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Donald Macleod follows Tom to Italy, where he’s finally able to escape his father’s watchful eye.

English composer, Thomas Linley The Younger, was destined to become one of the brightest musical stars of eighteenth century. No less a person than Mozart, who was also a personal friend, hailed him as a ‘true genius’. Even so, Linley’s life was troubled. He and his siblings were ruthlessly driven by their ambitious father. He saw his beloved sister become fodder for the celebrity-hungry gossip mongers of the British press and must have wondered if he might be next. He was forced to navigate a dangerous atmosphere of prurience and moral suspicion about the private lives of ‘theatre people’ like himself. A cloud of mystery hovers over Tom’s shocking and early death at the age of just 22. Donald Macleod is joined by Linley’s biographer, Tony Scotland, to shine a light on this charming and often enigmatic composer, alongside music by Tom and his circle.

Today, Donald sees Tom finish his education in Italy, where he encounters a new mentor, disreputable patrons, and a life-long soul mate in the shape of fellow boy-wonder, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Nardini: Sonata No 1 for 2 Violins in G Major
Igor Ruhadze, violin
Daria Gorban, violin
Ensemble Violini Capricciosi

Linley the Younger: To heal the wound a bee had made
Linley the Elder: Awake, my Lyre
Rufus Müller, tenor
Members of Invocation: Florian Deuter, violin; Timothy Roberts, harpsichord; Frances Kelly, Welsh harp

Linley the Younger: Sonata in A major
Elizabeth Wallfisch
Paul Nicholson, harpsichord

Linley the Younger: A Lyric Ode on the Fairies, Aerial Beings and Witches of Shakespeare (extracts from Part 1)
Julia Gooding (Spirit of Avon), soprano
Lorna Anderson, (Fancy), soprano
The Parley of Instruments Choir and Orchestra, directed by Paul Nicholson

Produced by Chris Taylor for Â鶹Éç Audio Wales & West