Composer Of The Week - 31 Aug - 04 Sept 26

This French musician was not only a successful composer but also a talented cellist. His witty plots and infectious tunes helped establish operetta as a popular musical form, paving the way for the twentieth-century musical.

He transformed French opera with sensual music and lifelike drama, shocking audiences along the way. He died young, never living to see the fame his music would bring.

He had a sardonic wit, was obsessively self-critical and became one of England’s finest twentieth-century composers. He wrote across many genres, including orchestral, choral and chamber music, as well as opera and film scores. William Walton is our Composer of the Week.

Together with Vaughan Williams, he was one of the leading English composers of his generation. But his interests stretched far beyond English folksong –to Hindu philosophy and further afield… the galaxy. Gustav Holst is our Composer of the Week.

As one of the 20th century’s greatest composers, his piano virtuosity enabled him to significantly expand the instrument’s repertoire. While his music did not express political sentiment, he suffered great torment when his wife was arrested under the Stalinist regime. Sadly, he never lived to see her release Sergei Prokofiev…