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Donald Macleod discusses with Dr Katy Hamilton why Le Beau fell so quickly into obscurity.

Luise Adolpha Le Beau was a German composer, concert pianist, teacher and music critic. Although her music was performed as far afield as Calcutta and Sydney, and despite the musical luminaries who influenced her career including the conductor Hans von Bülow, her story is one of continual struggle for recognition and respect. Le Beau’s parents were huge supporters of their daughter right from the start, but their frequent moving of home in Germany, including Baden-Baden, Munich and Berlin, tells another story. Le Beau frequently met opposition to her works and to performance opportunities, and would eventually move on with her parents to seek better prospects. Despite these set-backs, Le Beau forged her own path as a composer not only with works for her own instrument, the piano, but also with chamber music, opera, a symphony and many songs. She was determined to succeed, but after her death, without anyone to promote her works on her behalf, Le Beau soon fell into obscurity and was largely forgotten.

Le Beau’s parents had been firm supporters of their daughter and her career. Yet not long after they all moved back to Baden-Baden, Le Beau’s father died, and four years later so did her mother. Although Le Beau promised to her parents to keep going with composing and performing, in the remaining decades of her life she had lost some of her willingness to do battle, now that her key supporters were no longer there. With limited income Le Beau took on more piano pupils, and also moved to a smaller house. Dr Katy Hamilton joins Donald Macleod to discuss the significant impact the death of her parents had on Le Beau’s career, and they explore some of the reasons why Le Beau’s name has been largely forgotten until very recently.

Gigue, Op 48 No 3 (Danze Antiche)
Ana-Marija Markovina, piano

Vater unser, Op 61
Singer Pur

Symphony in F major, Op 41 (Adagio)
´óÏó´«Ã½ Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Geoffrey Patterson, conductor

Cello Sonata, Op 17
Steven Isserlis, cello
Connie Shih, piano

Barcarole, Op 59
Ana-Marija Markovina, piano

Abendklänge, Op 63
Ana-Marija Markovina, piano

Symphony in F major, Op 41 (excerpt)
´óÏó´«Ã½ Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Geoffrey Patterson, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock