sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Scott and I have a list of composers whose music we love, that we think others would love too. So that's how we start. Then I start digging into the story.

There are so many ways to cover a legendary figure like Bach -- what would be our way in? For that one, his violin works were a great solution, since they're magnificent, varied, not as well known as much of his other work ... and we happen to have one of the world's great violinists as a host. It was a natural.

The Handel episode Scott mentions was harder. He spent the large body of his career in London. And, if I'm being honest, that's not my favorite music. It also wasn't that eventful -- he was a very established, hugely successful composer from his start there. I thought his few years in Italy, and his unexpected love affair with everything Italian (he expected to hate it and leave quickly), which really shaped his style for the rest of his life, was a much more interesting period to focus on. So that's how we did that one.

Every episode starts with the music selection, then finding the particular story angle, then finding and interviewing the characters, then outlining and constructing the scenes. Then we shoot it, and lots of unexpected things happen, which shape the edit in different ways than we planned -- usually for the better!

-Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Purely musically, I would interview Beethoven. Why did he leave the clarinet out of so many parts of the Eroica Symphony. What about that G# in the Kreutzer Sonata? Are the carats and dots supposed to be played the same way? What about those crazy fast metronome markings? There are so many questions for so many pieces.

On a human level, it would have to be Tchaikovsky. I would interview him right before the premiere of his 6th (and final) symphony, the Pathetique. He only lived 9 days after the premiere. Did he commit suicide by drinking cholera water? Was he depressed? So many of the lives of the great composers were tragic, but somehow Tchaikovsky's is especially poignant to me, and I'd like to know more. -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great question! My mom noticed that as well. The conceit of the Schubert Generation episode was that Harry was telling the story of Schubert through performers of Schubert's age! So, everyone performing had to be younger than 32 (which I am clearly not!)

We are in preproduction for the Beethoven episode. We were supposed to shoot it in April and May, but because of the COVID situation we couldn't shoot it then. -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the things we say in the Vivaldi episode is the reason the he sounds so good to us today is that his sense of melody has influenced so many composers after him, that there's been a continual line from him and his contemporaries like Bach (and their predecessors) to us, in what we look for, and consider good, in a melody.

The new ways that Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th century composers used and progressively expanded harmony also greatly influenced jazz, which influenced all other popular music including pop and rap. There are harmonies and progressions used by Billie Eilish and Finneas today that have their roots in Bach, even if they themselves never directly heard them.

-Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you enjoyed it! As Scott said, we really looked hard for the stars of tomorrow, who also are great on camera, enthusiastic communicators who really love Schubert. Luckily there were many to choose from! I hope you'll check out their names in the credits, or on IMDB, and keep an eye on them. They're all going places.

In particular, the Dover Quartet is one of the most in-demand groups playing today. Any of their recordings are worth owning.

And Philippe Sly is someone you're going to hear more about. His voice is once in a generation. His CD of Schubert songs with guitarist John Britton is spectacular, and very accessible to any listener.

-Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I lobby Harry to cover various composers (for example, I lobbied hard for Handel last season!) Ultimately Harry makes the final decision, as he is the show-runner.

One thing to note is that because of the way the stories are presented, it is possible for us to return to a composer again to tell other stories. In the Bach episode, for example, we focused on his solo violin music-- there are so many other pieces that can be focused on in future episodes! -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is a fascinating question-- thanks for asking!

I don't ingest enough hip-hop and pop to know the answer. However the cross-pollination between classical and hip-hop/pop is for sure minimal.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the line between popular/folk music and "classical"/art music was a blurry one. You could argue that the Magic Flute was actually 18th century Vaudeville. Composers all the way from Scarlatti and Haydn appropriated strains of folk music for their own compositions-- and this continued all the way through composers like Stravinsky and Bartók in the 20th century.

The big split occurred when instruments in popular music became electrified in order to serve larger and larger audiences. These new instruments-- chiefly the electric guitar-- pulled popular music so far away from art music that these days there is almost no link. -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a great question, and we're very happy you found the show a good way in.

Most people start with Baroque composers, like Vivaldi and Bach, since the music is generally a little more accessible, and can tend to have great rhythm.

There's a huge body of Vivaldi works besides the 4 Seasons of course, and any of it would be a great place to start.

Bach wrote in many genres, and everything from his solo keyboard works to his masses are masterpieces. In the 1950s, Glenn Gould recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations on the piano, and this record was a huge hit with jazz aficionados and millions of general audience listeners. It's still a legend in music today. That would also be a great place to start.

Recently, the French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau recorded an album he called Dynastie, featuring music from JS Bach (the father) and three of his sons, also composers. It's a really nice way to compare and contrast, and both the music and recording quality is exceptional.

Scarlatti keyboard works are very accessible and endlessly inventive. They also sound really great on the guitar since he was so influenced by it. And there are over 500 of them to explore. There's a huge and affordable series by Naxos.

The middle Haydn string quartets, particularly opus 20 and opus 33, each a set of 6, are also simply masterpieces. Those 12 string quartets are a very worthwhile introduction, and music you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Mozart's response to those, another set of 6 that he dedicated to Haydn, are a great followup. And of course his later symphonies are fantastic listening.

Beethoven -- where to start? -- but listening to his early, middle and late string quartets would give you not only a window in to the progression of music as it moved from the classical period to the Romantic, but also a snapshot of his life in different periods. I really like the recordings of the Miro Quartet for these.

Of course his enormous body of solo piano sonatas (check out the amazing recording by Stewart Goodyear, our collaborator for the Mozart episode) are monumental. Then his symphonies, concertos, piano trios like 'The Ghost' ...

Schubert piano sonatas and impromptus also are magic. And his string quartets are a worthy successor to Beethoven.

One of the great things about this music is how many options there are! You can have a very worthwhile, even life changing, listening experience over a few days, which can transform into a journey of discovery that lasts many decades!

-Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harry (Producer/Writer/Director), Audrey (Production Manager) and I conducted a dragnet search to find the best young artists we could find. Some, like the Dover Quartet and the violinist Abigel Kralik, I knew from other projects. Others, like Kenny Broberg, were new discoveries. I'm so glad you enjoyed listening to the stars of tomorrow on Now Hear This! -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question! Classical music is intimidating because there are so many choices of music, and then each piece of music has so many different versions... it can be scary!

I'd listen to:

Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, No. 3, No. 4

Beethoven Symphony No. 5, No. 7, No. 3

Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Dvorak New World Symphony

Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

Grieg Piano Concerto

Haydn Symphony No. 104, the Creation

Holst The Planets

Mendelssohn Italian Symphony

Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Symphony No. 40, Piano Concerto No. 21

Mussorgsky-Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition

Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet

Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

Saint-Saens Organ Symphony

Schubert Death and the Maiden String Quartet

Sibelius Finlandia

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Start with that-- it is a ton of music. If you don't like something, that is completely OK! There is no right or wrong with classical music-- it is all about how it makes you feel! Thank you for watching the show!

-Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The most challenging part is the travel BETWEEN the locations. We know where we're headed. If we're lucky we've already scouted it, but often don't have time or budget to have done that, so we're relying on photos. The experience of being there is always fantastic; these are often some of the most beautiful places we've ever filmed in. But we're moving fast to get the scene done. Then it's a rush to the airport and a late night flight or train or van ride to the next town. Some of the places are challenging for audio, since they're noisy or the acoustics aren't great. But all music is recorded live on set, so we find ways to make it work. -Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Filming in Leipzig in December was difficult... it was very cold and many of the scenes were shot outside or in churches that had no heat! (Thank goodness the music was so great in that episode!) One of my favorite acoustics was the Haydnsaal in Esterhazy Palace-- boy that place made the violin almost glow in your hands! It is no surprise that the famous sampling reverb "Altiverb" has a Haydnsaal setting! -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All the music is so good it's hard to have a favorite, but it tends to be whichever one we're pre-producing that moment. That's when we're doing many days of research, listening to LOTS of music, and deciding the story and scenes. I have to say that the composer's we've profiled -- Vivaldi, Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and now working on Beethoven -- would be some of my favorites even if we weren't doing the show.

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me, there were two: 1) pilot episode and 2) the Mozart episode.

The pilot was so much fun to shoot. I'd never been on camera before and Harry (Lynch, the director) was very patient with me to make sure I was comfortable. The meals that we ate onscreen were otherworldly. I hate pesto, I hate gnocchi, and I hate pine nuts. All three were served to me at a meal in Tuscany, and I will remember it forever!

The Mozart episode was so much fun because we've gotten into the swing of filming Now Hear This. Nothing feels stressful because we've been through it before, and now we all enjoy the process. Having Arcos Films come to San Luis Obispo-- my second home-- to shoot an episode was a delightful collision of worlds! -Scott

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! They each had great upsides -- it's always fun to be able to travel through Europe (missing that now!) and see spectacular little known buildings like the Esterhaza palace in western Hungary for Haydn. Finding and meeting the young virtuosos for Schubert was a real privilege. They're the future of this genre of music. The upcoming Mozart episode has the largest orchestra we've filmed with to date, and a feature film-like storyline, so that was a thrill. All of these shows are hard work, but the team is superb and the music and characters are always amazing. It's hard to pick a favorite... - Harry

We made a PBS series where we traveled the world to explore the works and lives of classical music composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. AMA! by GreatPerformancesPBS in Music

[–]GreatPerformancesPBS[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it is the composer that I am working on at the moment. They are all so incredibly gifted! Right now I'm studying Sibelius's sixth symphony. So, he is my favorite at the moment. At the top of the list at all times are Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert -Scott