Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Classic Of Italian Music | 20250319 |  In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. 3. A classic of Italian music Phil investigates the modern history of The Four Seasons, noticing that early supporters of the rediscovered work had close links to Mussolini's regime. Near Rome, Phil meets violinist Felix Ayo, who had the first smash-hit recording of The Four Seasons in the 1950s, helping Vivaldi on his way to becoming a household name. Presenter and writer: Phil Hebblethwaite Script editor: Jo Glanville Producer: Joanna Jolly Series editor: Kirsten Lass Mixer: Jon Calver Commissioning editor: Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3 Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. | |
| Going Digital | 20250321 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. He speaks to leading Vivaldi scholars and musicians who played an essential part in the revival to reveal a story of brisk technological change, war, politics and commerce, as well as music. 5. Going digital The Vivaldi revival enters the digital age, with Nigel Kennedy's hit recording of The Four Seasons on CD in 1989 and Max Richter ‘recomposing' the work in 2012 for the streaming age. Phil wonders whether the Vivaldi revival has reached a natural conclusion, only to find out that new works by the composer, and facts about his life, are still be unearthed. Presenter and writer: Phil Hebblethwaite Script editor: Jo Glanville Producer: Joanna Jolly Series editor: Kirsten Lass Mixer: Jon Calver Commissioning editor: Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3 Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. | |
| Monks, Music And Mussolini | 20250318 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. 2. Monks, music and Mussolini Phil travels to Italy to the site of perhaps the greatest musicology find of the 20th century. Susan Orlando, artistic director of the Vivaldi Edition, explains how the discovery of a huge trove of Vivaldi manuscripts near Turin in the 1920s became news across the world, but also led the once-lost Venetian composer to become tied up in modern-day nationalist politics. Presenter and writer: Phil Hebblethwaite Script editor: Jo Glanville Producer: Joanna Jolly Series editor: Kirsten Lass Mixer: Jon Calver Commissioning editor: Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3 Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. | |
| The Seeds Of A Revival | 20250317 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly, and when Vivaldi died in 1741 - penniless - so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. 1. The seeds of a revival Phil explores how Bach gave Vivaldi a footnote in music history, piquing the interest of scholars in the late 19th century, while also gifting the star violinist Fritz Kreisler a name to steal for a musical hoax. The musicologist Michael Talbot tells Phil that the hoax helped the burgeoning Vivaldi revival in a highly unexpected way. Presenter and writer: Phil Hebblethwaite Script editor: Jo Glanville Producer: Joanna Jolly Series editor: Kirsten Lass Mixer: Jon Calver Commissioning editor: Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3 Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Marking 300 years since Vivaldi's Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. | |
| 01 | The Seeds Of A Revival | 20250317 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly, and when Vivaldi died in 1741 - penniless - so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. 1. The seeds of a revival Phil explores how Bach gave Vivaldi a footnote in music history, piquing the interest of scholars in the late 19th century, while also gifting the star violinist Fritz Kreisler a name to steal for a musical hoax. The musicologist Michael Talbot tells Phil that the hoax helped the burgeoning Vivaldi revival in a highly unexpected way. Marking 300 years since Vivaldi's Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. In this series of The Essay, 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. He speaks to leading Vivaldi scholars and musicians who played an essential part in the revival to reveal a story of brisk technological change, war, politics and commerce, as well as music. Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer and script editor: Jo Glanville Mixed by: Jon Calver 300 years since Vivaldi's Four Seasons were published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century |
| 02 | Monks, Music And Mussolini | 20250318 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. 2. Monks, music and Mussolini Phil travels to Italy to the site of perhaps the greatest musicology find of the 20th century. Susan Orlando, artistic director of the Vivaldi Edition, explains how the discovery of a huge trove of Vivaldi manuscripts near Turin in the 1920s became news across the world, but also led the once-lost Venetian composer to become tied up in modern-day nationalist politics. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. |
| 03 | A Classic Of Italian Music | 20250319 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. 3. A classic of Italian music Phil investigates the modern history of The Four Seasons, noticing that early supporters of the rediscovered work had close links to Mussolini's regime. Near Rome, Phil meets violinist Felix Ayo, who had the first smash-hit recording of The Four Seasons in the 1950s, helping Vivaldi on his way to becoming a household name. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. |
| 04 | Let's Murder Vivaldi | 20250320 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. He speaks to leading Vivaldi scholars and musicians who played an essential part in the revival to reveal a story of brisk technological change, war, politics and commerce, as well as music. 4. Let's murder Vivaldi Vivaldi's resurgence caught the cultural zeitgeist after the Second World War. Phil looks at the success of wider early music revival and speaks to harpsichordist and conductor Trevor Pinnock about his two landmark recordings of The Four Seasons using period instruments. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. Presenter and writer: Phil Hebblethwaite Script editor: Jo Glanville Producer: Joanna Jolly Series editor: Kirsten Lass Mixer: Jon Calver Commissioning editor: Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3 Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 05 LAST | Going Digital | 20250321 | In his day, Antonio Vivaldi was well-known as a composer of operas, concertos and choral works, influencing the likes of J. S. Bach. But music careers can collapse quickly and when Vivaldi died in 1741, penniless, so did his music. Incredibly, the man and his work only became widely known again after the Second World War, with The Four Seasons leading the charge. In this series of The Essay, celebrating 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, Phil Hebblethwaite traces Vivaldi's return to fame from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern day. He speaks to leading Vivaldi scholars and musicians who played an essential part in the revival to reveal a story of brisk technological change, war, politics and commerce, as well as music. 5. Going digital The Vivaldi revival enters the digital age, with Nigel Kennedy's hit recording of The Four Seasons on CD in 1989 and Max Richter ‘recomposing' the work in 2012 for the streaming age. Phil wonders whether the Vivaldi revival has reached a natural conclusion, only to find out that new works by the composer, and facts about his life, are still be unearthed. Marking 300 years since The Four Seasons was published, music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite explores how a lost composer returned to fame in the 20th century. |