Beethoven Unleashed - Beethoven And The Voice

Episodes

SeriesEpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
Comments
202001Finding A Voice20200504Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's early vocal music, including Adelaide and his only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, with conductor Simone Young and pianist and writer Iain Burnside.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be discussing some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his songwriting, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

Today they consider whether Beethoven found writing for the voice more difficult than writing instrumental music.

Christus am րlberge (excerpt)

Final chorus

Chorus and National Orchestra of Lyon

Serge Baudo, director

Ein Selbstgespr䀀ch

John Mark Ainsley, tenor

Iain Burnside, piano

Funeral Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II (excerpt)

Tot! Tot, st怀hnt es durch die 怀de nacht

Chorus and Orchestra of Deutsche Oper, Berlin

Christian Thielemann, conductor

Christus am Olberge (excerpt)

James Anderson, tenor, Jesus

Monica Pick-Hieronimi, soprano, Seraph

Chorus & Orchestre National de Lyon

Aus Goethes Faust

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone

J怀rg Demus, piano

Produced by Johannah Smith

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's early vocal music with Simone Young and Iain Burnside.

202002New Directions20200505Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's Mass in C, the vocal fireworks of Ah Perfido! and some surprising and contrasting songs with pianist and writer Iain Burnside and conductor Simone Young.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be discussing some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his songwriting, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

Beethoven's first Mass was written in 1807, a commission for Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. When he first heard it, the Prince described it as 'detestable'. Donald discovers why Beethoven's innovations excited such a strong reaction from his backward looking patron.

Der Wachtelschlag, WoO129

Peter Schreier, tenor

Andreas Schiff, piano

L'amante impaziente (a pair of settings)

Roderick Wiliams, baritone

Ann Murray, mezzo soprano

Iain Burnside, piano

Ah Perfido!, op 65

Christine Karg, soprano

Arcangelo

Jonathan Cohen, director

Mass in C, op 86 (excerpts)

Gloria

Sanctus & Benedictus

Rebecca Evans, soprano

Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo soprano

Mark Padmore, tenor

Stephen Varcoe, baritone

Collegium Musicum 90

Richard Hickox, conductor

Klage

Neue Liebe, neues Leben

Stephan Genz, baritone

Roger Vignoles, piano

Fantasia for Piano, Choir and Orchestra in C minor op 80 (excerpt)

Chorus of Duetsche Oper, Berlin

Berlin Phlharmonic

Daniel Barenboim, piano and conductor

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's Mass in C with Simone Young and Iain Burnside.

202003Fulfilling A Dream20200506Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's only opera Fidelio and songs including An die Hoffnung op 94 with conductor Simone Young and pianist Iain Burnside.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be discussing some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his song-writing, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

Fidelio was an immense struggle for Beethoven and when the premiere finally arrived in 1805, it was under the dark cloud of occupation of Vienna by Napoleon and his army. The scale and vision of the opera found its way into some of Beethoven's most ambitious song-writing to date.

Music, Love and Wine

Catrin Wyn Davies, soprano

John Mark Ainsley, tenor

Thomas Allen, baritone

La Tiranna WoO 125

Pamela Coburn, soprano

Leonard Hokanson, piano

Fidelio (Act 1)

O welche Lust, in freier Luft (Prisoner's Chorus)

Arnold Schoenberg Choir

Berlin Philharmonic

Simon Rattle, director

Fidelio (Act 1) - [NB - error in presentation]

Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? -

Nina Stemme, soprano

Mahler Chamber Orchestra/Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Claudio Abbado, conductor

Fidelio (Act 2)

Introduction and Aria Gott! Welch' Dunkel hier!

In des Lebens Frühlingstagen

Jonas Kaufmann, tenor, Florestan

Iain Burnside, piano

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's vocal music with Simone Young and Iain Burnside.

202004Belief And Disbelief20200507Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's only song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and his cantatas, written to mark special events, with conductor Simone Young and pianist writer and broadcaster, Iain Burnside.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be highlighting some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his songwriting, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

The years surrounding the Congress of Vienna were difficult for Beethoven. He was still recovering from the wounds of an unhappy love affair, his brother was seriously ill, and he was short of money. All these aspects of his life can be found in the music he wrote during this period.

Maigesang (Mailied) op 52, no 4

Stephan Genz, baritone

Roger Vignoles, piano

Three Lieder to poems by Goethe op 83

Wonne der Wehmut

Sehnsucht

Mit einem gemalten Band

Peter Schreier, tenor

Walter Olbertz, piano

Der glorreiche Augenblick op 136 (excerpt)

Final chorus: Es treten hervor die Scharen der Frauen

Coro di voci bianche dell'Arcum

Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

Cantata on the Accession of Leopold II

Fliesse, Wonnez䀀hre, fliesse!

Christine Sch䀀fer, soprano

Orchestra of Deutsche Oper Berlin

Christian Thielemann, director

Christian Gerharher (baritone)

Gerold Huber (piano)

Meerestille und glückliche Fahrt, op 112

Monteverdi Choir

Orchestre R退volutionnaire et Romantique

John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's only song cycle with Simone Young and Iain Burnside.

202005 LASTFrom The Heart20200508Donald Macleod explores the spiritual and the comedic in Beethoven's vocal music with conductor Simone Young and pianist Iain Burnside.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be highlighting some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his songwriting, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

Missa Solemnis and the smaller scale but the equally profound Abendlied unter dem gestirnten Himmel express many of Beethoven's beliefs. Perhaps he was in need of some light relief from the enormity of his musical preoccupations and his domestic problems when he found time to set some rather saucy lyrics too.

Der Kuss

Anne sofie von Otter, mezzo soprano

Melvyn Tan, fortepiano

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone

J怀rg Demus, piano

Missa Solemnis in D major op 123

Credo

Robert Tear, tenor

Heather Harper, soprano

Janet Baker, mezzo soprano

Hans Sotin, bass

London Philharmonic Orchestra

New Philharmonia Chorus

Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor

Urians Reise um die Welt, op 52

Symphony no 9

Fourth movement (excerpt)

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mariss Jansons, director

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's late vocal music with Simone Young and Iain Burnside.