Proms Chamber Music [The Early Music Show]

Episodes

EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
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01Composer Portrait: Tomas Luis De Victoria, Pcm 01, Bach's Goldberg Variations, BBC Proms2011071820110723 (R3)Catherine Bott presents a profile of the great Spanish composer, Tomကs Luis de Victoria, who died in 1611. He dedicated his musical life to the Church, working both in his native Spain and in Italy; all his compositions are vocal, sacred and in Latin. Although he was not as prolific a composer as some of his contemporaries, Victoria is now generally regarded as one of the greatest of Renaissance composers, his music characterised by its emotional intensity. Catherine Bott celebrates the genius of his music, and plays recordings of some of Victoria's powerfully moving music, including settings of Marian antiphons and Mass settings.

Catherine Bott presents a profile of Spanish Renaissance composer Tomas Luis de Victoria.

Performance and news from the world of early music.

Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord) performs Bach's masterwork the Goldberg Variations.

01Pachelbel's Vespers - Pcm 01 - Schubert Songs, Schumann's Dichterliebe - BBC Proms2010071920100724 (R3)Lucie Skeaping discovers that there is a lot more to Pachelbel than his famous Canon when she talks to the director of the ensemble Charivari Agreable, Kah-Ming Ng, about their recent collaboration with the King's Singers in a recording of Pachelbel's Vespers. About three centuries after they had been written, Kah-Ming Ng resurrected the manuscripts of these Vesper movements that had been lying forgotten in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. During the programme he talks to Lucie about the style of Pachelbel's vocal music, and how these Vespers came to be written, and they play a selection of music from this recording.

Lucie Skeaping explores Pachelbel's Vespers with Kah-Ming Ng and Charivari Agreable.

Performance and news from the world of early music.

Mark Padmore and Imogen Cooper perform Schumann's Dichterliebe and songs by Schubert.

02Gainsborough's Georgian England, Pcm 02: Francesco Piemontesi And Navarra Quartet, BBC Proms2010072620100731 (R3)Thomas Gainsborough had a deep love of music and many of his portraits include musical themes. He was himself a keen amateur player of the gamba and he included many musicians as friends, and as subjects for his portraits. Catherine Bott meets art historian and author of several books on the artist, Michael Rosenthal of Warwick University, for an exploration of what the Gainsborough portraits tell us about the role of music in the late 18th century. The programme includes comment about Gainsborough's portraits of Karl Friedrich Abel; Johann Christian Bach; and the Linley family, as well as paintings of some notable amateurs from the English gentry such as William Wollaston and the redoubtable Anne Ford.

Catherine Bott explores some of Thomas Gainsborough's portraits of musicians.

Performance and news from the world of early music.

Pianist Francesco Piemontesi and the Navarra Quartet play Debussy, Haydn and Schumann.

03Accademia Bizantina - Pcm 03 - Christensson, Neven, Eijsackers - BBC Proms2010080220100807 (R3)Lucie Skeaping presents highlights from a concert performed by Accademia Bizantina.

Performance and news from the world of early music.

Malin Christensson (soprano) and Henk Neven (baritone) perform Brahms, Berg and Wolf.

05Marguerite Of Austria - Pcm 05 - Julia Fischer, Milana Chernyavska - BBC Proms2010081620100821 (R3)Catherine Bott presents a programme telling the unfortunate tale of Marguerite of Austria, ill-fated in love and marriage but who was a pre-eminent patron of the arts. At the age of 2, Marguerite was betrothed to the 13-year old dauphin of France, the future Charles VIII, and she moved to France at the age of 3 in 1483. 8 years later though she returned home, humiliated that Charles had married Anne of Brittany instead. In 1497 Marguerite married Juan of Spain but he died 6 months later; after a few years she married Philibert de Savoie but this marriage too ended with his untimely death 3 years later. Soon afterwards Marguerite also lost her brother, Philippe de Beau, leaving 4 children and a mentally ill wife. Music and literature flourished at her court, as well as the visual arts, and Marguerite established a very impressive library of manuscripts and books. Poets and scholars dedicated works to her and she also wrote poetry herself, often lamenting her misfortunes, and titles such as 'regrets' or 'complaintes' dominate her collection of chansons. Several notable composers worked at her court, in particular Pierre de la Rue, and the music in the programme includes compositions that appeared in some of her manuscripts by Ockeghem, Agricola, Josquin and de la Rue.

Catherine Bott tells the unfortunate tale of Princess Marguerite of Austria.

Performance and news from the world of early music.

Catherine Bott presents Julia Fischer (violin) in music by Ysaye and Franck.