Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 01 | 20110124 | 20120430 (R3) | Some maintain his temper was very even, because he was always angry' - that's what the composer Adolphe Adam said about Luigi Cherubini, the man Beethoven named when asked the question, 'who is the greatest composer in Europe - apart from you?' Italian by birth, from a modest background, he was singled out early by his prodigious talent, and by 18 he was completing his studies with Giuseppe Sarti, one of the leading Italian opera composers of the day. Operatic commissions followed, and before long he had won enough recognition to receive an invitation to become house composer at the King's Theatre in London's Haymarket. From here it was a short step to Paris, where Cherubini settled at the age of 25; he would remain there for the rest of his life, during which he came to bestride Parisian music like a colossus. All week, Donald Macleod investigates the life and work of the man often spoken of as 'an Italian composer writing German opera for a French audience'. He begins by examining Cherubini's Italian roots, with two early choral pieces written under Sarti's tutelage. Then we follow him to London, where he discovers that the title 'house composer' really means 'house composer of pasticcios' - operatic patchworks stitched together from well-known arias. His one original opera for London, Il Giulio Sabino, was not a success - 'murdered in its birth for want of the necessary support of capital singers', as Dr Burney put it. But his first international success was just five years away; Lodoska was an instant smash in that most momentous of years, 1791, and went on to play to sell-out houses throughout Europe before eventually crossing the Atlantic to New York in 1826. Donald Macleod focuses on Cherubini's roots in Italy and his first trip to London. | |
| 2011 | 02 | 20110125 | 20120501 (R3) | Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the life and work of Luigi Cherubini with a look at what are probably his two most influential operas - Med退e and Les deux journ退es. Better known in its truncated Italian version, Med退e first saw the light of day on 13 March 1797 at the Th退 tre Feydeau in Paris. With a plot that makes Fatal Attraction look like a lovers' tiff, it proved strong meat for Parisian audiences, who in those Revolutionary times already had a surfeit of gut-wrenching carnage in their day-to-day lives, and didn't need more of it served up in the theatre. It never really took off in Cherubini's day, although it was hugely respected by other composers, including Beethoven, who owned a score of it, and later Brahms, who called it 'the work we musicians recognise among ourselves as the highest piece of dramatic art'. It languished for the first half of the 20th-century until in 1953, Maria Callas performed it in Florence, under the baton of a young Leonard Bernstein, and it's her demonic performance - albeit of an inauthentic version - that reawakened interest in the work. By contrast, Les deux journ退es - or The Water-Carrier, as it became known outside France - was immediately successful. With its message of social and political reconciliation, conveyed simply and directly, it was to remain a fixture in the international repertory for most of the 19th century. Donald Macleod focuses on what are probably Cherubini's two most influential operas. | |
| 2011 | 03 | 20110126 | 20120502 (R3) | Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the life and work of Luigi Cherubini with a look at a pair of major international commissions the composer undertook in 1805 and 1815, interspersed by a long period of depression during which he gave up composition completely and devoted himself to botany and painting. But in the summer of 1805, Cherubini packed himself, his wife and their young daughter Zenobie, a babe in arms of three months, into a horse-drawn coach and spent 32 days travelling from Paris to Vienna by way of Chalons, Verdun, Metz, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cassel, Berlin, Dresden and Prague - all this at a time when Europe was ablaze with Napoleonic conflict. In fact Cherubini reached Vienna just ahead of the Great Dictator, who on his arrival promptly put him in charge of a prestigious series of concerts! Cherubini had been invited to Vienna to compose two new operas. In the event he only completed one, Faniska, but there were other compensations, including meetings with Beethoven - who was reportedly grumpy - and Haydn, who may have been amused to learn that Cherubini had recently penned a major work in commemoration of the Viennese master's death, which had been falsely reported in a London newspaper the previous year. It was London that beckoned Cherubini in 1815, with a commission for three works from the newly formed Philharmonic Society. None of them have gained a firm foothold in the repertoire, but Cherubini's Symphony, which has been championed by Italians of the stature of Arturo Toscanini and Riccardo Muti, deserves to be heard more often. Donald Macleod discusses a pair of major commissions Cherubini undertook in 1805 and 1815. | |
| 2011 | 04 | 20110127 | 20120503 (R3) | Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the music and life of Luigi Cherubini with a look of his extraordinary political flexibility - an essential survival skill in the looking-glass world of post-Revolutionary France. His Marche Fun耀bre is a case in point. Written in 1820 to commemorate the passing of the Duc du Berry, the second son of the man who four years later would become Charles X of France, this sombre march, so full of grief for its dedicatee, had had a previous incarnation, some 23 years earlier, as part of a funeral cantata on the death of G退n退ral Hoche - a French soldier who had risen to be General of the Revolutionary Army. And the composer who wrote his C minor Requiem to mourn the anniversary in 1816 of the execution of Louis XVI doubtless wouldn't have wished his aristocratic friends to be reminded that 20 years earlier he had conducted the choir at an official ceremony to celebrate the third anniversary of the demise of the same monarch. But such considerations didn't prevent Beethoven, Berlioz, Schumann and Brahms from regarding Cherubini's Requiem in C minor as best-in-class; and it even provided the soundtrack to Beethoven's funeral in 1827. Donald Macleod explores Cherubini's extraordinary political flexibility. | |
| 2011 | 05 LAST | 20110128 | 20120504 (R3) | Donald Macleod concludes his week-long exploration of the life and work of Luigi Cherubini with a look at the composer in his last 20 years. In 1822 - by now firmly ensconced as the grand old man of French music - he was appointed Director of the Paris Conservatoire, where he set about introducing a programme of radical reforms, including the recruitment of more female students; by the time of his death, women numbered half the student body. A related reform famously caused ructions with the young Hector Berlioz, who one day in 1822 mistakenly entered the Conservatoire through a door newly designated for the use of women only. Cherubini was informed of this infraction and turned up in person to deliver a reprimand to the young whippersnapper. When Berlioz dared to answer back, Cherubini, by then in his sixties, ended up chasing him furiously around the library, knocking over tables, chairs and piles of books, to the dismay of the other readers. Donald imagines this scene set to the 'jingling-jangling, crashing, banging' overture to Cherubini's opera, Ali Baba. This was the most ambitious score he had ever created, given a commensurately extravagant production by the Paris Opera in the summer of 1833 - and a commensurately emphatic thumbs-down by audience, critics and cognoscenti alike. Ali Baba was a gigantic turkey, running for just 11 performances, none of which its composer could bear to attend. He never wrote another opera, turning instead to the medium of the string quartet, which he had briefly essayed some 20 years earlier. And he returned again to sacred music with a second Requiem, composed this time with a very special dedicatee in mind - himself. Donald Macleod focuses on Cherubini's last 20 years. | |
| 2021 | 01 | An Italian, By Birth | 20211108 | Luigi Cherubini sets out to learn his craft, with an eye to a future career as a theatrical composer. With Donald Macleod. An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position that gave him considerable influence over successive generations. Today Cherubini jumps at the chance to work with one of the biggest names in the operatic world, Giuseppe Sarti. Overture to Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia Dmitri Jurowski, conductor Il Giocatore:, Intermezzo Monica Bacelli, Serpilla, soprano Giorgio Gatti, Bococco, baritone Accademia Strumentale Italiani Giorgio Bernasconi, conductor Mass in F minor (Chimay) (excerpt) Credo Et incarnatus est Crucifixus Et resurrexit Et expecto Et vitam venturi saeculi Ruth Ziesak, soprano Herbert Lippert, vocals Ildar Abdrazakov. Bass Bavarian Radio Choir and Orchestra Riccardo Muti, conductor Sonata for harpsichord no 3 in B flat major i: Allegro comodo ii: Rondo Andantino Laura Alvini, harpsichord Nemo gaudeat in festo septem dolorum BV virginis a 8 voci Barbara Fleckenstein, soprano Barbara Muller, alto Bernhard Schneider, tenor Bavarian Radio Chorus Harald Feller, organ Max Hanft, organ Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Luigi Cherubini sets out to learn his craft as an operatic composer. With Donald Macleod. | |
| 2021 | 02 | Adventures In London | 20211109 | Cherubini made two visits to London, almost 30 years apart. Donald Macleod recounts the story of these experiences, one an artistic flop, the other wildly successful. An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position that gave him considerable influence over successive generations. In 1786 as a fresh-faced 24-year-old Italian operatic hopeful, Cherubini arrived in London to take up the position of composer-in-residence at the King's Theatre. He was all set to conquer the London stage, but it was a much harder nut to crack than he'd anticipated. Il Giulio Sabino Sinfonia: 3rd mvt Allegro vivace Auser Musici Carlo Ipata, conductor Horn sonata no 2 in F major Barry Tuckwell, horn Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra Neville Marriner, conductor Symphony in D major I: Largo - Allegro Capella Coloniensis Gabriele Ferro, conductor Mass no 2 in D minor (Messe solennelle) Kyrie Pamela Coburn, soprano Gilsela Burandt, soprano Cornelia Kallisch, alto Martin Thompson, tenor Martin Wanner, tenor Jacob Will, bass Stuttgart G䀀chinger Kantorei Stuttgart Bach Collegium Helmut Rilling, director Il Giulio Sabino, Act 1 Aria: I mesti affetti miei Maria Grazia Schiavo, Epponina, soprano Overture in G major Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala Riccardo Chailly, conductor Cherubini's two visits to London would have very different outcomes. With Donald Macleod. | |
| 2021 | 03 | The Dawning Of A Revolution | 20211110 | Cherubini's career as an operatic composer is temporarily suspended, as the terrifying events of the French Revolution take over Paris. With Donald Macleod. An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position that gave him considerable influence over successive generations. Within months of signing a new theatrical contract in 1792, France declared war on Austria and Prussia. Cherubini was going to need every ounce of his charm to survive the terrifying events that followed. Lodoska, Act 1 Aria: Triomphons avec noblesse Thomas Mozer, tenor, Titzikan Orchestra of la Scala, Milan Riccardo Muti, director D退mophon: Overture Auser Musici Carlo Ipata, conductor Lodoiska, Act 2 (excerpts) Recit: Que di | |
| 2021 | 04 | Vienna, Haydn And Beethoven | 20211111 | Cherubini visits Vienna, where his operas are sell outs, and he meets two of the leading composers of the day, Haydn and Beethoven. With Donald Macleod. An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position which gave him considerable influence over successive generations. After enjoying a series of triumphs on the Viennese stage, in 1806 Cherubini made a hasty retreat back to his home in Paris. The reasons behind this move are none too clear. Marcia per il signore Baron di Braun Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala Riccardo Chailly, conductor Overture to Faniska San Remo Orchestra Piero Bellugi, conductor Chant sur la mort de Joseph Haydn (excerpt) Maestoso: L'un et l'autre est vainqueur Marilyn Schmiege, soprano Martyn Hill, tenor Paolo Barbacini, tenor Cappella Coloniensis Gabriele Ferro, conductor Les deux journ退es, ou le porteur d'eau, Act 2 (excerpt) Entracte, choeur de soldats: Point de piti退! Point de Clemence M退lodrame, trio et chur: Regarde-moi! Finale: allons sans tarder davantage! Mireille Delunsch, soprano, Constance Andreas Schmidt, bass-baritone, Mik退li Yann Beuron, tenor, le Comte Armand Kwangchul Youn, bass, Daniel Chorus Musicus K怀ln The New Orchestra Christoph Spering, conductor Medea, Act 3 Finale E che. Io son Mede | |
| 2021 | 05 LAST | A Creator Of New Paths | 20211112 | Cherubini survived years of political upheaval in France, which began with the 1789 storming of Bastille. Donald Macleod considers how he was able to manage and prosper. An octogenarian when he died in 1842, Cherubini's long life places him alongside three giants of the age, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. When he was born in 1760, Mozart was four years old, and Haydn was in his thirties. Beethoven was born a decade after Cherubini. Standing among these luminaries, all of whom he admired, Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, theorist and music publisher, who enjoyed a much higher standing in his own lifetime than his present day reputation might suggest. Beethoven and latterly Wagner are just two of a long list of notables who hugely admired his music. These days it's perhaps through his masses that many people come to his music, so it may be a surprise to discover that he followed the fashion of his day, and produced a considerable number of successful operas. This week Donald Macleod follows Cherubini's progress from his Florentine childhood to Paris, where he was to settle and see his theatrical ambitions realised, in addition to taking on the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, a position that gave him considerable influence over successive generations. It was Cherubini's sheer versatility in repeatedly having to trim his musical sails that enabled him to fit in with whichever regime was in power at the time, on occasion with breathtaking speed. Les Abenc退rages Overture City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Lawrence Foster, conductor Overture to Anacr退on Academy of St Martin in the Fields Charles Mackerras, director Requiem no 1 in C minor (excerpt) I. Introitus and Kyrie II. Graduale III. Sequentia Le Concert Spirituel Herv退 Niquet, director String Quartet no 2 I: Lent - Allegro Melos Quartet Wilhelm Melcher, violin Gerhard Voss, violin Herman Voss, viola Peter Buck, cello Requiem no 2 in D minor for male chorus & orchestra (excerpt) Agnus Dei Estonian National Male Choir Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Andres Mustonen, conductor Cherubini's long-standing talent for weathering political storms. With Donald Macleod. |