Monsters Of Music With Tom Allen

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Alma Mahler The Heartbreaker With Arlene Phillips

20230904

20231124 (BBC7)

Alma Mahler was one of the most complicated composers of the 20th Century. History remembers her as a heartbreaker, an antisemite and an unreliable narrator, but was there more to her story than meets the eye?

From the husband who stopped her from composing so she could be a homemaker, to the bitter ex-lover who made a lifesize doll of her then decapitated it in rage, Mahler's life was filled with shocking stories. So in this episode choreographer and TV presenter Arlene Phillips joins Tom and Ben to analyse the truths and myths behind Alma's life to place her on the monster scale.

A composer, heartbreaker, socialite and antisemite. Who was the real Alma Mahler?

An unreliable narrator, antisemite and even a creepy doll, who was the real Alma Mahler? Choreographer and presenter Arlene Phillips finds out to place Alma on the monster scale.

Anton Bruckner The Corpse Chaser With Edith Bowman

20230904

20231013 (BBC7)

Anton Bruckner was morbidly fascinated with death and liked touching the skeletons of his musical heroes. But this musical monster's dark life went beyond skulls and coffins. Bruckner also had a creepy obsession with teenage girls.

In this episode, Edith Bowman joins Tom and Ben to hear the dark and twisted story of one of classical music's weirdest composers to place him on the monster scale.

Anton Bruckner was a composer fascinated with death, religion and teenage girls.

Anton Bruckner was morbidly fascinated with death and creepily obsessed with teenage girls. Edith Bowman explores his dark and twisted life to place him on the monster scale.

Dame Ethel Smyth The Wrecker With Laufey

20230904

20230929 (BBC7)

The trailblazing composer Dame Ethel Smyth lived a scandalous life filled with polyamorous affairs and groundbreaking musical successes. She became the first female composer to have her work performed at both the Royal Opera House in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. And she scandalised high society by having an affair with both the wife and daughter of The Archbishop of Canterbury. Ethel lived an unapologetic and fascinating life.

In this episode, the musician Laufey, Tom Allen and Ben Gernon hear tales of how Smyth threw bricks through a politician's windows, conducted choirs of imprisoned activists and wrote suffragette anthems to find out whether Ethel was a musical monster or angelic activist.

Ethel Smyth was a trailblazing composer, suffragette and no stranger to passionate affairs

Debussy The Love Rat With Abi Clarke

20230904

20231201 (BBC7)

Claude Debussy was a love rat whose alluring charm left behind a long trail of broken hearts and two near deadly gunshot wounds. Debussy's life was filled with crimes of passion, he shipped his wife off to Jersey so he could have an affair, and he wrote an anonymous gossip column to criticize his peers.

But was he really a monster? In this episode, comedian Abi Clarke tunes into Debussy's Love Island antics to figure out if he was a hopeless romantic or a reckless rake.

Claude Debussy was a love rat who left behind a trail of broken hearts and gunshot wounds.

Love Rat Claude Debussy left a long trail of broken hearts and gunshot wounds, but was he a hopeless romantic or just a reckless rake? Abi Clarke joins Tom and Ben to investigate.

Fifty Shades Of Percy Grainger With Lou Sanders

20230904

20231006 (BBC7)

His life was haunted by the rumour that he and his mother had an intimate relationship and his reputation was tarnished when he fled the country to avoid fighting in the Second World War. So in this episode, comedian Lou Sanders explores all 50 shades of Percy Grainger to work out if his atypical life was that of a sadomasochistic monster or just a misunderstood folk music maestro.

Percy Grainger had a fetish for whips, blood-stained shirts and folk melodies.

Franz Liszt The First Rockstar With Jack Steadman

20230904

20231027 (BBC7)

Franz Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a dazzling virtuoso pianist who made fans faint in ecstasy. With his long luscious hair, generous wealth, and spectacular compositions, he became one of the world's first rock stars and the eccentric composer responsible for Lisztomania.

From making nuns forget their chastity vows to cutting his hair to give away to his most ardent fans, in this episode we'll hear stories from Liszt's life as Jack Steadman, the frontman of Bombay Bicycle Club, decides whether Franz was a musical monster or an angelic virtuoso.

Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a pianist who made nuns faint and forget their vows.

Franz Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a rockstar. In this episode Jack Steadman hears fascinating stories from Liszt's musical life to find out if he was an angel or a monster.

Handel The Royal Glutton With Issy Suttie

20230904

20231110 (BBC7)

George Frideric Handel was the Royal composer behind some of the most famous and majestic coronation anthems in history. But beneath the music lurked a dark illness, a complicated relationship with food, and an infamous, furious temper. From threatening to throw people out of windows to hiding food from his friends when they came over for dinner, Handel earned himself quite the reputation, but was he really a monster?

In this episode, comedian Isy Suttie joins Tom and Ben to dive into the real story of Handel's life to figure out whether he was a menace or just deeply misunderstood.

Handel was a glutton, a royal composer and maybe a spy, but was he really a monster?

George Frideric Handel wrote Royal anthems, had a furious temper and a complicated relationship with food. Comedian Isy Suttie decides whether he was a menace or just misunderstood

Puccini The Mighty Hunter With Bec Hill

20230904

20231020 (BBC7)

With his illicit affairs, secret love child and immense wealth, Giacomo Puccini lived life like an old Hollywood star. He drove expensive cars around the coast of Italy, and his illicit love affairs left a destructive trail that ended in the tragic death of an innocent young maid.

His cinematic life story included a private detective, a catastrophic car crash, and a string of affairs with his leading ladies. So was Puccini's private life the best operatic storyline never written? Comedian Bec Hill joins Tom and Ben to hear shocking tales from Puccini's cinematic life to decide whether he was a monster, or just a man caught up in the clutches of fame.

Exec Producer Jo Meek

Blackmail, affairs and a secret love child. Was Puccini the bad boy of the Opera world?

With his illicit affairs, secret love child and immense wealth, Giacomo Puccini lived like an old Hollywood star, but was he a monster? Bec Hill joins Tom and Ben to find out.

The Divine Maria Callas With Arielle Free

20230904

20231103 (BBC7)

Maria Callas lived a life dramatic enough to have been an operatic storyline in its own right. From ending up in a love triangle with Jackie Kennedy to being served with legal papers in the middle of a performance, Maria's life was filled with scandal, betrayal and heartbreak.

But was the singer who started her life quite literally singing for her supper the Diva her contemporaries made her out to be? Did the tragedies she faced throughout her life eclipse her musical legacy? In this episode radio presenter and DJ Arielle Free traces the extraordinary highs and lows of Maria's life to find out if she was a villain, a victim, or somewhere in between.

Maria Callas's life was as dramatic as an operatic storyline. But was she really a Diva?

Maria Callas had a life dramatic enough to have been an opera. But was the singer famously dubbed La Divina really a Diva? Arielle Free joins Tom and Ben to find out.

Wagner's Tainted Legacy With Frank Cottrell Boyce

20230904

20231117 (BBC7)

Richard Wagner was a romantic, a revolutionary and hostile antisemite. The composer of some of the most enduring and influential classical music, his pieces feature in famous film scores, wedding processions and would go on to soundtrack the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

History remembers him for his bigoted political essays and 'Here Comes The Bride'. But his story also included a one-sided romance with an eccentric Prince, a decadent life funded by adoring sponsors and scandalous affairs with married women. In this episode, screenwriter and author Frank Cottrell-Boyce joins Tom and Ben to trace the complicated life of one of classical music's most famous composers and place him on the monster scale.

Richard Wagner was a romantic, a revolutionary and bitter antisemite.

Richard Wagner was a groundbreaking composer who left a long musical legacy. But he was also an antisemite whose music would become linked to the Nazi party.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
Alma Mahler The Heartbreaker With Arlene Phillips	20230904	20231124 (BBC7)	Alma Mahler was one of the most complicated composers of the 20th Century. History remembers her as a heartbreaker, an antisemite and an unreliable narrator, but was there more to her story than meets the eye? From the husband who stopped her from composing so she could be a homemaker, to the bitter ex-lover who made a lifesize doll of her then decapitated it in rage, Mahler's life was filled with shocking stories. So in this episode choreographer and TV presenter Arlene Phillips joins Tom and Ben to analyse the truths and myths behind Alma's life to place her on the monster scale. A composer, heartbreaker, socialite and antisemite. Who was the real Alma Mahler? An unreliable narrator, antisemite and even a creepy doll, who was the real Alma Mahler? Choreographer and presenter Arlene Phillips finds out to place Alma on the monster scale.
Anton Bruckner The Corpse Chaser With Edith Bowman	20230904	20231013 (BBC7)	Anton Bruckner was morbidly fascinated with death and liked touching the skeletons of his musical heroes. But this musical monster's dark life went beyond skulls and coffins. Bruckner also had a creepy obsession with teenage girls. In this episode, Edith Bowman joins Tom and Ben to hear the dark and twisted story of one of classical music's weirdest composers to place him on the monster scale. Anton Bruckner was a composer fascinated with death, religion and teenage girls. Anton Bruckner was morbidly fascinated with death and creepily obsessed with teenage girls. Edith Bowman explores his dark and twisted life to place him on the monster scale.
Dame Ethel Smyth The Wrecker With Laufey	20230904	20230929 (BBC7)	The trailblazing composer Dame Ethel Smyth lived a scandalous life filled with polyamorous affairs and groundbreaking musical successes. She became the first female composer to have her work performed at both the Royal Opera House in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. And she scandalised high society by having an affair with both the wife and daughter of The Archbishop of Canterbury. Ethel lived an unapologetic and fascinating life. In this episode, the musician Laufey, Tom Allen and Ben Gernon hear tales of how Smyth threw bricks through a politician's windows, conducted choirs of imprisoned activists and wrote suffragette anthems to find out whether Ethel was a musical monster or angelic activist. Ethel Smyth was a trailblazing composer, suffragette and no stranger to passionate affairs
Debussy The Love Rat With Abi Clarke	20230904	20231201 (BBC7)	Claude Debussy was a love rat whose alluring charm left behind a long trail of broken hearts and two near deadly gunshot wounds. Debussy's life was filled with crimes of passion, he shipped his wife off to Jersey so he could have an affair, and he wrote an anonymous gossip column to criticize his peers. But was he really a monster? In this episode, comedian Abi Clarke tunes into Debussy's Love Island antics to figure out if he was a hopeless romantic or a reckless rake. Claude Debussy was a love rat who left behind a trail of broken hearts and gunshot wounds. Love Rat Claude Debussy left a long trail of broken hearts and gunshot wounds, but was he a hopeless romantic or just a reckless rake? Abi Clarke joins Tom and Ben to investigate.
Fifty Shades Of Percy Grainger With Lou Sanders	20230904	20231006 (BBC7)	His life was haunted by the rumour that he and his mother had an intimate relationship and his reputation was tarnished when he fled the country to avoid fighting in the Second World War. So in this episode, comedian Lou Sanders explores all 50 shades of Percy Grainger to work out if his atypical life was that of a sadomasochistic monster or just a misunderstood folk music maestro. Percy Grainger had a fetish for whips, blood-stained shirts and folk melodies.
Franz Liszt The First Rockstar With Jack Steadman	20230904	20231027 (BBC7)	Franz Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a dazzling virtuoso pianist who made fans faint in ecstasy. With his long luscious hair, generous wealth, and spectacular compositions, he became one of the world's first rock stars and the eccentric composer responsible for Lisztomania. From making nuns forget their chastity vows to cutting his hair to give away to his most ardent fans, in this episode we'll hear stories from Liszt's life as Jack Steadman, the frontman of Bombay Bicycle Club, decides whether Franz was a musical monster or an angelic virtuoso. Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a pianist who made nuns faint and forget their vows. Franz Liszt was a monk, a sex symbol, and a rockstar. In this episode Jack Steadman hears fascinating stories from Liszt's musical life to find out if he was an angel or a monster.
Handel The Royal Glutton With Issy Suttie	20230904	20231110 (BBC7)	George Frideric Handel was the Royal composer behind some of the most famous and majestic coronation anthems in history. But beneath the music lurked a dark illness, a complicated relationship with food, and an infamous, furious temper. From threatening to throw people out of windows to hiding food from his friends when they came over for dinner, Handel earned himself quite the reputation, but was he really a monster? In this episode, comedian Isy Suttie joins Tom and Ben to dive into the real story of Handel's life to figure out whether he was a menace or just deeply misunderstood. Handel was a glutton, a royal composer and maybe a spy, but was he really a monster? George Frideric Handel wrote Royal anthems, had a furious temper and a complicated relationship with food. Comedian Isy Suttie decides whether he was a menace or just misunderstood
Puccini The Mighty Hunter With Bec Hill	20230904	20231020 (BBC7)	With his illicit affairs, secret love child and immense wealth, Giacomo Puccini lived life like an old Hollywood star. He drove expensive cars around the coast of Italy, and his illicit love affairs left a destructive trail that ended in the tragic death of an innocent young maid. His cinematic life story included a private detective, a catastrophic car crash, and a string of affairs with his leading ladies. So was Puccini's private life the best operatic storyline never written? Comedian Bec Hill joins Tom and Ben to hear shocking tales from Puccini's cinematic life to decide whether he was a monster, or just a man caught up in the clutches of fame. Exec Producer Jo Meek Blackmail, affairs and a secret love child. Was Puccini the bad boy of the Opera world? With his illicit affairs, secret love child and immense wealth, Giacomo Puccini lived like an old Hollywood star, but was he a monster? Bec Hill joins Tom and Ben to find out.
The Divine Maria Callas With Arielle Free	20230904	20231103 (BBC7)	Maria Callas lived a life dramatic enough to have been an operatic storyline in its own right. From ending up in a love triangle with Jackie Kennedy to being served with legal papers in the middle of a performance, Maria's life was filled with scandal, betrayal and heartbreak. But was the singer who started her life quite literally singing for her supper the Diva her contemporaries made her out to be? Did the tragedies she faced throughout her life eclipse her musical legacy? In this episode radio presenter and DJ Arielle Free traces the extraordinary highs and lows of Maria's life to find out if she was a villain, a victim, or somewhere in between. Maria Callas's life was as dramatic as an operatic storyline. But was she really a Diva? Maria Callas had a life dramatic enough to have been an opera. But was the singer famously dubbed La Divina really a Diva? Arielle Free joins Tom and Ben to find out.
Wagner's Tainted Legacy With Frank Cottrell Boyce	20230904	20231117 (BBC7)	Richard Wagner was a romantic, a revolutionary and hostile antisemite. The composer of some of the most enduring and influential classical music, his pieces feature in famous film scores, wedding processions and would go on to soundtrack the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. History remembers him for his bigoted political essays and 'Here Comes The Bride'. But his story also included a one-sided romance with an eccentric Prince, a decadent life funded by adoring sponsors and scandalous affairs with married women. In this episode, screenwriter and author Frank Cottrell-Boyce joins Tom and Ben to trace the complicated life of one of classical music's most famous composers and place him on the monster scale. Richard Wagner was a romantic, a revolutionary and bitter antisemite. Richard Wagner was a groundbreaking composer who left a long musical legacy. But he was also an antisemite whose music would become linked to the Nazi party.