Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20070611 | Elgar's Landscapes Stephen Johnson joins Donald Macleod to explore the landscapes of Herefordshire and Worcestershire that inspired much of the music of anniversary composer Edward Elgar.They investigate the influence of the Malvern Hills on the composer, visiting his grave and one of his former homes on the steep hillside in Little Malvern, and climb right to the summit of British Camp on Herefordshire Beacon, the setting that inspired Elgar's Caracticus. Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 Royal Scottish National Orchestra Alexander Gibson (conductor) Cello Concerto in E minor (1st mvt: Adagio Moderato) Jacqueline du Pre (cello) London Symphony Orchestra John Barbirolli (conductor) Three Bavarian Dances Bournemouth Sinfonietta Norman Del Mar (conductor) Woodland Interlude (Caractacus) Richard Hickox (conductor) Cockaigne Overture (In London Town) BBC Symphony Orchestra Andrew Davis (conductor). |
| 02 | 20070612 | They explore the composer's relationship with the city of Worcester, from the cottage in which he was born, in the nearby village of Broadheath, and the former county 'lunatic asylum' where he gained his first conducting job, to the city's magnificent cathedral. Today it remembers Elgar through a stained glass window celebrating his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius. Pomp and Circumstance March No 2 Royal Scottish National Orchestra Alexander Gibson (conductor) Fairy Pipers; Slumber Scene; Fairies and Giants (The Wand of Youth Suite No 1) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vernon Handley (conductor) Organ Sonata No 1 (4th mvt: Presto) Christopher Herrick (organ) The Valentine (Five Lancers) Rutland Sinfonia Barry Collett (conductor) The Dream of Gerontius (excerpt, Part 2) The Angel of the Agony....Gwynne Howell (bass) The Angel....Felicity Palmer (mezzo-soprano) Roderick Elms (organ) London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Richard Hickox (conductor) |
| 03 | 20070613 | Donald Macleod asks keen cyclist Stephen Johnson about the influence Elgar's hobby of cycling had on his music. They attempt to ride an authentic Edwardian bicycle and examine what the new hobby of the era meant to Elgar and his friends, particularly the female cyclists he knew, a number of whom turn up in the list of friends portrayed in the Enigma Variations. Pomp and Circumstance March No 3 Royal Scottish National Orchestra Alexander Gibson (conductor) Introduction and Allegro for Strings BBC Symphony Orchestra Andrew Davis (conductor) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) Baltimore Symphony Orchestra David Zinman (conductor) |
| 04 | 20070614 | Elgar's Landscapes 4/5. Stephen Johnson joins Donald Macleod to explore the eerily desolate landscape of Longdon Marsh, a few miles west of Tewkesbury, where Elgar went to get away from it all and explore his well developed sense of melancholy. Pomp and Circumstance March No 4 Royal Scottish National Orchestra Alexander Gibson (conductor) Violin Sonata (2nd mvt: Andante) Maxim Vengerov (violin) Revital Chachamov (piano) Interlude: Gloucestershire; Shallow's orchard (Falstaff) London Symphony Orchestra Edward Elgar (conductor) Piano Quintet (1st mvt: Moderato, Adagio) The Nash Ensemble The Ascension (The Apostles) The Blessed Virgin/The Angel Gabriel....Alison Hargan (soprano) Mary Magdalene....Alfreda Hodgson (contralto) St John....David Rendall (tenor) St Peter....Bryn Terfel (bass) Jesus....Stephen Roberts (bass) Judas....Robert Lloyd (bass) London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Richard Hickox (conductor) |
| 05 LAST | 20070615 | They visit the rivers Severn, Lugg and Wye, upon whose banks the composer dreamt up the music for his First Symphony and Nursery Suite. Pomp and Circumstance March No 5 Royal Scottish National Orchestra Alexander Gibson (conductor) Symphony No 1 (2nd and 3rd mvts) London Symphony Orchestra Colin Davis (conductor) Nursery Suite Ulster Orchestra Bryden Thomson |