Garden, Home and Taverns
Donald Macleod explores some of the spaces where music was played in Schubert鈥檚 Vienna.
Donald Macleod explores some of the spaces where music was played in Schubert鈥檚 Vienna.
Of all Europe鈥檚 major cities, perhaps Vienna is the one with the reputation as the most comfortable, the most sophisticated, and the most musical. In fact, has any other city been home to so many great composers as Vienna? Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Salieri all spent their best years working there. Yet none of those starry names was born in the city, none were true Viennese. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores Vienna through the lens of arguably the greatest home grown composer the city has ever produced 鈥� Franz Schubert 鈥� a man whose short life spanned a crucial period in Austrian history, a time of crisis and much change. In his company we鈥檒l explore Vienna鈥檚 churches and theatres, its parks, coffee houses and taverns, and also glimpse the darker side of the city too 鈥� the excesses of Europe鈥檚 aristocracy and the all seeing eyes of Vienna鈥檚 secret police.
In Thursday鈥檚 programme, Donald explores some of the spaces where music was played in Schubert鈥檚 Vienna. From the parks and gardens where harpists and barrel organists played their trade, to the fashionably decorated homes of Schubert鈥檚 friends and the taverns 鈥� some of which held series of public concerts.
Symphony No 5 in B flat Major, D485 (1st mvt, Allegro)
Berlin Philharmonic
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Winterreise, D911 (No 24, Der Leiermann)
Andr猫 Schuen, baritone
Daniel Heide, piano
Der Wanderer, D489
Florian Boesch, baritone
Roger Vignoles, piano
Piano Quintet in A Major, D667 鈥淭he Trout鈥� (3rd mvt, Scherzo)
Andreas Haefliger, piano
Joseph Carver, double bass
Takacs Quartet
38 Waltzes, D145, Op 18 (Nos 6, 8 & 9 )
Pierre Laurent Aimard, piano
An Sylvia, D891, Op 6 (No 4)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Gerald Moore, piano
Fantasy in F minor, D940, Op 103
Maria Joao Pires, Ricardo Castro, piano
Produced by Sam Phillips for 大象传媒 Audio Wales & West
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask 大象传媒 Sounds to play Composer of the Week"
On radio
More episodes
Broadcast
- Thu 2 Jan 2025 16:00大象传媒 Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed 鈥� the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
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
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 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 鈥� 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.