Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 01 | Meeting An Old Friend | 20200601 | Donald Macleod is joined by guests Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre to explore Beethoven's revolutionary return to the string quartet in the final two years of his life. Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven's life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre of the Takကcs Quartet, to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them. Today, a commission from a Russian Prince and the return of an old friend prompts Beethoven to pick up his sketchbook again, and we hear from the first of the late quartets, Op 127. 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. String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (1st movement) Alban Berg Quartet String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (2nd movement) Symphony No 9 (Finale, part 1) Berlin Philharmonic Herbert von Karajan, conductor String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (3rd movement) Tokyo Quartet String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (4th movement) Emerson Quartet Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's revolutionary late return to the string quartet. |
| 2020 | 02 | Thanksgiving | 20200602 | Donald Macleod and his guests Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre discuss the tumultuous circumstances surrounding Beethoven's late quartets, and the state of mind they emerged from. Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven's life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre of the Takကcs Quartet, to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them. Today, we hear how Beethoven's financial fretting and a sudden brush with death feed into his writing, with a focus on the second of the late quartets, Op 132. 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. Bagatelle in E flat, Op 126 No 3 Tanguy de Williencourt, piano String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 (1st movement) String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 (3rd movement) Alban Berg Quartet Fidelio, Act I: Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin? Helga Dernesch, soprano Berlin Philharmonic Herbert von Karajan, conductor String Quartet in A minor, Op 132 (4th and 5th movements) Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's state of mind while writing his last string quartets. |
| 2020 | 03 | On The Edge | 20200603 | Donald Macleod, Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre take a look at how Beethoven's groundbreaking late string quartets were received by the audiences that first heard them. Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven's life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre of the Takကcs Quartet, to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them. Today, we hear from the Op 130 quartet, dive into concert culture of the time, and discover how Beethoven was increasingly at odds with his listeners in perhaps his most enigmatic and baffling movement of all. 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. String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 (2nd movement) String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 (3rd and 4th movements) Danish String Quartet Piano Sonata in G major, Op 79 Louis Lortie, piano String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 (5th movement) Tokyo Quartet Grosse Fuge, Op 133 Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod reveals the earliest reactions to Beethoven's groundbreaking late quartets. |
| 2020 | 04 | Elusive Harmony | 20200604 | Donald Macleod is joined again by guests Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre to uncover the relationships that were important to Beethoven whilst writing his late quartets. Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven's life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre of the Takကcs Quartet, to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them. Today, Beethoven's musical colleagues are the butt of his jokes, and his turbulent relationship with nephew Karl reaches breaking point, as we focus on the fourth of the late quartets, Op 131. 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 30, Op 109 (1st movement) Richard Goode, piano String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op 131 (1st movement) Alban Berg Quartet String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op 131 (2nd, 3rd and 4th movements) Lob auf der Dicken, WoO 100 Falstafferel, WoO 184 Berliner Solisten Kammerchor der Berliner Singakademie Dietrich Knothe, conductor String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op 131 (5th, 6th and 7th movements) Tokyo Quartet Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod discovers the personal relationships that shaped Beethoven's final works. |
| 2020 | 05 LAST | For A Later Age | 20200605 | Donald Macleod explores the enduring power, pathos and innovation of Beethoven's late string quartets with guests Laura Tunbridge and Edward Dusinberre. Just two years before he died, Beethoven returned to an old treasured form, the string quartet. The five quartets he ended up writing would come to be his final major works, and would change the paradigm beyond recognition. Though dismissed by audiences in their day, their composition is now considered a pivotal moment not only in Beethoven's life, but in the history of classical music. Donald is joined by musicologist Laura Tunbridge, and violinist Edward Dusinberre to discuss these extraordinary, watershed works that have bewildered and beguiled listeners ever since their creation. Throughout the week, they focus on each of the five late quartets, uncovering the stories, circumstances and conversations that surround them. Today, we hone in on Beethoven's swansong, Op 135, but also step back and look at how the legend of Beethoven's so-called late' period has been cultivated. Our guests offer their experiences of living within this music, and ponder on what these astonishing works have come to mean for us today. 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. String Quartet in F major, Op 135 (1st movement) Emerson Quartet Coriolan Overture, Op 62 Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Riccardo Chailly, conductor String Quartet in B flat major, Op 130 (1st movement) Budapest Quartet String Quartet in F major, Op 135 (2nd and 3rd movements) Tokyo Quartet String Quartet in F major, Op 135 (4th movement) Takကcs Quartet Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod explores the enduring power and innovation of Beethoven's late quartets |