In today's episode, Donald traces Monteverdi's rapid rise from Cremona choirboy, with one collection of compositions published by the time he was 15, to attaining the post of string-player at the court of Mantua, the home of the fabulously wealthy Gonzaga family. With no fewer than four books of madrigals to his name by the age of 30, Monteverdi is already set to transform the traditional form of the madrigal - and in so doing, will incur the wrath of one Canon Artusi, who is offended by the composer's 'trenchant dissonances'! Ardo Hugues Cuenod, tenor Paul Durenne, tenor Nadia Boulanger, director Ubi duo; Quam pulchra es; Ave Maria Gyor Girls' Chorus Milos Szabo, director Non si levava ancor l'alba novella E dicea l'una sospirando allora Ecco mormorar l'onde Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini, director Rimanti in pace I Fagiolini Robert Hollingworth, director Sfogava con le stelle Si ch'io vorrei morire Voi pur da me partite, anima dura Les Arts Florissants Paul Agnew, director Cruda Amarylli O mirtillo Era l'anima mia Paul Agnew, director. With Monteverdi's rapid rise from Cremona choirboy to string player and composer at Mantua | |
| 2017 | 02 | First Steps In Opera | 20170516 | To mark 450 years since the composer's birth, Donald Macleod traces Claudio Monteverdi's remarkable rise from relatively humble origins in Cremona (he was the son of a barber-surgeon) to his subsequent career as instrumentalist and composer at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua, and his later promotion to the role of Director of Music at the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice. In today's episode, Donald recounts the circumstances under which Monteverdi devised one of the world's first operas, Orfeo. Later, despite his personal grief on losing his wife and then one of his star singers, Monteverdi would be forced to write a further opera, on the subject of Ariadne. Overworked, underpaid, and with little sympathy from his court employers, it's small wonder that Monteverdi would pour out some of his own grief into some deeply personal madrigals, lamenting the death of a loved one. Questi vaghi Les Arts Florissants Paul Agnew, director L'Orfeo, Act 1 (extract) La Venexiana Claudio Cavina, director Lamento di Arianna Emanuela Galli, soprano Lagrime d'amante al sepolcro dell'amata Paul Agnew, director. Donald Macleod on how Monteverdi devised one of the world's first operas, L'Orfeo. | |
| 2017 | 03 | Holy Orders | 20170517 | To mark 450 years since the composer's birth, Donald Macleod traces Claudio Monteverdi's remarkable rise from relatively humble origins in Cremona (he was the son of a barber-surgeon) to his subsequent career as instrumentalist and composer at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua, and his later promotion to the role of Director of Music at the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice. Today's episode finds Monteverdi increasingly frustrated by his Mantua employers' ingratitude, and turning increasingly towards the Church as a source of lucrative employment and commissions. He composes his celebrated Vespers of 1610 as a showcase of his abilities in the realm of sacred music. Begging to be released from service at Mantua, his wish is soon granted following the death of Vincenzo Gonzaga. Fortunately for the jobless and near penniless widower, he is soon snapped up by the officials running the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice, where they offer him favourable terms and conditions to become their next Director of Music. A deeply devout man, he is now indeed under holy orders. Although that doesn't preclude him from an interest in secular music, nor in alchemy. O bone Iesu, SV 313 Mieke van der Sluis, soprano Axel K怀hler, countertenor Lautten Compagney Vespers 1610: Duo Seraphim; Sonata sopra Sancta Maria; Ave maris stella The Sixteen Harry Christophers, director Tirsi e Clori I Fagiolini Robert Hollingworth, director Cantate Domino; Laudate Dominum Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini, director Laudate Pueri Rinaldo Alessandrini, director. How Monteverdi, frustrated by his employers' ingratitude, turned to the Church for work. | |
| 2017 | 04 | In Time Of Plague | 20170518 | To mark 450 years since the composer's birth, Donald Macleod traces Claudio Monteverdi's remarkable rise from relatively humble origins in Cremona (he was the son of a barber-surgeon) to his subsequent career as instrumentalist and composer at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua, and his later promotion to the role of Director of Music at the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice. In today's episode, Monteverdi acquires the dubious gift of a pet monkey, and finds himself coming under the suspicious eye of the Inquisition, following an anonymous denunciation - possibly from a member of his choir! To add to his misfortunes, Venice is stricken by plague following the collapse of Mantua. The deadly pestilence will have far-reaching effects for the Republic - and as Donald recounts, it will even create a public taste for light music. Maladetto sia l'aspetto Emanuela Galli, soprano La Venexiana Non 耀 di gentil core Interotte speranze Delitiae Musicae Marco Longhini, director Tancredi e Clorinda Andrew King (tenor), narrator Emma Kirkby (soprano), Clorinda Paul Agnew (tenor), Tancredi The Consort of Musicke Anthony Rooley, director Laetaniae della Beata Vergine, SV204 The Sixteen Harry Christophers, director Zefiro torna Nuria Rial, soprano Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor L'Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, director. Focusing on Monteverdi's acquiring a pet monkey as well as a plague outbreak in Venice. | |
| 2017 | 05 LAST | Songs Of Love And War | 20170519 | To mark 450 years since the composer's birth, Donald Macleod traces Claudio Monteverdi's remarkable rise from relatively humble origins in Cremona (he was the son of a barber-surgeon) to his subsequent career as instrumentalist and composer at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua, and his later promotion to the role of Director of Music at the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice. Today Donald completes his account of the life and music of Monteverdi by looking at the Eighth book of Madrigals ('Songs of Love and War) and his two final extant operas, written for Venice's new public opera house. For an elderly man, a canon of the Church, The Coronation of Poppea is an utterly extraordinary work: the world's first opera based on an historical subject, the rise of the courtesan Poppea as she supplants the Empress Octavia in the affections of the Emperor Nero. Lust, infidelity, love, ambition - the opera's famous immorality remains a challenge to audiences and critics alike. Hor che'l ciel e la terra L'Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, director Altri canti d'Amore Concerto Vocale Ren退 Jacobs, director Il Ritorno d'Ulisse (extract) Ensemble Euphonia Ensemble Elyma Gabriel Garrido, director L'incoronazione di Poppea (extract) City of London Baroque Sinfonia Arleen Auger (soprano) - Poppea Della Jones (mezzo) - Nerone Richard Hickox, director Magnificat (primo) from Selva Morale Vol III The Sixteen Harry Chistophers, director. Donald Macleod on Monteveri's final collection of madrigals and last two surviving operas. | |
| 2020 | 01 | Procrastinator Extraordinaire | 20200217 | Donald Macleod focuses his attention on the excuses Monteverdi gave throughout his letters for being constantly behind with his commissions. Claudio Monteverdi's compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens' translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi - a perpetually busy man - for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life. A man devoted to making music for his patrons, Monteverdi perhaps took on more work than he could manage. Despite his best efforts, he often penned a letter offering yet another reason why he was unable to complete a composition on time. Donald tells the stories that surround these letters; from an over-abundance of commissions around the Christmas period to personal matters which took his mind off the task of composing for long periods of time. We also touch upon the way in which letters were sent and received in 17th-century Italy, and Monteverdi's deftness in manipulating various patrons to wait, patiently, for his compositions to arrive. Chiome d'oro L'Arpeggiata Nuria Rial, soprano Christina Pluhar, director Cantai un tempo, & se fu dolc'il canto Les Arts Florissants Paul Agnew, director L'Orfeo: Prologue and Act I Lynne Dawson, soprano (La Musica) Nancy Argenta, soprano (Ninfa) Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor (Orfeo) Julianne Baird, soprano (Euridice) Mark Tucker, tenor (Pastori) Nigel Robson, tenor (Pastori) Michael Chance, countertenor (Pastori) Simon Birchall, bass baritone (Pastori) The Monteverdi Choir The English Baroque Soloists His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Dixit Dominus I Fagiolini Robert Hollingworth, conductor The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble The 24 Lamento d'Arianna a voce sola The Consort of Musicke Anthony Rooley, leader Emma Kirkby, soprano Producer: Eleri Llian Rees Donald Macleod focuses on the excuses Monteverdi gave for late delivery of commissions. | |
| 2020 | 02 | Italian Hierarchy | 20200218 | Donald Macleod turns his attentions to the Italian hierarchy and Monteverdi's place in the political pecking order. Claudio Monteverdi's compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens' translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi - a perpetually busy man - for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life. Donald tells stories about Monteverdi's life growing up in Cremona, under Spanish rule, before moving to Mantua to the court of Duke Vincenzo I and then on to St. Mark's, as the Director of Music, in Venice. We hear, through Monteverdi's letters, his opinions of singers, and how highly these opinions were regarded by his employers. Cantate Domino The Monteverdi Choir Andrew Davis, organ Christopher van Kempen, cello Simon Carrington, double bass John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Dominus vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo Arnold Schoenberg Chor Concentus musicus Wien T怀lzer Knabenchor, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor Con che soavit | |
| 2020 | 03 | Unreliable Income | 20200219 | Donald Macleod considers Monteverdi's financial struggles and the unreliability of his income with his numerous employers. Claudio Monteverdi's compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens' translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi - a perpetually busy man - for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life. Finally feeling as though he was earning good money, Monteverdi was robbed on a journey from Mantua to Este, where he lost almost everything he owned. This is just the first of many stories of Monteverdi's financial struggles that we hear through his letters; from needing to pay a ransom to release his son from prison to, even in his 60s, worrying about how much money he was earning and whether he could then support his two sons financially. Batto', qui pianse Ergasto Chiaroscuro London Baroque Nigel Rogers, director L'incoronazione di Poppea: Prologue and Act I: Extracts City of London Baroque Sinfonia Richard Hickox, conductor Catherine Pierard, mezzo-soprano (Fortuna) Juliet Booth, soprano (Virtù) Samuel Linay, treble (Amore) James Bowman, countertenor (Ottone) Lamento d'Arianna a 5 The Consort of Musicke Anthony Rooley, leader Evelyn Tubb, soprano Mary Nichols, alto Joseph Cornwell, tenor Andrew King, tenor Richard Wistreich, bass Adoramus te The Monteverdi Choir Andrew Davis, organ Christopher van Kempen, cello Simon Carrington, double bass John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Zefiro torna L'Arpeggiata Nuria Rial, soprano Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor Christina Pluhar, director Quel sguardo sdegnosetto Danielle de Niese, soprano The English Concert Harry Bickett, conductor Producer: Eleri Llian Rees Donald Macleod considers Monteverdi's financial struggles and his unreliable income. | |
| 2020 | 04 | Catarrh And Plague | 20200220 | Donald Macleod focuses on the many illnesses that affected Monteverdi's life, both his own illnesses, and the illnesses his loved ones faced. Some perished. Others lived on. Claudio Monteverdi's compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens' translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi - a perpetually busy man - for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life. It seems that Monteverdi was a sickly man, at least that's the impression given throughout his letters. However, he lived to the grand old age of 76, so perhaps his health was better than expected for the time. We hear the part sickness plays throughout Monteverdi's life, from the pains he suffered himself to his son, Massimiliano, seeming to suffer with a bout of the measles, though recovering in time. L'Orfeo: Toccata The English Baroque Soloists His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Lamento della Ninfa Tavener Consort and Players Andrew Parrott, director Missa In illo tempore Bach Collegium Japan chorus and orchestra Masaaki Suzuki, conductor Concerto Palatino, cornetto and trombone Naoko Imai, organ Midori Suzuki, soprano Yukari Nonoshita, soprano Mutsumi Hatano, alto Yuko Anazawa, alto Gerd Türk, tenor Stephan Van Dyck, tenor Stephan MacLeod, bass Yoshitaka Ogasawara, bass Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria: Act V: O dolor, o martir Boston Baroque Martin Pearlman, music director Marc Molomot, tenor (Iro) L'incoronazione di Poppea: Act III: Pur ti miro City of London Baroque Sinfonia Richard Hickox, conductor Della Jones, mezzo-soprano (Nerone) Arleen Auger, soprano (Poppea) Producer: Eleri Llian Rees Donald Macleod focuses on the many illnesses that affected Monteverdi's life. | |
| 2020 | 05 LAST | Importance Of Family | 20200221 | Donald Macleod looks at Monteverdi's family and his love and devotion for them, bringing up his two boys single-handedly after the death of his wife Claudia. Claudio Monteverdi's compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens' translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi - a perpetually busy man - for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life. Donald tells us a few stories detailing the importance Monteverdi placed on his family life, from mourning the death of his young wife to fighting a lawsuit surrounding his father-in-law's property, to establishing his sons in their lifelong careers, and defending Massimiliano when he found himself the wrong side of the law. Damigella tutta bella L'Arpeggiata Nuria Rial, soprano Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor Jan van Elsacker, tenor Cyril Auvity, tenor Nicolas Achten, baritone Joa倀 Fernandez, bass Christina Pluhar, director L'Orfeo: Act V: Extracts Nigel Robson, tenor (Apollo) Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor (Orfeo) The Monteverdi Choir The English Baroque Soloists His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Tirsi e Clori Le Nuove Musiche Krijn Koetsveld, artistic leader Jennifer van der Hart, soprano Wendy Roobol, soprano Hugo Naessens, alto Falco van Loon, countertenor Bas Ramselaar, bass Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria: Act I: Extracts Boston Baroque Martin Pearlman, music director Daniel Auchinloss, countertenor (Eumete) Marc Molomot, tenor (Iro) Fernando Guimar es, tenor (Ulisse) Magnificat a 7 The London Oratory Junior Choir Ann Monoyios, soprano Marinella Pennicchi, soprano Michael Chance, countertenor Mark Tucker, tenor Sandro Naglia, tenor Bryn Terfel, bass Alastair Miles, bass Producer: Eleri Llian Rees Donald Macleod looks at Monteverdi's family and his love and devotion for them. | |
| 2022 | 01 | Finding His Voice | 20220801 | 20230807 (R3) | Monteverdi's prodigious musical talent leads him from Cremona to Mantua. Claudio Monteverdi is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the development of Western music. As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. During this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi's career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way. In Monday's programme, Donald examines the early signs of Monteverdi's unusual musical talent, which took him from provincial Cremona to the Italian city of Mantua, where he was appointed as musician to the prestigious Gonzaga court. Orfeo - Toccata Le Concert Des Nations Jordi Savall, conductor 1st book of Motets (Sacrae cantiunculae) - Surge propera amica mea; O bone Iesu illumine oculos meus; Surgens Iesu; Iusti tulerunt spolia impioru G退rard Lesne, countertenor Josep Benet, tenor Josep Cabr退, bass 2nd book of Madrigals - Non si levava ancor; E dicea l'una sospirand'all'hora Les Arts Florissants Paul Agnew, director 3rd book of Madrigals - O come; O primavera; Occhi, un tempo; Rimanti in pace Krijn Koetsveld, harpsichord Le Nuove Musiche Questi vaghi concenti La Venexiana Claudio Cavina, director Vespro della Beata Vergine - Ave maris stella a 8 Ludus Modalis Bruno Boterf, director Produced by Sam Phillips |
| 2022 | 02 | Poverty In The Swamps | 20220802 | 20230808 (R3) | Donald Macleod explores the reality of Monteverdi's life at the Gonzaga court in Mantua. Claudio Monteverdi is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the development of Western music. As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. During this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi's career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way. In Tuesday's programme, Donald explores the harsh realities of Monteverdi's life at the Gonzaga court in Mantua, with experiences of war which would have a profound impact on the composer for the rest of his life, unpaid wages which lead to large debts, and a hedonistic, immoral and dangerously unpredictable boss in Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga. But it was also a time of great breakthroughs in Monteverdi's musical style, though he had to contend with criticism for his musical `irregularities`. Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti Nuria Rial, soprano Philippe Jaroussky, counter-tenor L'Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, director Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda Patrizia Ciofi, soprano Rolando Villaz n, tenor Topi Lethipuu, tenor Le Concert d'Astr退e Emmanuelle Ham, harpsichord De la Bellezza le dovute lodi, SV 245 Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor 4th book of madrigals - Anima mia, perdona; Che se tu se il cor mio La Venexiana 5th book of madrigals - Cruda Amarilli 4th book of madrigals - Ah, dolente partita!; Quel augellin che canta Le Nuove Musiche Krijn Koetsvelt, director Produced by Sam Phillips. |
| 2022 | 03 | Opera | 20220803 | 20230809 (R3) | Donald Macleod explores Monteverdi's role in the birth of opera. Claudio Monteverdi is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the development of Western music. As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. During this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi's career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way. In Wednesday's programme, Donald see Monteverdi make ground-breaking steps in the evolution of a new musical form: opera. Meanwhile, the composer's frustrations with the Gonzaga court in Mantua reach breaking point. Pur ti miro from L'incoronazione di Poppea, SV308 Act 3 Philippe Jaroussky (Nerone), counter-tenor Nuria Rial (Poppea), soprano L'Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar (director) Orfeo - Act 5 : Final ritornello and Moresca European Voices Le Concert d'Astr退e Emmanuelle Ham, director Orfeo - Act 3 (excerpt) Furio Zanasi (Orfeo), tenor Sara Mingardo (Speranza), contralto Sergio Foresti (Caronte), bass Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor Lamento d'Arianna Montserrat Figueras (Arianna), soprano Hesperion XX Jordi Savall, conductor Missa da capella a sei voci `In illo tempore` - Kyrie & Gloria Ensemble Vocal Europeen de la Chapelle Royale Philippe Herreweghe, director Produced by Sam Phillips |
| 2022 | 04 | La Serenissima | 20220804 | 20230810 (R3) | Donald Macleod follows Monteverdi to a new city, and a new chapter in his life. Claudio Monteverdi is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the development of Western music. As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. Across this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi's career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way. In Thursday's programme, Donald finds Monteverdi newly arrived in Venice, and discovering new challenges including trying to rejuvenate the city's largest musical ensemble. He also has to contend with accusations of treason, and a terrifying encounter with highway robbers. Rather surprisingly, we also find him renewing his ties with the Mantuan court. Il Ballo della Ingrate - Overture Les Arts Florissants William Christie, conductor 6th book of Madrigals - Misero alceo, SV 114; Zefiro torna, SV 108; Presso un fiume tranquillo, SV 116 Il Nuove Musiche Krijn Koetsveld, director Vespers (1610) - Dixit Dominus The Sixteen Harry Christophers, director 7th book of Madrigals - Tirsi e Clori I Fagiolini Robert Hollingworth, director Litanie della Beata Virgine, SV 204 Choir of Trinity College Cambridge Richard Marlow, director Produced by Sam Phillips Donald Macleod explores a new chapter in Monteverdi's life in Venice. |
| 2022 | 05 LAST | The Very Reverend Claudio Monteverdi | 20220805 | 20230811 (R3) | Monteverdi enters the priesthood and plague comes to Venice. Claudio Monteverdi is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the development of Western music. As a composer of both secular and sacred music, over the course of his career he worked for court, church and was one of the key figures in the development of opera. During this week of programmes, Donald Macleod tracks Monteverdi's career across three cities, from promising child prodigy, through poverty and plague, to his final years in the priesthood, with huge artistic successes along the way. In Friday's programme, Donald explores a traumatic period as plague sweeps through Venice and brings the city to a standstill. We also see Monteverdi entering the priesthood, and the composer returns to opera, before a final six-month-long celebrity tour. L'incoronazione di Poppea, SV308 - Act 2 `Oblivion soave` Philippe Jaroussky (Arnalta), counter-tenor L'Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, conductor Selve morale e spirituale - Gloria a 7 Taverner Consort, Choir and Players Andrew Parrott, conductor 8th book of Madrigals - Madrigali guerrieri: no 7 `Ardo avvampo, mi struggo, ardo, accorrete`; Madrigali amorosi: no.9 Lamento della ninfa (parts I - III ) Concerto Italiano Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor Il ritorno d'Ulisse - Act I, scene I: Torna, torna, deh torna Ulisse Frederica von Stade (Penelope), mezzo-soprano Janice Taylor (Eurycleia), mezzo-soprano National Arts Centre Orchestra Mario Bernardi, conductor Beatus Vir I Fagiolini Robert Hollingworth, director Produced by Sam Phillips |