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Donald Macleod explores Mathias's busy career teaching and composing

Marking the 25th anniversary since the death of the Welsh composer William James Mathias, his daughter Rhiannon Mathias and friend Geraint Lewis join Donald Macleod to explore the composer's extraordinary life and music. During his career Mathias had his works regularly performed on an international stage. His orchestral score Laudi was at one point the most often performed work by any living British composer. Mathias was frequently inundated with commissions, including one to compose music for the wedding of His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales in 1981. Alongside composing, Mathias was busy teaching new talent at Bangor University, whilst also sitting as a member of the Welsh Arts Council, the British Council, and the Music Advisory Board of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. During his life he was involved in the transition to full professional status of Welsh National Opera, active in the development of the then ´óÏó´«Ã½ Welsh Symphony Orchestra, and oversaw the founding of the National Youth Choir and Youth Brass Band of Wales. He was highly active on the British musical scene, and greatly disciplined to have achieved so much during his lifetime. He died aged 57 in 1992 having composed many works including symphonies and concertos.

During his career William Mathias had the opportunity of writing concertos for many leading performers, including the violinist Gyorgy Pauk, organist Gillian Weir, flautist William Bennett and oboist Sarah Francis. Mathias also composed a Clarinet Concerto for Gervase de Peyer, although Mathias was so busy with other commitments that the work was a number of years late. In order to undertake all these commissions and collaborations that came his way, including writing an opera with Iris Murdoch, Mathias had a very disciplined routine which also had to include his teaching and management commitments at Bangor University. By the early 1980s Mathias composed his Lux aeterna, written in memory of his mother. It includes words from the Mass for the Dead, and was premiered at the Three Choirs Festival in 1982. Around that same period, Geraint Lewis was interviewed by Mathias for a position at Bangor, and recalled being a day late returning to the University of Oxford, due to Mathias's fondness for entertaining.

Toccata alla Danza
Nelson Harper, piano

Clarinet Concerto, Op 68
Gervase de Peyer, clarinet
New Philharmonia Orchestra
David Atherton, conductor

Lux aeterna, Op 88
Penelope Walker, contralto
The Bach Choir
Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor
John Scott, organ
London Symphony Orchestra
David Willcocks, conductor

Vivat Regina, Op 75
Black Dyke Mills Band

Recessional, Op 96 No 4
Richard Lea, organ

Producer Luke Whitlock.