Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 01 | Educating A Rebel | 20230911 | Carlos Chကvez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chကvez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chကvez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work. In today's programme, Donald finds a young Chကvez, learning piano, as a ruthless regime is wrought outside his window. At first, the European avant-garde captures his imagination but soon he discovers inspiration a little closer to home. Three Pieces for Guitar Eduardo Fernandez, guitar Sexteto para Arcos y Piano: III. Andante & IV. Finale Cuarteto Carlos Chကvez Los Cuatro Soles Ambrosian Singers London Symphony Orchestra Carlos Chကvez, conductor Chapultepec 'Republican Overture Royal Philharmonix Orchestra Enrique Batiz, conductor Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West The man who single-handedly revolutionised Mexican music. |
| 2023 | 02 | The Roaring Twenties | 20230912 | Carlos Chကvez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chကvez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chကvez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work. In today's programme, Chကvez arrives in New York at the height of the Roaring Twenties. Chavez is just another young man with big ideas, making the pilgrimage, in the hope of finding like-minded, daring thinkers. It's here that he met Aaron Copland. Though they made an unlikely pair, they became fast friends. As Chကvez wrote to Copland: 'You and I see things in the same light. Poligonos Hilde Somer, piano Tres Exagonos Southwest Chamber Music Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor Otros Tres Exagonos Energia: Suite de Caballos de Vapor: I. Danza del hombre, II. El barco, III. El tropico Sim n Bol퀀var Symphony Orchestra Eduardo Mata, conductor Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West Ch\u00e1vez arrives in New York at the height of the Roaring Twenties. |
| 2023 | 03 | Return To Mexico | 20230913 | Carlos Chကvez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chကvez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chကvez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work. In today's programme, Chကvez returns to his homeland. Placed in charge of Mexico's first permanent orchestra and appointed director of the National Conservatoire, the composer is no longer locked outside the establishment. He doesn't waste time tearing up the curriculum and turning music education on its head. Soli I Southwest Chamber Music Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor Soli II Sinfonia India Sim n Bol퀀var Symphony Orchestra Eduardo Mata, conductor Xochipilli Tambuco Percussion Ensemble Toccata for Percussion Instruments Manhattan Percussion Ensemble Los Angeles Contemporary Music Ensemble Paul Price, conductor Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West Ch\u00e1vez returns to his homeland. |
| 2023 | 04 | Power Or Freedom? | 20230914 | Carlos Chကvez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chကvez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chကvez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work. In today's programme, we find Chကvez at an all-time high. Commanding an orchestra, directing a new fine art institution, giving lectures and lessons, left, right, and centre. He's finally able to support the next generation of Mexican composers - but his own composing is suffering. Will he have to give up his newfound power, in order to keep making the music that made his name? Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Pablo Roberto Diemecke, violin Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de M退xico Enrique Arturo Diemecke, conductor Sinfonia Romantica: III. Finale Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York Carlos Chကvez, conductor Symphony No 5: I. Allegro molto moderato, molto lento London Symphony Orchestra Eduardo Mata, conductor Tambuco for Percussion Tambuco Percussion Ensemble Southwest Chamber Music Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West Ch\u00e1vez is at an all-time high - but he finds himself composing less and less. |
| 2023 | 05 LAST | Rebirth | 20230915 | Carlos Chကvez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chကvez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chကvez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work. In today's final programme, Donald explores Chကvez's legacy through the music of his students. At 70, Chကvez was still producing some of the most exciting compositions of his career - but perhaps his most interesting work was as a teacher. He was openly critical of the Conservatory's failure to produce competent composers, and so was developing his own techniques, teaching his pupils to take classic pieces and transform them, making the piece their own. Chကvez raised the next generation of Mexican composers - but in his final years, he left Mexico behind. Symphony No 6: III. Passacaglia con anima London Symphony Orchestra Eduardo Mata, conductor String Quartet No. 2 Brodsky Quartet Huapango Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas Alondra de la Parra, conductor Soli IV Southwest Chamber Music Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales and West Ch\u00e1vez raises the next generation of Mexican composers - then leaves Mexico behind. |