Beethoven Unleashed - How To Play Beethoven

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Episode

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First
Broadcast

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2020

Beethoven And The Bass

20200824

Donald Macleod is joined by Chi-chi Nwanoku to explore Beethoven's writing for the double bass.

Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents.

During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today.

Today, Donald Macleod is joined by Chi-chi Nwanoku to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a double bassist. Chi-chi shares her thoughts on what it's like to perform and record Beethoven on a regular basis, and also her experience of working with conductor, Sir Roger Norrington and following Beethoven precise tempo markings. Donald and Chi-chi also discuss the impact the virtuoso bass player Domenico Dragonetti had on Beethoven's music.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

Symphony No 6 in F, Op 68 `Pastoral` (Donner. Sturm)

Vienna Philharmonic

Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92 (Allegro con brio)

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Septet in E flat, Op 20 (Scherzo)

The Nash Ensemble

Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 `Choral` (Presto)

Rebecca Nash, soprano

Wilke te Brummelstroete, mezzo-soprano

Marcel Beekman, tenor

Michael Tews, bass

Laurens Collegium

Laurens Cantorij

Orchestra of the 18th Century

Frans Bruggen, director

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the double bass.

2020

Beethoven And The Voice

20200825

Donald Macleod is joined by Rachel Nicholls to explore Beethoven's writing for the voice.

Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents.

Today Donald Macleod is joined by Rachel Nicholls to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a singer. Rachel shares her experience of what it's like to sing the role of Leonore in Fidelio, and also Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, including the difficulties associated with Beethoven's athletic vocal writing. Donald and Rachel also explore the impact the 20-year-old vocalist Anna Milder had on the music of Beethoven.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

Fidelio, Act 1 No 1-3

Angela Denoke (Leonore), soprano

Laszlo Polgar (Rocco), bass

Juliane Banse (Marzelline), soprano

Rainer Trost (Jaquino), tenor

Arnold Schoenberg Choir

Berlin Philharmonic

Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Fidelio, Act 2 No 12

Jessye Norman (Leonore), soprano

Kurt Moll (Rocco), bass

Chor der Staatsoper Dresden

Staatskapelle Dresden

Bernard Haitink, conductor

Fidelio, Act 2 No 14-15

Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Don Pizarro), bass-baritone

Reiner Goldberg (Florestan), tenor

Missa Solemnis, Op 123 (Agnus Dei)

Lucy Crowe, soprano

Jennifer Johnston, mezzo

James Gilchrist, tenor

Matthew Rose, bass

Monteverdi Choir

Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique

Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the voice.

2020

Beethoven And The Drums

20200826

Donald Macleod is joined by Adrian Bending to explore Beethoven's writing for timpani.

Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents.

Today, Donald Macleod is joined by Adrian Bending to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a timpanist. Adrian shares his thoughts on regularly performing and teaching the music of Beethoven, how the composer placed greater demands upon his timpanists including widening the dynamic range of the instrument, and Adrian's criteria for deciding whether to use period timpani or not. Donald and Adrian also explore the impact the timpanist Ignaz Manker had on the music of Beethoven.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 (excerpt)

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Deutsche Symphonie Orchestra, Berlin

Robin Ticciati, conductor

Symphony No 4 in B flat, Op 60 (Adagio - Allegro vivace)

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Joshua Bell, conductor

Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 `Eroica` (Marcia funebre)

The London Classical Players

Sir Roger Norrington, conductor

Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (Allegro & Allegro - Presto)

Berlin Philharmonic

Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for timpani.

2020

Beethoven And The Keyboard

20200827

Donald Macleod is joined by Ronald Brautigam to explore Beethoven's writing for the keyboard.

Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents.

Today Donald Macleod is joined by fortepianist Ronald Brautigam to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a keyboard player. Ronald shares his thoughts on how Beethoven's keyboard music created demands few amateur performers could achieve. Donald and Ronald also explore the question of using historical instruments or modern pianos when performing Beethoven, and assess some of the criteria for making those decisions.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

Piano Sonata No 13 in E flat, Op 27 No 1 (Andante)

Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano

Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 (Largo)

Kolner Akademie

Michael Alexander Willens, conductor

Piano Trio No 5 in D, Op 70 No 1 `Ghost` (Largo assai ed espressivo)

Andreas Staier, fortepiano

Daniel Sepec, violin

Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello

Fantasia in C minor, Op 80

Ronald Brautigam, piano

Hannah Holgersson, soprano

Marie Olhans, mezzo

Maria Sanner, alto

Mikael Stenbaek, tenor

Gunnar Bigersson, baritone

Ove Pettersson, bass

Eric Ericson Chamber Choir

Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Parrott, director

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the keyboard.

2020

05 LAST

Beethoven And The French Horn

20200828

Donald Macleod is joined by Sarah Willis to explore Beethoven's writing for the French horn.

Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents.

Today Donald Macleod is joined by Sarah Willis to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a horn player. Sarah shares her thoughts on regularly performing Beethoven, how Beethoven pushed the boundaries of horn writing, and when to use an historic natural horn instead of a modern instrument. Donald and Sarah also discuss the impact of horn players, Giovanni Punto and the Lewy brothers on Beethoven's understanding of their instrument.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

Horn Sonata, Op 17

Anthony Halstead, horn

Robert Levin, fortepiano

Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 `Eroica` (Scherzo)

Berlin Philharmonic

Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Sextet in E flat, Op 81b (Rondo)

Consortium Classicum

Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 `Choral` (Adagio molto e cantabile)

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the French horn.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
2020	01	Beethoven And The Bass	20200824	Donald Macleod is joined by Chi-chi Nwanoku to explore Beethoven's writing for the double bass. Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents. During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. Today, Donald Macleod is joined by Chi-chi Nwanoku to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a double bassist. Chi-chi shares her thoughts on what it's like to perform and record Beethoven on a regular basis, and also her experience of working with conductor, Sir Roger Norrington and following Beethoven precise tempo markings. Donald and Chi-chi also discuss the impact the virtuoso bass player Domenico Dragonetti had on Beethoven's music. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Symphony No 6 in F, Op 68 `Pastoral` (Donner. Sturm) Vienna Philharmonic Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92 (Allegro con brio) Chamber Orchestra of Europe Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor Septet in E flat, Op 20 (Scherzo) The Nash Ensemble Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 `Choral` (Presto) Rebecca Nash, soprano Wilke te Brummelstroete, mezzo-soprano Marcel Beekman, tenor Michael Tews, bass Laurens Collegium Laurens Cantorij Orchestra of the 18th Century Frans Bruggen, director Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales. Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the double bass.
2020	02	Beethoven And The Voice	20200825	Donald Macleod is joined by Rachel Nicholls to explore Beethoven's writing for the voice. Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents. During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. Today Donald Macleod is joined by Rachel Nicholls to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a singer. Rachel shares her experience of what it's like to sing the role of Leonore in Fidelio, and also Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, including the difficulties associated with Beethoven's athletic vocal writing. Donald and Rachel also explore the impact the 20-year-old vocalist Anna Milder had on the music of Beethoven. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Fidelio, Act 1 No 1-3 Angela Denoke (Leonore), soprano Laszlo Polgar (Rocco), bass Juliane Banse (Marzelline), soprano Rainer Trost (Jaquino), tenor Arnold Schoenberg Choir Berlin Philharmonic Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Fidelio, Act 2 No 12 Jessye Norman (Leonore), soprano Kurt Moll (Rocco), bass Chor der Staatsoper Dresden Staatskapelle Dresden Bernard Haitink, conductor Fidelio, Act 2 No 14-15 Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Don Pizarro), bass-baritone Reiner Goldberg (Florestan), tenor Missa Solemnis, Op 123 (Agnus Dei) Lucy Crowe, soprano Jennifer Johnston, mezzo James Gilchrist, tenor Matthew Rose, bass Monteverdi Choir Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales. Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the voice.
2020	03	Beethoven And The Drums	20200826	Donald Macleod is joined by Adrian Bending to explore Beethoven's writing for timpani. Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents. During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. Today, Donald Macleod is joined by Adrian Bending to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a timpanist. Adrian shares his thoughts on regularly performing and teaching the music of Beethoven, how the composer placed greater demands upon his timpanists including widening the dynamic range of the instrument, and Adrian's criteria for deciding whether to use period timpani or not. Donald and Adrian also explore the impact the timpanist Ignaz Manker had on the music of Beethoven. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 (excerpt) Christian Tetzlaff, violin Deutsche Symphonie Orchestra, Berlin Robin Ticciati, conductor Symphony No 4 in B flat, Op 60 (Adagio - Allegro vivace) Academy of St Martin in the Fields Joshua Bell, conductor Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 `Eroica` (Marcia funebre) The London Classical Players Sir Roger Norrington, conductor Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (Allegro & Allegro - Presto) Berlin Philharmonic Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales. Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for timpani.
2020	04	Beethoven And The Keyboard	20200827	Donald Macleod is joined by Ronald Brautigam to explore Beethoven's writing for the keyboard. Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents. During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. Today Donald Macleod is joined by fortepianist Ronald Brautigam to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a keyboard player. Ronald shares his thoughts on how Beethoven's keyboard music created demands few amateur performers could achieve. Donald and Ronald also explore the question of using historical instruments or modern pianos when performing Beethoven, and assess some of the criteria for making those decisions. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Piano Sonata No 13 in E flat, Op 27 No 1 (Andante) Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 (Largo) Kolner Akademie Michael Alexander Willens, conductor Piano Trio No 5 in D, Op 70 No 1 `Ghost` (Largo assai ed espressivo) Andreas Staier, fortepiano Daniel Sepec, violin Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello Fantasia in C minor, Op 80 Ronald Brautigam, piano Hannah Holgersson, soprano Marie Olhans, mezzo Maria Sanner, alto Mikael Stenbaek, tenor Gunnar Bigersson, baritone Ove Pettersson, bass Eric Ericson Chamber Choir Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra Andrew Parrott, director Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales. Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the keyboard.
2020	05 LAST	Beethoven And The French Horn	20200828	Donald Macleod is joined by Sarah Willis to explore Beethoven's writing for the French horn. Throughout this week, Donald Macleod meets with different professional musicians to get a performer's eye view of Beethoven's music and the challenges it presents. During Beethoven's life, great technical advances were being made to musical instruments such as the keyboard and the horn. It was also a period when virtuoso musicians of all kinds began to tour Europe and Beethoven was able to meet some of the greatest exponents of different instruments and learn from them. He was inspired to push the limits of his performers as never before, and his works continue to fascinate and challenge musicians today. Today Donald Macleod is joined by Sarah Willis to explore Beethoven from the perspective of a horn player. Sarah shares her thoughts on regularly performing Beethoven, how Beethoven pushed the boundaries of horn writing, and when to use an historic natural horn instead of a modern instrument. Donald and Sarah also discuss the impact of horn players, Giovanni Punto and the Lewy brothers on Beethoven's understanding of their instrument. Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven's life and music throughout 2020 as part of Radio 3's Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Horn Sonata, Op 17 Anthony Halstead, horn Robert Levin, fortepiano Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 55 `Eroica` (Scherzo) Berlin Philharmonic Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Sextet in E flat, Op 81b (Rondo) Consortium Classicum Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 `Choral` (Adagio molto e cantabile) Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales. Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's writing for the French horn.