Afternoon on 3 - Exile - Episode 1

Presented by Jonathan Swain. Series of performances by BBC orchestras featuring music by composers who left their native countries. Although Stravinsky spent the period from 1914-1918 in Switzerland, unable to return to his native Russia because of his involvement in both the First World War and the Russian Revolution, it was a creative period for him, which produced works like Pulcinella and The Soldier's Tale. Both Paul Hindemith and Kurt Weill fled Nazi Germany, as the regime not only banned performances of their music, but moved against them personally. Hindemith had naively invited Hitler himself to come and sit in on one of his music tutorials to prove to him he was no threat, but Weill was under no illusions and he fled Germany in March 1933 with just a few of his personal belongings. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending Jennifer Pike (violin) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Richard Hickox (conductor) 2.15pm Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale Kenneth Cranham (narrator) Members of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Stephan Solyom (conductor) 3.10pm Weill: Symphony No 2 BBC National Orchestra of Wales Mark Stringer (conductor) Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No 1 in D, Op 19 Alina Ibragimova (violin) BBC Symphony Orchestra Edward Gardner (conductor) 4.25pm Hindemith: Symphony (Mathis der Maler) Ulster Orchestra Howard Shelley (conductor).