Travelling Man
Donald Macleod explores Saint‑Saëns’s journeys through Europe and North Africa, where travel, recovery and creative renewal coloured the final chapters of his musical life.
Donald Macleod closes the week with Saint‑Saëns on the move, travelling to escape grief, restore his health and find new inspiration far from Paris. Today, he looks at the composer’s encounters abroad, from royal visits to quiet periods of solitude, and the ways in which unfamiliar landscapes, new friendships and long periods on the road fed back into his work.
Suite algérienne, Op. 60 – I. Prélude
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
Francis Travis, conductor
Étienne Marcel – Ballet Music: Entrée des écoliers et des ribaudes; Musette guerrière; Pavane; Valse
Residentie Orkest Den Haag
Jun Märkl, conductor
Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33 – I. Allegro non troppo
Steven Isserlis, cello
London Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Le carnaval des animaux
Isata Kanneh‑Mason, piano
Jeneba Kanneh‑Mason, piano
Braimah Kanneh‑Mason, violin
Ayla Sahin, violin
Timothy Ridout, viola
Sheku Kanneh‑Mason, cello
Toby Hughes, double bass
Adrian Spillett, xylophone
Oboe Sonata in D major, Op. 166 – II. Ad libitum – Allegretto
Charles Hamann, oboe
Stéphane Lemelin, piano
Produced by Ellie Ajao for Â鶹Éç Audio Wales and West.
On radio
More episodes
Next
You are at the last episode
Broadcast
- Fri 1 May 2026 16:00Â鶹Éç Radio 3
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.