In this programme

Donald Runnicles

Scottish born conductor Donald Runnicles now lives in the United States and runs the San Francisco Opera, the Orchestra of St Luke's in New York and has a post with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has been an outspoken critic of the Bush regime even threatening to leave the country if Bush were re-elected. However he is a staunch advocate of the American arts funding system. Tom finds out why and asks him if new operas really do have a voice in contemporary culture.

You can hear Donald Runnicles conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a live concert from the Barbican in London on Performance on 3 on the 8th April at 7.30pm



Stanley Sadie

As editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians for more than 30 years, Stanley Sadie was in charge of one of the biggest monuments in music scholarship. The recent news of his death marks the end of a remarkable career. As a Mozart and Handel scholar, broadcaster and journalist he was one of the great musical communicators in this country. Nicholas Keynon, Controller of the BBC Proms, the critic Andrew Porter and colleague Leanne Langley pay tribute.



Ferruccio Busoni

Composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni, was a child prodigy and is one of the forgotten men of early 20th Century music. In his lifetime he was regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his age. As a composer he was widely admired, inspiring composers such as Edgard Varese and Arnold Schoenberg. However, after his death in 1924 he came to be seen as an overblown romantic whose visions were greater than his musical reality. Della Couling's new book on Busoni tries to rekindle the Busoni fire as she makes the case for the composer along with contributions from the pianist Hamish Milne and author Antony Beaumont.
Ferruccio Busoni "A Musical Ishmael", by Della Couling. Pub. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. hb. £27


Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

One of the musical revolutionaries of the post-war musical avant-garde, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is now master of the Queen's Music. Indeed one of his pieces will be played at the forthcoming wedding of Charles and Camilla. However this is no transition from radical to conservative. 'Max' is on a mission. In his Royal Philharmonic Society lecture later this month, he asks the question: will serious music become extinct? He explains to Tom why he sees the government's Music Manifesto to be a sham. This month sees a two week celebration of his music at the South Bank Centre in London and you can hear two of these concerts on Performance on 3 on the 24th and 25th of April.



Music played in this programme

Peter Maxwell Davies
An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise
The Choir of St Mary's Music School
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
George McIlwham
Unicorn Kanachana
DKP(CD)9070
Tr1
1'06

Mozart
Klaviersonate G-dur KV 283
Andante
Maria Joao pires
Deutsche Gramophon
437 791 2
Tr2
1'00

Mozart
Serenade in D Major K158
Andante Grazioso
Christopher Hogwoor and Japp Schroder
The Academy of Ancient Music
L'oiseu-lyre
411 936 2
Tr6
1'00

Britten
Billy Budd: Act Four, Scene 1 - Look! Through the port comes the moonshine
Bo Skovhus
Orchestra De Wiener Staats Oper
Donald Runnicles
Orfeo C 602 033D
CD3 Tr2
2'00

Peter Maxwell Davies
Seven Songs of Home
The Choir of St Mary's Music School
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Unicorn Kanachana
DKP(CD)9070
Tr1
1'06

Busoni
Sonata "No.0" in C major
Lara lev Violin
Matti Raekallio
Finlandia
2564 61078 2
Tr14
1'15

Bach
Partita nO.2 in D minor BWV 1004: Chaccone
Transcription by Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni playing
Ace of Dimonds ADD 164
35"

Liszt/ Busoni
Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale "ad nost, ed aslutarem undam"
Hamish Milne
L'oiseau Lyre DSLO 21
Side 2
45'

Busoni
Doktor Faust
Symphonia
Orhcestre d l'Opera de Lyon
Kent Nagano
Erato
3984 25501 2
CD1 Tr1 0'30

Busoni
Berceuse Elegiaque Op.42
BBC Philharmonic
Neeme Jarvi
Chandos
CHAN9920
Tr 5
1'00

Busoni
24 Preludes op 37: no 7 Allegro vivace
Geoffrey Douglas Madge
Philips 420 742 2
CD1 Tr7
0'40

Bach
Chaconne in D minor from Partita No 2 for Solo Violin, BWv1004
Transcription by Busoni.
Nikolai Demidenko
Hyperion CDA67324
Tr14
2'00

Peter Maxwell Davies
Naxos Quartet no.3 II. In Nomine
Maggini Quartet
Naxos 8.557397
Tr 2
1'15

Mozart
Symphony no38 in D major K.504: Andante
The English Consort
Trevor Pinnock
Archiv Produktion 447043 2
CD3 Tr2
2'00

Peter Maxwell Davies
Symphony No 6: Adagio - Allegro
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Colins Digital 14822
Tr1
2'00