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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

Composer of the Week - Brand

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Judith Weir (1954-)

Composer of the Week: Judith Weir (1954-): Episode 3: Perspectives

Judith Weir (1954-)

Episode 3

Episode 3: Perspectives

Perspectives

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Judith Weir (1954-), Perspectives

Judith Weir on how elements around her are distilled in the form and language of her music

Judith Weir explains to Donald Macleod how the elements around her, from outer space to the roof of the Royal Albert Hall, are distilled in the form and language of her music.

Judith Weir describes how the elements around her, from outer space to the roof of the Royal Albert Hall become are distilled in the form and language of her music. 

One of our most distinguished composers, in July 2014 Judith Weir succeeded Sir Peter Maxwell Davies as Master of the Queen's Music. It's an honour that joins an already impressive collection of awards, which include a CBE and the Queen's Medal for Music. Born in 1954 into a musical Scottish family, Weir grew up near London. A member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Weir studied composition with John Tavener during her school holidays. More formal studies followed at Cambridge University, including composition with Robin Holloway, and at Tanglewood summer school, where she worked with Gunther Schuller. The possessor of a rich, fertile imagination, Weir draws on a wide variety of sources, notably dark fairytales, folk stories, Chinese philosophy, Indian music and culture, distilling their essence in music of luminous clarity. Her fundamental concern is to tell stories. An articulate communicator, Weir's writing about her music encapsulates the process brilliantly. In this series, Weir offers a personal insight into some of the musical projects which have occupied her since the beginning of the noughties. 

From the vernacular to the literary, Judith Weir takes inspiration from the world around her. Ancient forms, folk tales, the universe and Chinese philosophical literature are recurring sources of inspiration. Today, in conversation with Donald Macleod, Judith Weir traces the roots of their appeal and illustrates the variety in her treatment of these persistent themes.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod is joined by composer Judith Weir to discuss her life and work

Donald Macleod is joined by composer Judith Weir to discuss her life and work. Her music draws on a wide variety of sources: fairy tales, folk stories, Chinese philosophy and Indian music and culture

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Judith Weir (1954-)

Episode 3: Perspectives

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