Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Who Am I | 20060925 | A look at Finzi's colourful ancestry and the effect this had on his sense of identity as a young artist. A Young Man's Exhortation, from Op 14 James Gilchrist (tenor) Ann Tilbrook (piano) Magnificat, Op 36 Choir of St John's College Cambridge Christopher Whitton (organ) Christopher Robinson (director) Concerto for Small Orchestra and Solo Violin Tasmin Little (violin) City of London Sinfonia Richard Hickox (conductor) In Terra Pax Libby Crabtree (soprano) Donald Sweeney (bass) Choir of Winchester Cathedral Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra David Hill (conductor). |
| 01 | Who Am I | 20060925 | A look at Finzi's colourful ancestry and the effect this had on his sense of identity as a young artist. A Young Man's Exhortation, from Op 14 James Gilchrist (tenor) Ann Tilbrook (piano) Magnificat, Op 36 Choir of St John's College Cambridge Christopher Whitton (organ) Christopher Robinson (director) Concerto for Small Orchestra and Solo Violin Tasmin Little (violin) City of London Sinfonia Richard Hickox (conductor) In Terra Pax Libby Crabtree (soprano) Donald Sweeney (bass) Choir of Winchester Cathedral Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra David Hill (conductor). |
| 02 | Cats And Apples | 20060926 | The simpler things of life were always what mattered most to Finzi. Donald explores the joys of feline companionship, apple cultivation and the myriad sources of inspiration from the natural world which found their way into Finzi's work. As I lay in the Early Sun James Gilchrist (tenor) Anna Tilbrook (piano) I praise the tender flower (Partsongs Op 17, No 1) The Finzi Singers Paul Spicer (conductor) A Severn Rhapsody, Op 3 Northern Sinfonia Howard Griffiths (conductor) Intimations of Immortality, Op 29 Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra David Hill (conductor). |
| 03 | Channel Firing | 20060927 | Wartime brought with it a desk job rather than service at the front line for Finzi. But the impact was still great, an emotional hit which precipitated a near halt to composition. Donald Macleod reveals how Finzi carried himself through those difficult years and how they cast their shadow on his subsequent works. Romance for Strings, Op 11 City of London Sinfonia Richard Hickox (conductor) Let Us Garlands Bring, Op 18 Roderick Williams (baritone) Ian Burnside (piano) Love's Labours Lost, Op 28b (excerpts): Quodlibet; 3 Soliloquies: Finale English Symphony Orchestra William Boughton (conductor) Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice, Op 26 Choir of St John's College, Cambridge Christopher Whitton (organ) Christopher Robinson (director). |
| 04 | On Second Thoughts | 20060928 | Finzi was an inveterate tinkerer - not for him the blaze of inspiration with a perfect result at its end. Donald Macleod introduces a selection of Finzi's works which saw such protracted births, and also reveals some choice opinions which the composer held on his contemporaries. Eclogue, Op 10 Peter Donohoe (piano) Northern Sinfonia Howard Griffiths (conductor) 5 Bagatelles, Op 23 Thea King (clarinet) Clifford Benson (piano) Prelude, Op 25 City of London Sinfonia Richard Hickox (conductor) Cello Concerto - 1st mvt (Allegro moderato) Tim Hugh (cello) Howard Griffiths (conductor) Shortening Days (from A Young Man's Exhortation) James Gilchrist (tenor) Anna Tilbrook (piano). |
| 05 LAST | Forever Green | 20060929 | Donald Macleod finishes his commemoration of the life of Finzi with a look at the composer's ever-present preoccupation with the fragility and brevity of human existence, concluding with the work which stands as a central pillar of his artistic legacy. The Sigh (from A Young Man's Exhortation) James Gilchrist (tenor) Anna Tilbrook (piano) Nocturne (New Year Music) Andrew Marriner (clarinet) Academy of St Martins in the Fields Sir Neville Marriner (conductor) Welcome sweet and sacred feat, Op 27, No 3 Choir of St John's College Cambridge Christopher Whitton (organ) Christopher Robinson (director) Dies Natalis Philip Langbridge (tenor) London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox (conductor) The Too Short Time (from Before and after Summer, Op 16) David Wilson-Johnson (bass-baritone) David Owen Norris (piano). |