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The English Strauss

Howell shot to fame in 1919 with ‘Lamia’, an orchestral work premiered at the Proms to a rapturous reception. She was hailed by the press aged 21 as ‘The English Richard Strauss’.

This week Donald Macleod is joined by the award-winning author Leah Broad to explore the story of the British composer Dorothy Howell, who shot to fame aged 21 after the triumphant premiere of her orchestral work ‘Lamia’ at the Proms. By the mid-1920s she was regarded as one of the leading women composers of the day, performing in prestigious venues across the UK and regularly appearing on radio programmes in the earliest days of broadcasting. But she faced challenges from the 1930s onwards that left her disillusioned, and by the end of her life she wanted to destroy all but a handful of her works. Luckily family intervened, but even so Howell’s music almost disappeared from view - until recently.

In the first of this week’s programmes, Donald Macleod looks with Leah Broad at how Howell rose to fame with ‘Lamia’, an orchestral work that was premiered at the Proms in 1919 to a rapturous reception, and the experiences that shaped the piece.

Spindrift
Simon Callaghan, piano
Hiroaki Takenouchi, piano

Humoresque for Orchestra
91Èȱ¬ Concert Orchestra
Rebecca Miller, conductor

Sonata for violin and piano (Mvt 1)
Lorraine McAslan, violin
Sophia Rahman, piano

Two Frogs
Emily Gray, mezzo-soprano
Timothy Salter, piano

Five Studies for piano (Mvts 1, 2 and 3)
Sophia Rahman, piano

Boat Song for piano
Hiroaki Takenouchi, piano

Lamia
91Èȱ¬ Philharmonic
Rumon Gamba, conductor

59 minutes

Last on

Mon 7 Oct 2024 16:00

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Music Played

  • Dorothy Howell

    Spindrift

    Performer: Simon Callaghan. Performer: Hiroaki Takenouchi.
    • LYRITA : SRCD-433.
    • LYRITA.
    • 24.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Humoresque

    Orchestra: 91Èȱ¬ Concert Orchestra. Conductor: Rebecca Miller.
    • SIGNUM : SIGCD763.
    • SIGNUM.
    • 1.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Sonata for violn and piano (1st mvt)

    Performer: Lorraine McAslan. Performer: Sophia Rahman.
    • DUTTON : CDLX-7144.
    • DUTTON.
    • 1.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Two Frogs

    Performer: Timothy Salter. Singer: Emily Gray.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Five Studies for piano (Nos 1, 2 & 3)

    Performer: Sophia Rahman.
    • DUTTON : CDLX-7144.
    • DUTTON.
    • 9.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Boat Song

    Performer: Hiroaki Takenouchi.
  • Dorothy Howell

    Lamia

    Orchestra: 91Èȱ¬ Philharmonic. Conductor: Rumon Gamba.
    • British Tone Poems Volume 2.
    • Chandos.
    • 5.

Broadcast

  • Mon 7 Oct 2024 16:00

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