William Walton (1902-1983)
Donald Macleod explores the music of William Walton, from his avant-garde early works to his royal commissions.
William Walton composed music for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI, pieces of pomp and circumstance. But Walton grew up far from Buckingham Palace and the world of the Windsors, in the northern working-class town of Oldham, seemingly destined to work at the cotton mill. Even when he escaped to Oxford and then London, making high-society friends such as the Sitwells, his early music was intense and avant-garde - not at all suitable for a royal affair. So how did Walton become the royal composer of choice? This week, we鈥檒l find out.
Music Featured:
Coronation Te Deum
Litany
Fa莽ade: 2. En famille
Portsmouth Point
Sinfonia Concertante
Fa莽ade (extracts)
Viola Concerto
As You Like It: A Poem for Orchestra after Shakespeare
Symphony No 1
Crown Imperial
Violin Concerto
Henry V
Hamlet
Troilus and Cressida (excerpts)
Orb and Sceptre
Cello Concerto
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Alice McKee
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 William Walton (1902-1983)
/programmes/m001lbzn
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we鈥檝e featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
Podcast
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Composer of the Week
Donald Macleod explores the life and work of composers.