To celebrate the centenary of Malcolm Arnold, one of Britain’s finest composers, we reassess his legacy and ask why he is so often overlooked. There’s a feast of violin music in this month’s issue, as Richard Morrison meets the French violinist Renaud Capuçon to discuss the music of Elgar, and we talk to the Italian violinist Francesca Dego about her experience of playing Paganini’s very own Guarneri violin in her new recording. We also meet the fascinating pianist Sulamita Aronovsky as she reflects on her time at the Moscow Conservatoire during its 1950s golden era with the likes of Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sviatoslav Richter and David Oistrakh.
As Radio 3 embarks on a series of spring programming and we shake off the winter blues, we explore the great works of classical music inspired by the flourishing new season. Plus, Claire Jackson looks at the influence the animal kingdom has had on the great composers.
We name the best recordings of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and Reynaldo Hahn, the master of French song, is our composer of the month.
Click here for the inlay of this month's cover CD.
