Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Chávez raises the next generation of Mexican composers - then leaves Mexico behind. Donald explores Chávez's legacy through the music of his students.

Carlos Chávez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would go on to single-handedly revolutionise Mexican music and culture, filling his compositions with indigenous Aztec stories and sounds. Many cite Aaron Copland as an influence on Chávez, but the truth may have been the reverse. While Copland was championing American music in the States, Chávez was fighting for it in Mexico, educating the next generation of Mexican composers. He may have shaped American music more than any other - yet his legacy is little known. Odaline de la Martinez joins Donald Macleod to explore his life and work.

In today's final programme, Donald explores Chávez's legacy through the music of his students. At 70, Chávez was still producing some of the most exciting compositions of his career - but perhaps his most interesting work was as a teacher. He was openly critical of the Conservatory's failure to produce competent composers, and so was developing his own techniques, teaching his pupils to take classic pieces and transform them, making the piece their own. Chávez raised the next generation of Mexican composers - but in his final years, he left Mexico behind.

Symphony No 6: III. Passacaglia con anima
London Symphony Orchestra
Eduardo Mata, conductor

String Quartet No. 2
Brodsky Quartet

Huapango
Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas
Alondra de la Parra, conductor

Soli IV
Southwest Chamber Music
Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor

Produced by Alice McKee for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Audio Wales and West

59 minutes

Last on

Fri 15 Sep 2023 12:00

Music Played

  • Carlos Chávez

    Symphony No 6: III. Passacaglia con anima

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Eduardo Mata.
    • VOX : CDX-5061.
    • VOX.
    • 6.
  • José Pablo Moncayo

    Huapango

    Orchestra: Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Conductor: Alondra de la Parra.
    • SONY : 88697-704412.
    • SONY.
    • 1.
  • Carlos Chávez

    Soli IV

    Performer: Southwest Chamber Music. Conductor: Jeff von der Schmidt.
    • CAMBRIA : CAMCD-8851.
    • CAMBRIA.
    • 14.

Broadcast

  • Fri 15 Sep 2023 12:00

Vaughan Williams Today

Vaughan Williams Today

Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

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

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.