Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 01 | The Land Caressed, By The Sun | 20180521 | All this week Donald Macleod looks at the life and music of Maurice Ravel. Today he considers the Spanish influence on the music of Maurice Ravel. Born in the Basque region of France to a Spanish-speaking mother and Swiss-French father, Ravel's Spanish heritage would feature prominently in many of his early works, as he evoked 'the fragrant land caressed by the sun' -to quote the subtitle to his early Habanera. Habanera (Rapsodie Espagnol) Pascal & Ami Rog退, piano Pavane pour une infante defunte Ulster Orchestra Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor Jeux d'eau Angela Hewitt, piano String Quartet in F Emerson String Quartet Miroirs (exracts) Bertrand Chamayou, piano Menuet (1904) Bertrand Chamayou, piano. Donald Macleod looks at influence of Spain on the early life and music of Maurice Ravel. |
| 2018 | 02 | The Prix De Rome Debacle | 20180522 | All roads lead to Rome, they say, unless your name is Maurice Ravel. Donald Macleod continues the story of Ravel's life and music, looking today at his period of extraordinary creativity following the disappointments of the Prix de Rome scandal. Ironically, Ravel's failure in that enterprise would lead to invitations to a luxury boating holiday, and a period of extraordinary inspiration. Introduction & Allegro Osian Ellis, Harp Melos Ensemble Histoires Naturelles: Le Cygne, Le Martin-Pꀀcheur Nora Gubisch mezzo-soprano Alain Altinoglu, piano Rapsodie Espagnol: Feria Tonhalle Orchester Zurich Lionel Bruinguier, conductor Gaspard de la Nuit: Ondine, Le Gibet Bertrand Chamayou, piano L'Heure Espagnole (extract) Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, tenor Brett Polegato, baritone Peter Rose, bass BBC Philharmonic Gianandrea Noseda, conductor. Donald Macleod continues the story of Ravel, and what followed the Prix de Rome debacle. |
| 2018 | 03 | Childish Things | 20180523 | There was something about Ravel that never quite put away childish things. Perhaps because he was a very short man, with a love of mechanica toys, l Ravel was very close to the world of children. Donald Macleod continues the story of Maurice Ravel's life and music, and looks at the music of his middle years, when childhood, and when dance forms were particularly important to him. . Ma Mere l'Oye: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant Pacal & Ami Rog退, piano Ma Mere l'Oye: Petit Poucet, Laideronette, Les entretiens de la belle et de la bꀀte Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR Stephane Deneve, conductor Daphnis & Chloe Suite II (extracts) Tonhalle Orchester Zurich Zurcher Sing-Akademie Lionel Bringuier, conductor Valses nobles et sentimentales (extract) Angela Hewitt, piano Piano Trio (movts 1 & 2) Joshua Bell, violin Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano Stephen Isserlis, cello. A short man, Ravel was close to the world of children, as Donald Macleod explains. |
| 2018 | 04 | The War And Its Aftermath | 20180524 | Donald Macleod explores the effect of the Great War on the music of Maurice Ravel, as the composer commemorates the fallen, and develops a leaner style to match the times. Ravel discovers the blues, and incorporates jazz idioms in his later works. Le Tombeau de Couperin: Prelude Bertrand Chamayou, piano Le Tombeau de Couperin: Menuet, Rigaudon London Symphony Orchestra Claudio Abbado, conductor La Valse Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Lionel Bringuier, conductor Sonata for Violin and Cello (movts 1 & 2) Marcia Crayford, violin Christopher van Kampen, cello Concerto for the left hand in D major Steven Osborne, piano BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ludovic Morlot, conductor. Donald Macleod explores the effect of the Great War on the music of Maurice Ravel. |
| 2018 | 05 LAST | Final Years | 20180525 | When Maurice Ravel died 'thin and grey as a fog' he left behind a substantial corpus of work, including some of his best loved orchestral works. Donald Macleod concludes his account of the composer's life and work. L'Enfant et les Sortileges (extract) H退l耀ne H退brard, soprano Delphine Galou, contralto Nicolas Courjal, bass Julie Pasturaud, mezzo soprano Marc Barrard, baritone Annick Massis, soprano Orchestre National de Lyon Leonard Slatkin, conductor Chansons Madecasses: Aoua! Aoua! Mefiez-vous des Blancs!, Il est doux de se coucher Jessye Norman, soprano Violin Sonata: II Blues Lydia Mordkovitch, violin Clifford Benson, piano Piano Concerto in G (movts 1 & 2) Martha Argerich, Piano London Symphony Orchestra Claudio Abbado, conductor. Donald Macleod looks at the music that emerged from the last years of Maurice Ravel's life |