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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

Kate Molleson

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

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

Composer of the Week: William Walton (1902-1983)

Composer of the Week: William Walton (1902-1983): Episode 4: A Post-War Fight

William Walton (1902-1983)

Episode 4

Episode 4: A Post-War Fight

A Post-War Fight

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, William Walton (1902-1983), A Post-War Fight

How Walton struggled to prove his place as Britain's pre-eminent composer post-WWII.

Donald Macleod explores how William Walton struggled to prove his place as Britain's pre-eminent composer as new rivals came to the fore.

Donald Macleod explores how Walton struggled to prove his place as Britain's pre-eminent composer, as new rivals came to the fore.

The emergence of Benjamin Britten, whose dazzling successes culminated in 1945 with the opera Peter Grimes, saw Walton under pressure to prove that he hadn't fallen out of fashion. There was a suspicion that Walton's work during the war writing propaganda music for the Ministry of Information had dulled his powers. Walton started on a his first stage work reasoning that "I thought it was not a good thing for British opera to have only one opera by one composer".

As he fought to restore his reputation, Walton was also suffering great personal grief; the love of his life was terminally ill and her death would haunt him for the rest of his days.

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 explores the life and work of English composer William Walton

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of English composer William Walton. His work encompassed various different musical genres, from opera to film scores

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Composer of the Week

William Walton (1902-1983)

Episode 4: A Post-War Fight

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