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Friday - Rob Cowan with Antony Beevor

With Rob Cowan. Including My Favourite Fugues; Music in Time: Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances; Artist of the Week: Clara Haskil, featured performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No 2.

9am
My favourite... Fugues
This week, Rob explores that ultimate test of a composer's mettle, the fugue - a musical form in which successive entries of the same melody weave together to create a complex contrapuntal fabric. Rob's favourites include fugues by Bach, Mozart, Walton and Shostakovich - plus a rarely-heard vocal one by the pianist Glenn Gould, aptly titled: "So you want to write a fugue?"

9.30am
Take part in today's musical challenge: listen to the clues and identify a mystery musical location.

10am
Rob's guest this week, sharing his favourite classical music every day, is the acclaimed military historian Antony Beevor. Famous for the best-selling histories of World War Two, Stalingrad and Berlin - The Downfall 1945, his works also include Crete: The Battle and the Resistance and The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-39. Antony studied at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and went on to serve with the 11th Hussars before becoming a writer, and this week he shares with Rob music including works by Vaughan Williams, Dvorak, Bach and Vivaldi.

10.30am
Music in Time: Modern
Rob places Music in Time. Today the spotlight is on the Modern era and a work that swam against the prevailing tide of music history - Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, Op 45. Written in 1940, towards the end of the composer's life, Rachmaninov's magnificent orchestral swan song combines the regal splendour of Old Russia with the optimism and glamour of the New World.

11am
Artist of the Week: Clara Haskil
Rob's Artist of the Week is the Romanian pianist Clara Haskil, one of the finest musicians of her generation, who endured a life of great suffering but was adored by a discerning public. Her precious discography has stood the test of time and includes many celebrated recordings - not least, Mozart concertos, heartfelt Schumann, sultry Falla, poetic Chopin, and Beethoven violin sonatas with Arthur Grumiaux, with whom she gave her last concert.

Chopin
Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21
Clara Haskil (piano)
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Igor Markevitch (conductor).

3 hours

Music Played

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    All-Night Vigil, Op.37: To Thee, the Victorious Leader

    Choir: Latvian Radio Choir. Conductor: Sigvards Kļava.
    • ONDINE.
  • MY FAVOURITE... FUGUES

    • William Walton

      'Spitfire' Prelude and Fugue

      Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Charles Groves.
      • EMI.
  • Henry Purcell

    O, I'm sick of life, Z140

    Singer: Rogers Covey‐Crump. Singer: Charles Daniels. Orchestra: The King’s Consort. Conductor: Robert King.
    • HYPERION.
  • Joseph Haydn

    Piano Trio in D major, H.15.24

    Ensemble: Beaux Arts Trio.
    • PHILIPS.
  • édzپ

    Alleluia, Nativitas

    Performer: Jan Garbarek. Ensemble: The Hilliard Ensemble.
  • Claude Debussy

    L'Isle joyeuse

    Performer: Samson François.
    • PHILIPS.
  • François-André Danican Philidor

    Quartet No.1 for flute, two violins and continuo (L'Art de la modulation)

    Ensemble: Camerata Köln.
    • CPO.
  • Olivier Latry

    Improvisation

    • NAIVE.
  • ANTONY BEEVOR'S CHOICE NO.1

    • Antonio Vivaldi

      Concerto in C major for 2 trumpets, RV.537

      Performer: Alison Balsom. Performer: Crispian Steele‐Perkins. Ensemble: The Parley of Instruments. Conductor: Peter Holman.
      • Music for two trumpets from the Italian Baroque.
      • Hyperion.
      • 33.
  • Rob's choice for Antony Beevor

    • Ernest Bloch

      Baal Shem: II. Nigun

      Performer: Yehudi Menuhin. Performer: Abram Makarov.
      • WARNER.
  • Music in Time: Modern

    • Sergey Rachmaninov

      Symphonic Dances, Op.45

      Orchestra: State Academic Symphony Orchestra of The Russian Federation. Conductor: Evgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov.
      • MELODIYA.
  • ARTIST OF THE WEEK: CLARA HASKIL

    • Frédéric Chopin

      Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, Op.21

      Performer: Clara Haskil. Orchestra: Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux. Conductor: Igor Markevitch.
      • PHILIPS.
  • Franz Liszt

    Chasse Neige, from Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139

    Performer: Daniil Trifonov.

Mystery Place

Answer: Notre Dame Cathedral

Broadcast

  • Fri 16 Sep 2016 09:00

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