The week beginning 18 February 2013

Monday 18 February: Best of Composer of the Week 2012

(7) The Brothers Grimm: Roger Wilson talks about the music inspired by the stories.

Wednesday 20 February: The Age of Reason

How has the world changed for women? Six inspiring octogenarians look back.

Six programmes

(2) Professor Romila Thapar

Dr Alice Rivlin is an economist who has seen every boom and bust since World War II. Now aged 81 she is one of President Obama's advisors on debt. It's her job to come up with solutions to America's financial crisis. She was a child during the Great Depression and as a young woman she worked on The Marshall, helping rebuild Europe after the war.  She speaks to Jenni Murray about the challenges of being female and wanting to be an economist – rejected from some universities, and even forbidden from taking out library books because she was female.

See the BBC website for this programme.

Thursday 21 February: Song of America

This 13-part series presented by Thomas Hampson examines connections between poetry, music, history and culture from the perspective of classic American song

(8) Arthur Farwell, American Pioneer

At the beginning of the 20th century, deeply influenced by Dvorák’s challenge to Americans to find their own musical voices, Arthur Farwell used music of Native Americans and words of American poets as inspiration for his own unique voice. He also pioneered the publishing of American composers and poets through his famed Wa-Wan Press (WFMT)

See the Song of America website for this programme.

Friday 22 February: 2012 Gramophone Awards

Best Solo Vocal Recording

Songs of War

IRELAND: Sea fever; SOMERVELL: Into my heart an air that kills; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Youth & love; The infinite shining heavens, from Songs of Travel; BUTTERWORTH: Six songs from A Shropshire Lad, Loveliest of trees; When I was one-and-twenty; Look not into my eyes; Think no more, lad; The lads in their hundreds; Is my team ploughing?; SOMERVELL: There pass the careless people; WARLOCK: The night; SOMERVELL: White in the moon; BUTTERWORTH: Bredon Hill; O fair enough are sky and plain; When the lad for longing sighs; On the idle hill of summer; With rue my heart is laden; BRIDGE: Thy hand in mine; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: The vagabond, from Songs of Travel; ROREM: An incident, from War Scenes; WEILL: Beat! Beat! Drums!; Dirge for two veterans - Simon Keenlyside (bar), Malcolm Martineau (pno) (Sony 88697)