Donald Macleod journeys through some of the contrasting sides of
Sir Malcolm Arnold and his music
Sir Malcolm Arnold was a prolific composer, writing music in many
different genres ranging from nine symphonies and over twenty
concertos, to chamber music, music for brass bands and nearly one
hundred and twenty film scores. These many works for film include
classics such as Hobson’s Choice, Whistle Down the Wind, the St
Trinian’s films, and The Bridge on the River Kwai for which he
won an Oscar. He composed works for some of the very top
performers in the music industry including Julian Bream, Julian
Lloyd Webber, Larry Adler, Frederic Thurston, Benny Goodman, and
collaborated with the likes of Deep Purple and Gerard Hoffnung.
His music crossed social boundaries and gave pleasure to so many,
and yet his personal life was marred by alcoholism, depression
and periods of hospitalization. He’s been described as a larger
than life character, outrageous, Falstaffian, Bohemian, and some
of the stories which circulated about Arnold have become the
stuff of legend.
Across the episode Donald Macleod traces Sir Malcolm Arnold’s
life through exploring five different influences upon the
composer’s music, from his love of Cornwall and Ireland, to his
own mental and emotional wellbeing.
Music featured: The Belles of St Trinian’s (Prelude) Symphony No
2, Op 40 (Lento) String Quartet No 1, Op 23 Clarinet Sonatina, Op
29 English Dances Set 1, Op 27 Three Shanties, Op 4 (Allegro
vivace) Four Cornish Dances, Op 91 Fantasy for Guitar, Op 107
Symphony No 8, Op 124 (Allegro) Philharmonic Concerto, Op 120
Suite Bourgeoise for flute, oboe and piano (Tango) Concerto for
Organ and Orchestra, Op 47 A Grand Grand Overture, Op 57 Symphony
No 4, Op 71 (Allegro) Concerto for Two Pianos (3 Hands), Op 104
The Padstow Lifeboat, Op 94 Divertimento for flute, oboe and
clarinet, Op 37 Little Suite No 1, Op 53 Fantasy for Brass Band,
Op 114 Concerto for Two Violins, Op 77 Hobson’s Choice (Overture)
The Sound Barrier Five Blake Songs, Op 66 Symphony No 5, Op 74
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC
Wales
For full tracklistings, 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 Malcolm Arnold
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8hm
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
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