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Donald Macleod explores the life and work of composer, Luigi Cherubini

An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position which gave him considerable influence over successive generations.

Music Featured:

Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna, Overture
Il Giocatore:, Intermezzo
Mass in F minor (Chimay) (excerpt)
Sonata for harpsichord no 3 in B flat major
Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum BV virginis a 8 voci
Il Giulio Sabino, Sinfonia (3rd mvt)
Horn sonata No 2 in F major
Symphony in D major (1st mvt, Largo – Allegro)
Mass No 2 in D minor (Kyrie)
Il Giulio Sabino, Act 1: Aria, I mesti affetti miei
Overture in G major
Lodoïska, Act 1: Aria, Triomphons avec noblesse
Démophon, Overture
Lodoiska, Act 2 (excerpts)
Eliza, ou Le voyage aux glaciers du Mont St. Bernard, Overture
Clytemnestre, recit Aux lois d’Agamemnon
Marcia per il signore Baron di Braun
Faniska, Overture
Chant sur la mort de Joseph Haydn (excerpt)
Les deux journées, ou le porteur d’eau, Act 2 (excerpt)
Medea, Act 3 Finale
Les Abencérages, Overture
Anacréon, Overture
Requiem No 1 in C minor (excerpt)
String Quartet No 2 (1st mvt, Lent – Allegro)
Requiem No 2 in D minor for male chorus & orchestra (Agnus Dei)

Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Johannah Smith for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Cymru Wales

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) /programmes/m0011bml

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z