Ponchielli and Widor

Donald Macleod and guest Yshani Perinpanayagam explore the lives and music of Amilcare Ponchielli and Charles-Marie Widor, composers who are primarily famous for a single work.

Last Easter, Composer of the Week explored the lives of ten composers whose music we adore but mainly only for a lone composition. This week, Donald Macleod makes a second selection of classical ‘One Hit Wonders’ - ten more composers who have been catapulted into the mainstream thanks to the surprising popularity of just one of their pieces. He’s joined by pianist and music director, Yshani Perinpanayagam, to uncover these composers' stories and to share examples of their best music. We’ll hear the familiar hits alongside plenty of captivating music that’s less well-known.

In Monday’s programme, Donald and Yshani reveal their first two composers. Ponchielli is probably most famous for music that Walt Disney borrowed to accompany ballet-dancing hippopotamuses and crocodiles in his movie, Fantasia. Widor’s celebrated Toccata has accompanied thousands of beaming brides down the aisle, but what else did he achieve, away from the organ bench?

Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours (La Gioconda, Act III)
Munich Radio Orchestra, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Marcello Viotti

Ponchielli: Sinfonia in Bb minor, Op 153
Banda Civica Musicale di Soncino, directed by Luca Valenti

Widor: Toccata (from Symphony No 5)
Olivier Latry, organ

Widor: Piano Quartet in A minor Op 66 (2nd and 3rd mvt)
Ames Piano Quartet

Ponchielli: Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Eb Clarinet and Piano Op 110 (extract)
Ensemble Villa Musica