We Can Be Heroes
Suzy Klein shows how, as the aristocracy weakened and the middle classes flourished, composers and performers became the superstars of their age.
In the first programme, Suzy Klein tells the story of a creative outpouring unrivalled before or since - the 19th century witnessed the emergence of composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Chopin, Wagner, Verdi and Liszt, just to name a few of the stellar array whose genius we venerate to this day.
As the aristocracy weakened following the French Revolution, the industrial revolution created new wealth and the middle classes flourished, Suzy shows how it was possible for composers and performers to become the superstars of their age, no longer the servants of kings and princes.
Masters like Paganini and Liszt were idolised, commanded immense fees and had a following as adoring as any of the rock stars and singers of today. Composers tore up the rulebooks, embraced the spirit of Romanticism and poured out their souls in their bold and experimental work. And, freed from the chains of aristocratic patronage, they became entrepreneurs too, organising and profiting from their concerts and winning unprecedented wealth, fame and status.
But with commercial success came a very modern backlash - artistic credibility versus X Factor-style fame. Which would win out? Or could one coexist with the other? As music gained increasing power and influence as the art form of the 19th century, composers started to believe that they could change the world... and remarkably, they really did.
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Music Played
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: Allegro Con Brio
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9
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Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: IV. March To The Scaffold
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 5, 1st movement: Allegro con brio
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Johann Strauss II
2001: A Space Odyssey - Blue Danube Waltz
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 3 "Eroica" Allegro Con Brio
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Suzy Klein |
Production Company | Blakeway Productions |
Series Producer | Nick Gillam-Smith |
Director | Nick Gillam-Smith |
Executive Producer | Denys Blakeway |
Broadcasts
- Tue 31 May 2016 21:00
- Wed 1 Jun 2016 03:00
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 01:00
- Sun 12 Mar 2017 19:00
- Wed 29 Nov 2017 00:55
- Mon 2 Apr 2018 01:30
- Wed 27 Nov 2019 02:00
- Sun 2 May 2021 19:00
- Mon 3 May 2021 02:40
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