Looking Out
Could the Iron Curtain have made culture beyond Soviet borders more alluring? Donald Macleod explores music written by Russians determined to look beyond political boundaries.
Could the Iron Curtain have made musical culture beyond Soviet borders more alluring? Donald Macleod and Marina Frolova-Walker find out, as they explore music written by Soviet composers who spent much of their time looking towards European trends. Plus music by a unique Russian voice who spent his career immersed in the world of jazz.
Denisov: Song about a Finger (from Sun of the Incas)
Natalia Zagorinskaya (soprano)
Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble
Denisov: Bagatelle No.3
Jean-Pierre Armengaud (piano)
Kapustin: Variations, Op.41
Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano)
Schnittke: Title: Concerto Grosso No.1
Gidon Kremer (violin)
Tatiana Grindenko (violin)
Yuri Smirnov (harpsichord, prepared piano)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Heinrich Schiff (conductor)
Schnittke: Pastorale (Suite in the Old Style)
Leonard Elschenbroich (cello)
Petr Limonov (piano).
Last on
Music Played
![]()
Edison Denisov
Sun of the Incas - Song about a Finger
Singer: Natalia Zagorinskaya. Ensemble: Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble.- TRITON:17003.
- TRITON.
- 6.
![]()
Edison Denisov
Bagatelles no 3
Performer: Jean‐Pierre Armengaud.- Edison Denisov Au Plus Haut Des Cieux.
- Harmonia Mundi.
- 3.
![]()
Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin
Variations Op 41
Performer: Marc‐André Hamelin.- KAPUSTIN - Variations Op.41; Intermezzo and Finale from Op.40.
- HYPERION.
- 1.
![]()
Alfred Schnittke
Concerto Grosso no 1
Performer: Gidon Kremer. Performer: Tatyana Grindenko. Performer: Yuri Smirnov. Performer: Heinrich Schiff. Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON : 4455-20.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
- 1.
![]()
Alfred Schnittke
Suite in the Old Style - Pastorale
Performer: Leonard Elschenbroich. Performer: Peter Limonov.- Schnittke Musica Nostalgica.
- ONYX.
- 4.
Broadcast
- Thu 16 Nov 201712:00BBC Radio 3
Breaking Free: A Century of Russian Culture
BBC Radio 3's exploration of the 1917 Russian Revolution and its cultural reverberations.
Beethoven Unleashed – the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.
