Musical Journeys
The Places
Beijing (Peking), the capital of China, has been the site of various cities with different names. Under Kubla Khan, who established the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), a new city, Khanbalik (Cambaluc) was built, to be destroyed by the Ming Emperors, the second of whom made Beijing once again the capital. Many of the historical remains come from the period of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the following Qing (1644-1911). These include the former imperial palace, known as the Forbidden City, and other palaces, parks and dwellings. The Great Wall is represented by the well-known sight of the Jinshanling section of this ancient structure, built during the early years of the Ming dynasty.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Beijing is played on Chinese instruments and makes use of traditional works and more modern arrangements in traditional style. The instruments to be heard include the Chinese flute (dizi), the zither (qin), the Chinese lute (pipa), the three-string lute (sanxian) and the two-string Chinese fiddle (erhu). The Shepherd and His Flute, for example, is played on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin), The Moon Over Guanshan on the sanxian and Song of the Tea-Pickers, taken from Yue Opera, is arranged for an instrumental ensemble. As with...
Beijing (Peking), the capital of China, has been the site of various cities with different names. Under Kubla Khan, who established the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), a new city, Khanbalik (Cambaluc) was built, to be destroyed by the Ming Emperors, the second of whom made Beijing once again the capital. Many of the historical remains come from the period of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the following Qing (1644-1911). These include the former imperial palace, known as the Forbidden City, and other palaces, parks and dwellings. The Great Wall is represented by the well-known sight of the Jinshanling section of this ancient structure, built during the early years of the Ming dynasty.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Beijing is played on Chinese instruments and makes use of traditional works and more modern arrangements in traditional style. The instruments to be heard include the Chinese flute (dizi), the zither (qin), the Chinese lute (pipa), the three-string lute (sanxian) and the two-string Chinese fiddle (erhu). The Shepherd and His Flute, for example, is played on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin), The Moon Over Guanshan on the sanxian and Song of the Tea-Pickers, taken from Yue Opera, is arranged for an instrumental ensemble. As with...
The Places
Guilin, in Guangxi Province, is famous for its scenic beauty, in which nature seems to imitate Chinese art in a remarkable way. Other districts too boast the extraordinary rock formations that are a feature of the area, set against the lakes and rivers. The region is home to a number of the 56 ethnic minorities of China, including the Yao and Tong peoples. Here one may catch glimpses of the spectacular Dragon Spine terraced rice paddies of Longsheng County and the thin ribbon of rushing water that forms the Longsheng Waterfall.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Guilin is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are wind and string ensembles known as "silk and bamboo" from their silk strings and bamboo pipes and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, a transverse bamboo flute whose characteristic timbre is produced by a vibrating membrane over one of the holes, and the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Happy Family and Three Five Seven feature the Chinese shawm, or the suona, and the sheng, a free-reed mouth organ, can be heard in the music that accompanies Longsheng Waterfall. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is...
Guilin, in Guangxi Province, is famous for its scenic beauty, in which nature seems to imitate Chinese art in a remarkable way. Other districts too boast the extraordinary rock formations that are a feature of the area, set against the lakes and rivers. The region is home to a number of the 56 ethnic minorities of China, including the Yao and Tong peoples. Here one may catch glimpses of the spectacular Dragon Spine terraced rice paddies of Longsheng County and the thin ribbon of rushing water that forms the Longsheng Waterfall.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Guilin is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are wind and string ensembles known as "silk and bamboo" from their silk strings and bamboo pipes and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, a transverse bamboo flute whose characteristic timbre is produced by a vibrating membrane over one of the holes, and the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Happy Family and Three Five Seven feature the Chinese shawm, or the suona, and the sheng, a free-reed mouth organ, can be heard in the music that accompanies Longsheng Waterfall. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is...
The Places
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, held a position of importance from the time of the Sui dynasty (581-617 CE), and is sited at the end of the Grand Canal, which linked waterways that provided communication between the provinces of China. It was the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1276) and was visited by Marco Polo in the following Mongol Yuan dynasty. He compared Hangzhou to Venice, praised its traditional arts and crafts, and commented on its great importance in the spice trade and on the beauty of the West Lake with its bordering pavilions and temples. Historical monuments abound, with temples, pagodas, and buildings that recall ancient China.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Hangzhou is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Unusually there is a Bach minuet, transcribed for the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin, used to accompany a visit to a silk museum. Other instruments heard include the dizi, the Chinese bamboo transverse flute, and ensembles of wind and strings known as "silk and bamboo" from their silk strings and bamboo pipes. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is generally associated with a scene or poem, as revealed in its evocative titles.
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, held a position of importance from the time of the Sui dynasty (581-617 CE), and is sited at the end of the Grand Canal, which linked waterways that provided communication between the provinces of China. It was the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1276) and was visited by Marco Polo in the following Mongol Yuan dynasty. He compared Hangzhou to Venice, praised its traditional arts and crafts, and commented on its great importance in the spice trade and on the beauty of the West Lake with its bordering pavilions and temples. Historical monuments abound, with temples, pagodas, and buildings that recall ancient China.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Hangzhou is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Unusually there is a Bach minuet, transcribed for the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin, used to accompany a visit to a silk museum. Other instruments heard include the dizi, the Chinese bamboo transverse flute, and ensembles of wind and strings known as "silk and bamboo" from their silk strings and bamboo pipes. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is generally associated with a scene or poem, as revealed in its evocative titles.
The Places
The city of Shanghai, China's most important port, owes some of its prosperity to the so-called unequal treaties forced on China during the 19th century. The place had its origin as a settlement during the Tang dynasty (618-906 CE), but the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong to the British and made possible the development of foreign trade through the five "treaty ports," of which Shanghai became the most important. The growth of Shanghai into an international trading centre and the concessions made to various foreign countries explain the interesting mixture of architectural styles, continued today with the high-rise buildings of recent years.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Shanghai is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are the wind and string ensembles known as "silk and bamboo," from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, heard first in Moonlight Autumn Night by the Lake, a transverse bamboo flute, and the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is largely representational, its character indicated in its titles, although these may...
The city of Shanghai, China's most important port, owes some of its prosperity to the so-called unequal treaties forced on China during the 19th century. The place had its origin as a settlement during the Tang dynasty (618-906 CE), but the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong to the British and made possible the development of foreign trade through the five "treaty ports," of which Shanghai became the most important. The growth of Shanghai into an international trading centre and the concessions made to various foreign countries explain the interesting mixture of architectural styles, continued today with the high-rise buildings of recent years.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Shanghai is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are the wind and string ensembles known as "silk and bamboo," from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, heard first in Moonlight Autumn Night by the Lake, a transverse bamboo flute, and the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is largely representational, its character indicated in its titles, although these may...
The Places
This Naxos China Travelogue tour of Shanxi starts with the ancient walled city of Pingyao, once a thriving commercial center. The former wealth of the province is witnessed by the Courtyard Houses of the Qu and Wang families, extensive compounds dating principally from the 18th century. Shuanglin Temple, part of the Pingyao world heritage site, is seen, with its collection of 2,000 painted statues from the Song and Yuan dynasties. There are views of Mount Wutai, the first of the Four Sacred Mountains for Chinese Buddhism, with some of its many monasteries and temples, and other Buddhist monuments at the Chongsan Monastery and Jinci Temple. The most remarkable of all is the Hanging Monastery at the foot of Mount Heng, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism, apparently hanging on a sheer cliff face. The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda of Fogong Temple, dating from the 11th century, is the oldest and highest in China. Still earlier are the carvings of the Yungang Grottoes, some 51,000 statues of the Buddha in 252 caverns, dating originally from the 5th and 6th centuries. The tour ends with the sight of the remarkable Hukuo Waterfall, with its 50-metre descent in a gorge on the Yellow River. The journey is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments and music.
This Naxos China Travelogue tour of Shanxi starts with the ancient walled city of Pingyao, once a thriving commercial center. The former wealth of the province is witnessed by the Courtyard Houses of the Qu and Wang families, extensive compounds dating principally from the 18th century. Shuanglin Temple, part of the Pingyao world heritage site, is seen, with its collection of 2,000 painted statues from the Song and Yuan dynasties. There are views of Mount Wutai, the first of the Four Sacred Mountains for Chinese Buddhism, with some of its many monasteries and temples, and other Buddhist monuments at the Chongsan Monastery and Jinci Temple. The most remarkable of all is the Hanging Monastery at the foot of Mount Heng, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism, apparently hanging on a sheer cliff face. The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda of Fogong Temple, dating from the 11th century, is the oldest and highest in China. Still earlier are the carvings of the Yungang Grottoes, some 51,000 statues of the Buddha in 252 caverns, dating originally from the 5th and 6th centuries. The tour ends with the sight of the remarkable Hukuo Waterfall, with its 50-metre descent in a gorge on the Yellow River. The journey is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments and music.
The Places
This Naxos China Travelogue tour of Sichuan (Szechwan) takes us to a land of lakes and snow-capped mountains with a fertile central plain. The tour starts in Chengdu in a park, where there is a replica of the thatched cottage in which the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu (Tu Fu) took refuge for years. Temples in the province include the elaborate Wuhou Memorial Temple, the temples on Qingcheng Mountain and the legendary Fulong Temple. Most impressive of all, however, must be the natural scenery of the rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains that protected the province from invasion for so many centuries. The tour is accompanied by music played on traditional instruments.
This Naxos China Travelogue tour of Sichuan (Szechwan) takes us to a land of lakes and snow-capped mountains with a fertile central plain. The tour starts in Chengdu in a park, where there is a replica of the thatched cottage in which the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu (Tu Fu) took refuge for years. Temples in the province include the elaborate Wuhou Memorial Temple, the temples on Qingcheng Mountain and the legendary Fulong Temple. Most impressive of all, however, must be the natural scenery of the rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains that protected the province from invasion for so many centuries. The tour is accompanied by music played on traditional instruments.
The Places
Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, continues to exercise a strange fascination over visitors, traditionally through its very remoteness. This Naxos China Travelogue tour starts with views of the Potala, the White Palace and the Red Palace, built in the 17th century on the site of a palace built a thousand years before. The Jokhang, dating from the 7th century, houses a revered image of the Buddha. Some five kilometers north of central Lhasa is the Sera Monastery, founded in the 15th century, with its colleges, statues and relics of former lamas. Fifty kilometres to the northeast is the Ganden Monastery, founded in the same period and holding important religious relics. The tour ends with a visit to Yumbulagang, said to be the oldest building in Tibet, which was consecrated to its ancient kings. The tour is accompanied by Tibetan music, the chanting of monks and other vocal and instrumental music matched with remarkable views of the country, its buildings and mountain scenery.
Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, continues to exercise a strange fascination over visitors, traditionally through its very remoteness. This Naxos China Travelogue tour starts with views of the Potala, the White Palace and the Red Palace, built in the 17th century on the site of a palace built a thousand years before. The Jokhang, dating from the 7th century, houses a revered image of the Buddha. Some five kilometers north of central Lhasa is the Sera Monastery, founded in the 15th century, with its colleges, statues and relics of former lamas. Fifty kilometres to the northeast is the Ganden Monastery, founded in the same period and holding important religious relics. The tour ends with a visit to Yumbulagang, said to be the oldest building in Tibet, which was consecrated to its ancient kings. The tour is accompanied by Tibetan music, the chanting of monks and other vocal and instrumental music matched with remarkable views of the country, its buildings and mountain scenery.
The Places
The capital of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, its name translating as "Western Peace," was the Chinese capital during the Tang dynasty (618-906 CE). The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, completed in 704 on the orders of Empress Wu Zetian, is one of the oldest such structures in China. Of particular interest is the tomb of the Emperor Huang, regarded as the founder of the unified Chinese nation, and the remarkable terracotta warriors and horses discovered around the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang Di, founder of the Qin dynasty who died in 210 BCE. The tour ends with views of the precipitous Huashan (Flower Mountain), so called from its five peaks grouped in the shape of a great flower.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Xi'an is played on traditional Chinese instruments. The excerpts include, to accompany the terracotta warriors, a contemporary composition inspired by Zhang Ji's poem Night at the Maple Bridge giving particular prominence to the zhongruan, a form of Chinese lute of ancient origin. Other instruments heard are the Chinese transverse bamboo flute, the dizi; the Chinese plucked zither, the guqin; and the Chinese lute, the pipa. A glimpse of operatic stage performance finds a place for a Shaanxi opera tune, an example of the music to be heard in the many...
The capital of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, its name translating as "Western Peace," was the Chinese capital during the Tang dynasty (618-906 CE). The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, completed in 704 on the orders of Empress Wu Zetian, is one of the oldest such structures in China. Of particular interest is the tomb of the Emperor Huang, regarded as the founder of the unified Chinese nation, and the remarkable terracotta warriors and horses discovered around the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang Di, founder of the Qin dynasty who died in 210 BCE. The tour ends with views of the precipitous Huashan (Flower Mountain), so called from its five peaks grouped in the shape of a great flower.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Xi'an is played on traditional Chinese instruments. The excerpts include, to accompany the terracotta warriors, a contemporary composition inspired by Zhang Ji's poem Night at the Maple Bridge giving particular prominence to the zhongruan, a form of Chinese lute of ancient origin. Other instruments heard are the Chinese transverse bamboo flute, the dizi; the Chinese plucked zither, the guqin; and the Chinese lute, the pipa. A glimpse of operatic stage performance finds a place for a Shaanxi opera tune, an example of the music to be heard in the many...
The Places
This Naxos China Travelogues tour of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) starts in the old town of Kashgar, with its Uighur shops and alleys. Travelling to Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the Tianshan Mountain range, we see Kazakh yurts and flocks of sheep and something of the varied flora and fauna of the area. In Kashgar again, the tomb of Abakh Khoja, a famous local ruler in the early Qing dynasty, makes a contrast with the busy city life of the capital, Urumqi. Some 30 kilometres takes us to the geographical centre of the continent of Asia, while back at the heart of Kashgar itself is the 15th-century yellow-tiled Id Kah Mosque. There are views of strange rock formations in the countryside and of the colourful Lake Sayram, with the alpine scenery of Kanas Lake and the fertile vineyards of Grape Valley. The tour of this varied region, with its Uighur, Mongolian, Kazakh, Tatar, Uzbek, Han and other ethnic groups, ends with the snow-capped Tianshan Mountain with its great glaciers. The tour is accompanied by traditional music and instruments.
This Naxos China Travelogues tour of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) starts in the old town of Kashgar, with its Uighur shops and alleys. Travelling to Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the Tianshan Mountain range, we see Kazakh yurts and flocks of sheep and something of the varied flora and fauna of the area. In Kashgar again, the tomb of Abakh Khoja, a famous local ruler in the early Qing dynasty, makes a contrast with the busy city life of the capital, Urumqi. Some 30 kilometres takes us to the geographical centre of the continent of Asia, while back at the heart of Kashgar itself is the 15th-century yellow-tiled Id Kah Mosque. There are views of strange rock formations in the countryside and of the colourful Lake Sayram, with the alpine scenery of Kanas Lake and the fertile vineyards of Grape Valley. The tour of this varied region, with its Uighur, Mongolian, Kazakh, Tatar, Uzbek, Han and other ethnic groups, ends with the snow-capped Tianshan Mountain with its great glaciers. The tour is accompanied by traditional music and instruments.
The Places
A region of mountains and lakes, the province of Yunnan lies to the south of Sichuan. This Naxos China Travelogue tour starts with the Old Town of Lijiang, with its narrow cobbled streets and closely packed traditional buildings. Later the tour moves to Shuhe, otherwise known as Longquan Village, which is a few kilometers north of Lijiang but boasts comparable traditional buildings as a place where the minority Naxi People have long lived. Mountains in Yunnan include Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, its name that of a legendary defender of the region, transformed with his brother into thirteen peaks. The tour visits the historic capital of Yunnan, Kunming, now home to some five million inhabitants. Scenes of Yunnan are matched with traditional music.
A region of mountains and lakes, the province of Yunnan lies to the south of Sichuan. This Naxos China Travelogue tour starts with the Old Town of Lijiang, with its narrow cobbled streets and closely packed traditional buildings. Later the tour moves to Shuhe, otherwise known as Longquan Village, which is a few kilometers north of Lijiang but boasts comparable traditional buildings as a place where the minority Naxi People have long lived. Mountains in Yunnan include Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, its name that of a legendary defender of the region, transformed with his brother into thirteen peaks. The tour visits the historic capital of Yunnan, Kunming, now home to some five million inhabitants. Scenes of Yunnan are matched with traditional music.
The Places
The tour starts in Vienna at the Christkindl Market, and other Christmas scenes include the grotesque Krampus masqueraders with St. Nicholas in Steyr. In Switzerland we see the great monastery church at Einsiedeln and in Bavaria the Abbey Church at Ottobeuren. In Austria scenes of Salzburg and its Christmas market are followed by Christmas cribs at Steyr and in the great cathedral at Linz, ending gazing upwards at the great Christmas fresco that decorates the dome of the monastery church at Einsiedeln.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is principally taken from the works of Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, including excerpts from the former's Messiah and from two organ concertos, and from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with the carol "Silent Night" heard in its original setting at the little church in Oberndorf, for which it was written.
The tour starts in Vienna at the Christkindl Market, and other Christmas scenes include the grotesque Krampus masqueraders with St. Nicholas in Steyr. In Switzerland we see the great monastery church at Einsiedeln and in Bavaria the Abbey Church at Ottobeuren. In Austria scenes of Salzburg and its Christmas market are followed by Christmas cribs at Steyr and in the great cathedral at Linz, ending gazing upwards at the great Christmas fresco that decorates the dome of the monastery church at Einsiedeln.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is principally taken from the works of Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, including excerpts from the former's Messiah and from two organ concertos, and from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with the carol "Silent Night" heard in its original setting at the little church in Oberndorf, for which it was written.
The Places
The tour relates to the life of Mozart , from his native Salzburg to his final precarious independence in Vienna. There are glimpses of the Salzburg Church of St. Peter and of the Cathedral, with which Mozart of his father, members of the musical establishment of the ruling Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, were closely concerned. Memorials of Mozart and other composers are seen in Vienna, while a brief detour to Belgium to the idiosyncratic Musee Wiertz and to the Tournai Musee des Beaux Arts, brings another aspect to the journey.
The Music
Mozart's Requiem Mass was commissioned anonymously in July 1791 by Count Franz Walsegg zu Stuppach, who sought to commemorate the recent death of his wife by the performance of a work of this kind that he might, at least by implication, claim of his own. An initial fee of sixty ducats was paid, with promise of a further sum when when the Requiem was complete. But in November Mozart was taken ill and within a fortnight he was dead. His widow, Constanze, who needed the rest of the fee for the work, asked Joseph Eybler, who has assisted Mozart in rehearsals for Cosi fan tutte , to finish the composition and the scoring. He later gave up the task and the unfinished score finally came into the hands of Franz Xaver Sussmayr...
The tour relates to the life of Mozart , from his native Salzburg to his final precarious independence in Vienna. There are glimpses of the Salzburg Church of St. Peter and of the Cathedral, with which Mozart of his father, members of the musical establishment of the ruling Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, were closely concerned. Memorials of Mozart and other composers are seen in Vienna, while a brief detour to Belgium to the idiosyncratic Musee Wiertz and to the Tournai Musee des Beaux Arts, brings another aspect to the journey.
The Music
Mozart's Requiem Mass was commissioned anonymously in July 1791 by Count Franz Walsegg zu Stuppach, who sought to commemorate the recent death of his wife by the performance of a work of this kind that he might, at least by implication, claim of his own. An initial fee of sixty ducats was paid, with promise of a further sum when when the Requiem was complete. But in November Mozart was taken ill and within a fortnight he was dead. His widow, Constanze, who needed the rest of the fee for the work, asked Joseph Eybler, who has assisted Mozart in rehearsals for Cosi fan tutte , to finish the composition and the scoring. He later gave up the task and the unfinished score finally came into the hands of Franz Xaver Sussmayr...
The Places
In the peace treaty of 1919 the Tyrol was divided into three regions, Southern Tyrol being ceded to Italy. The Eastern Tyrol, Austrian territory, is bounded to the south by the Lienz Dolomites, with the town of Lienz the regional capital. The region is popular with summer visitors, its climate relatively mild in spite of its height above sea level. There is also a glimpse of the Earth Pyramids at Ritten (Renon) in the Italian Southern Tyrol.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Franz Schubert, the son of a schoolmaster who had settled in Vienna. Although his life was chiefly spent in Vienna, he was nevertheless able to enjoy the Austrian countryside during holidays spent with friends. The beauty of the landscape is reflected in his music and, in particular, in his songs. The tour of the Lienz Dolomites is accompanied by music by Schubert for piano trio, written towards the end of his short life.
In the peace treaty of 1919 the Tyrol was divided into three regions, Southern Tyrol being ceded to Italy. The Eastern Tyrol, Austrian territory, is bounded to the south by the Lienz Dolomites, with the town of Lienz the regional capital. The region is popular with summer visitors, its climate relatively mild in spite of its height above sea level. There is also a glimpse of the Earth Pyramids at Ritten (Renon) in the Italian Southern Tyrol.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Franz Schubert, the son of a schoolmaster who had settled in Vienna. Although his life was chiefly spent in Vienna, he was nevertheless able to enjoy the Austrian countryside during holidays spent with friends. The beauty of the landscape is reflected in his music and, in particular, in his songs. The tour of the Lienz Dolomites is accompanied by music by Schubert for piano trio, written towards the end of his short life.
The Places
This tour of Austria takes us from the historic towns of Stein-Krems and Salzburg to the former imperial country residence at Laxenburg, the Imperial Treasury in Vienna and the vivid contemporary architecture of Fritz Stowasser, better known as Hundertwasser.
The Music
The music for this tour of Austria is taken from two concertos by Mozart, his Clarinet Concerto, written in Vienna a month or so before his death in 1791, and his Oboe Concerto, K.314, written in Salzburg in 1777.
This tour of Austria takes us from the historic towns of Stein-Krems and Salzburg to the former imperial country residence at Laxenburg, the Imperial Treasury in Vienna and the vivid contemporary architecture of Fritz Stowasser, better known as Hundertwasser.
The Music
The music for this tour of Austria is taken from two concertos by Mozart, his Clarinet Concerto, written in Vienna a month or so before his death in 1791, and his Oboe Concerto, K.314, written in Salzburg in 1777.
MUSICAL JOURNEY (A) - AUSTRIA: Hohenwerfen / Weissensee / Styria / Linz / Aggstein / Hallein / Baden
The Places
The places visited include Hohenwerfen Castle, the Weissensee, Styria, Linz, Aggstein, Hallein and Baden.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Austria consists of Mozart's Violin Concertos Nos. 3 and 5 , written during his early adulthood in Salzburg.
The places visited include Hohenwerfen Castle, the Weissensee, Styria, Linz, Aggstein, Hallein and Baden.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Austria consists of Mozart's Violin Concertos Nos. 3 and 5 , written during his early adulthood in Salzburg.
The Places
The journey starts in the Austrian region of Muhlviertel, shows the Lippizaner horses of Piber in Styria and the storks and vineyards of Rust by the Neusiedlersee.
The Music
The music of the tour consists of two of Beethoven's best known sonatas for violin and piano, the Spring Sonata and the Kreutzer Sonata .
The journey starts in the Austrian region of Muhlviertel, shows the Lippizaner horses of Piber in Styria and the storks and vineyards of Rust by the Neusiedlersee.
The Music
The music of the tour consists of two of Beethoven's best known sonatas for violin and piano, the Spring Sonata and the Kreutzer Sonata .
The Places
The tour starts in Salzburg, with glimpses of the Austrian countryside, often in winter snow. It ends in the district of Salzburg, where it began.
The Music
The music is taken from three serenades by Mozart . The most famous, Eine kleine Nachtmusik , written in 1787 in Vienna, is followed by two serenades written ten years earlier for social occasions in Salzburg
The tour starts in Salzburg, with glimpses of the Austrian countryside, often in winter snow. It ends in the district of Salzburg, where it began.
The Music
The music is taken from three serenades by Mozart . The most famous, Eine kleine Nachtmusik , written in 1787 in Vienna, is followed by two serenades written ten years earlier for social occasions in Salzburg
The Places
The tour begins in the Salzkammergut, most of which lies nowadays in Upper Austria. It includes Hellbrunn Palace and the Residenz in Salzburg and the Styrian city of Graz.
The Music
The music for our journey is taken from Mozart's Haffner Serenade , written in honour of a friend in Mozart's native city of Salzburg.
The tour begins in the Salzkammergut, most of which lies nowadays in Upper Austria. It includes Hellbrunn Palace and the Residenz in Salzburg and the Styrian city of Graz.
The Music
The music for our journey is taken from Mozart's Haffner Serenade , written in honour of a friend in Mozart's native city of Salzburg.
The Places
The journey takes us from the vineyards of Grinzing, to the spa of Baden and to Gumpoldskirchen, famous for its wine. Scenes from the Salzkammergut lead to Steyr, Styria and Upper Austria.
The Music
Unlike other great classical composers who worked in Vienna ?EUR" Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven - Franz Schubert was born there and spent much of his short life in the city. At the same time he took pleasure in the Austrian countryside, reflected in his Trout Quintet , written for friends in Steyr whom he had met during a summer holiday.
The journey takes us from the vineyards of Grinzing, to the spa of Baden and to Gumpoldskirchen, famous for its wine. Scenes from the Salzkammergut lead to Steyr, Styria and Upper Austria.
The Music
Unlike other great classical composers who worked in Vienna ?EUR" Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven - Franz Schubert was born there and spent much of his short life in the city. At the same time he took pleasure in the Austrian countryside, reflected in his Trout Quintet , written for friends in Steyr whom he had met during a summer holiday.
The Places
The tour visits the Tin Soldier Museum at Kulmbach, the National Army Museum, the Wellington Memorial and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and the Bavarian Army Museum at Ingolstadt, with its relics of the Thirty Years of War and of conflicts with the Ottoman Empire.
The Music
The tour brings Beethoven's musical celebration of Wellington's victorious campaign in Spain, Liszt's Battle of the Huns and a Georgian war march by Ippolitov-Ivanov . The tour ends with two military works by Rimsky-Korsakov , King Dodon on the Battlefield , from his last opera, The Golden Cockerel , and The Massacre at Kerzhenets from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh.
The tour visits the Tin Soldier Museum at Kulmbach, the National Army Museum, the Wellington Memorial and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and the Bavarian Army Museum at Ingolstadt, with its relics of the Thirty Years of War and of conflicts with the Ottoman Empire.
The Music
The tour brings Beethoven's musical celebration of Wellington's victorious campaign in Spain, Liszt's Battle of the Huns and a Georgian war march by Ippolitov-Ivanov . The tour ends with two military works by Rimsky-Korsakov , King Dodon on the Battlefield , from his last opera, The Golden Cockerel , and The Massacre at Kerzhenets from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh.
The Places
The musical tour starts in the Bernese Alps, which offer some of the finest scenery in Switzerland, with glaciers and snow-covered expanses, waterfalls, mountain lakes, and the towering Matterhorn. The Nymphenburg Palace and Park, in Munich, present a contrast in their baroque elegance. The tour ends with glimpses of the Chiemsee, the largest of the Bavarian lakes, with its three wooded islands, on one of which Wagner's patron, King Ludwig II, built his folly, the Schloss Herrenchiemsee.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from TchaikovskyEUR(TM)s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, one of the best known of all romantic concertos. This is followed by his Souvenir d'un lieu cher, three pieces originally for violin and piano, but here orchestrated by the composer Glazunov. These pieces are a gentler memento of a stay at the country estate in Ukraine of his generous and unseen patron, Nadezhda von Meck, at a time of some personal difficulty after the failure of his marriage.
The musical tour starts in the Bernese Alps, which offer some of the finest scenery in Switzerland, with glaciers and snow-covered expanses, waterfalls, mountain lakes, and the towering Matterhorn. The Nymphenburg Palace and Park, in Munich, present a contrast in their baroque elegance. The tour ends with glimpses of the Chiemsee, the largest of the Bavarian lakes, with its three wooded islands, on one of which Wagner's patron, King Ludwig II, built his folly, the Schloss Herrenchiemsee.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from TchaikovskyEUR(TM)s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, one of the best known of all romantic concertos. This is followed by his Souvenir d'un lieu cher, three pieces originally for violin and piano, but here orchestrated by the composer Glazunov. These pieces are a gentler memento of a stay at the country estate in Ukraine of his generous and unseen patron, Nadezhda von Meck, at a time of some personal difficulty after the failure of his marriage.
The Places
Berlin was transformed into the capital of Brandenburg under the Elector Friedrich II in the 14th century, to become the capital of Prussia and then, in the 19th century, of a united Germany.
The Music
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony accompanies the tour to Berlin, with his third Leonora Overture and his overture to Goethe's play Egmont
Berlin was transformed into the capital of Brandenburg under the Elector Friedrich II in the 14th century, to become the capital of Prussia and then, in the 19th century, of a united Germany.
The Music
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony accompanies the tour to Berlin, with his third Leonora Overture and his overture to Goethe's play Egmont
The Places
Brittany and Normandy, one Celtic in origin, culture and language, the other taking its name from the conquering Norsemen, have an enchantment all their own. The landscape, tinged by the magic of history, the ancient buildings and, above all, the sea, combine to
offer an unforgettable panorama of the two regions.
The Music
The French composer Claude Debussy suggested new paths for the future, introducing innovations in harmony, structure and orchestral colouring, the last often with a large orchestra delicately used. The music used here includes the evocative Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune , later transformed into a ballet by Nijinsky, the three Nocturnes , orchestral pieces that again suggest the beauty and variety of the landscapes and views of the sea that they here accompany, and finally La mer , in all its changes from dawn to dusk.
Brittany and Normandy, one Celtic in origin, culture and language, the other taking its name from the conquering Norsemen, have an enchantment all their own. The landscape, tinged by the magic of history, the ancient buildings and, above all, the sea, combine to
offer an unforgettable panorama of the two regions.
The Music
The French composer Claude Debussy suggested new paths for the future, introducing innovations in harmony, structure and orchestral colouring, the last often with a large orchestra delicately used. The music used here includes the evocative Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune , later transformed into a ballet by Nijinsky, the three Nocturnes , orchestral pieces that again suggest the beauty and variety of the landscapes and views of the sea that they here accompany, and finally La mer , in all its changes from dawn to dusk.
The Places
The journey is concerned largely with places of importance in the life of Anton Bruckner , his birth-place, the monastery of St. Florian where he was trained and worked, and Vienna, where he spent his final years.
The Music
A man of modest origins, the composer Anton Bruckner continued and developed the symphonic tradition of Vienna in a series of imposing works that also drew inspiration from Wagner .
The journey is concerned largely with places of importance in the life of Anton Bruckner , his birth-place, the monastery of St. Florian where he was trained and worked, and Vienna, where he spent his final years.
The Music
A man of modest origins, the composer Anton Bruckner continued and developed the symphonic tradition of Vienna in a series of imposing works that also drew inspiration from Wagner .
The Places
The great chateaux and country houses of the Loire arose largely from the decision of Francois I, who came to the throne in 1515, to move his court for part of the year to the Loire valley. This coincided with a period of French architecture in which the Italian Renaissance style was notably influential, often combined with the existing Gothic. An extraordinarily large number of imposing chateaux resulted, from Chambord and Blois to Azay-le-Rideau.
The Music
The music accompanying this tour of the Loire is all by Fryderyk Chopin. Born in Poland of a Polish mother and emigre French father, Chopin settled in Paris, and his liaison with the writer George Sand (Aurore Dudevant) allowed him generally to spend summer months with her at her Chateau de Nohant in the upper valley of the Indre, the so-called Black Valley. The music chosen here is taken from his many waltzes, a popular dance that he elevated from the ballroom to the concert salon.
The great chateaux and country houses of the Loire arose largely from the decision of Francois I, who came to the throne in 1515, to move his court for part of the year to the Loire valley. This coincided with a period of French architecture in which the Italian Renaissance style was notably influential, often combined with the existing Gothic. An extraordinarily large number of imposing chateaux resulted, from Chambord and Blois to Azay-le-Rideau.
The Music
The music accompanying this tour of the Loire is all by Fryderyk Chopin. Born in Poland of a Polish mother and emigre French father, Chopin settled in Paris, and his liaison with the writer George Sand (Aurore Dudevant) allowed him generally to spend summer months with her at her Chateau de Nohant in the upper valley of the Indre, the so-called Black Valley. The music chosen here is taken from his many waltzes, a popular dance that he elevated from the ballroom to the concert salon.
The Places
The tour lingers for some time in Zurich, in its celebration of Christmas. There is a visit to the famous Toy Museum at Nuremberg, a city well known as the centre of the German toy-making industry. Churches seen are the Great Minster in Zurich, where Zwingli once preached, and the monastery at Einsiedeln, at the heart of Catholic Switzerland.
The Music
The tour is accompanied by witty arrangements of Christmas favourites in the style of Baroque masters, of Bach, Handel and Vivaldi , by the Slovak-born composer Peter Breiner.
The tour lingers for some time in Zurich, in its celebration of Christmas. There is a visit to the famous Toy Museum at Nuremberg, a city well known as the centre of the German toy-making industry. Churches seen are the Great Minster in Zurich, where Zwingli once preached, and the monastery at Einsiedeln, at the heart of Catholic Switzerland.
The Music
The tour is accompanied by witty arrangements of Christmas favourites in the style of Baroque masters, of Bach, Handel and Vivaldi , by the Slovak-born composer Peter Breiner.
The Places
The tour starts in Steyr, in Upper Austria, bringing scenes associated with Christmas there, in Salzburg, the Salzkammergut and finally Switzerland.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is principally taken from baroque concertos evoking Christmas.
The tour starts in Steyr, in Upper Austria, bringing scenes associated with Christmas there, in Salzburg, the Salzkammergut and finally Switzerland.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is principally taken from baroque concertos evoking Christmas.
The Places
The principal place visited is Cordoba, with its historical records of its Moorish past and of the reconquest.
The Music
The music includes works by Russian and French composers, with only two pieces by Spanish composers. Nevertheless all the music breathes the very spirit of Spain.
The principal place visited is Cordoba, with its historical records of its Moorish past and of the reconquest.
The Music
The music includes works by Russian and French composers, with only two pieces by Spanish composers. Nevertheless all the music breathes the very spirit of Spain.
The Places
The tour starts in Uzbekistan , of which there are later glimpses. There is a visit to the historic Russian town of Suzdal and scenes from Crimea . Two important religious centres are seen, the Trinity Monastery at Sergiyev Posad (formerly Zagorsk) and the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev.
The Music
The music for the tour is taken from Russian composers who were,by and large, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of their country and its exotic territories. This is reflected in Borodin's Overture to his unfinished opera Prince Igor and in the work of the pioneer Glinka , the Armenian Khachaturian and Rimsky-Korsakov .
The tour starts in Uzbekistan , of which there are later glimpses. There is a visit to the historic Russian town of Suzdal and scenes from Crimea . Two important religious centres are seen, the Trinity Monastery at Sergiyev Posad (formerly Zagorsk) and the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev.
The Music
The music for the tour is taken from Russian composers who were,by and large, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of their country and its exotic territories. This is reflected in Borodin's Overture to his unfinished opera Prince Igor and in the work of the pioneer Glinka , the Armenian Khachaturian and Rimsky-Korsakov .
The Places
The tour visits historic sites in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. These include the castles of Litomysl and Konopiste in Bohemia, and the historic town of Melnik, the Horological Museum of Le Locle in Switzerland, relics of war from the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt, and a glimpse of the Belgium Chateau of Gaasbeek.
The Music
The tour brings two of Joseph Haydn's most famous symphonies, written for a London concert season in 1794, Symphony No. 100 , the so-called Military Symphony , and Symphony No. 101 , nicknames The Clock
The tour visits historic sites in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. These include the castles of Litomysl and Konopiste in Bohemia, and the historic town of Melnik, the Horological Museum of Le Locle in Switzerland, relics of war from the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt, and a glimpse of the Belgium Chateau of Gaasbeek.
The Music
The tour brings two of Joseph Haydn's most famous symphonies, written for a London concert season in 1794, Symphony No. 100 , the so-called Military Symphony , and Symphony No. 101 , nicknames The Clock
The Places
Our tour of the Czech Republic follows the Vltava River through the countryside to the capital city of Prague, visiting some of the great buildings that lie on its course.
The Music
The music chosen for our tour starts with the first great Czech nationalist composer, Bedrich Smetana, who left a monument to his country in his cycle of orchestral pieces, Ma Vlast (My Country). The younger composer Antonín Dvorak established a still greater reputation in music that reflected his native Bohemia in all its variety.
Our tour of the Czech Republic follows the Vltava River through the countryside to the capital city of Prague, visiting some of the great buildings that lie on its course.
The Music
The music chosen for our tour starts with the first great Czech nationalist composer, Bedrich Smetana, who left a monument to his country in his cycle of orchestral pieces, Ma Vlast (My Country). The younger composer Antonín Dvorak established a still greater reputation in music that reflected his native Bohemia in all its variety.
The Places
The churches and palaces of Prague are seen, with the great River Vltava (the Moldau), which flows through the city, the outline of city buildings reflected in its waters. The Strahov Monastery and the Villa Bertramka are practical examples of Mozart's contact with Prague. On a visit to the monastery he improvised on the organ, and at the Villa Bertramka he and his wife Constanze were guests of the Czech composer Dusek . There is also a visit to Southern Moravia and Lednice, with its Neo-Gothic castle, its folly, a slender minaret, in its English gardens, with its trees and artificial lakes.
The Music
Mozart had happy memories of Prague. When, during the last ten
years of his life, circumstances in Vienna proved increasingly difficult, he was always welcome in the Bohemian capital. It was for Prague that he wrote his opera Don Giovanni in 1787 and for Prague that he wrote one of his last operas, La clemenza di Tito , commissioned for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, and for his unappreciative wife, who described the work as 'porcheria tedesca', German porkery. Prague continues to honour Mozart in various festivals, concerts and memorabilia.
The churches and palaces of Prague are seen, with the great River Vltava (the Moldau), which flows through the city, the outline of city buildings reflected in its waters. The Strahov Monastery and the Villa Bertramka are practical examples of Mozart's contact with Prague. On a visit to the monastery he improvised on the organ, and at the Villa Bertramka he and his wife Constanze were guests of the Czech composer Dusek . There is also a visit to Southern Moravia and Lednice, with its Neo-Gothic castle, its folly, a slender minaret, in its English gardens, with its trees and artificial lakes.
The Music
Mozart had happy memories of Prague. When, during the last ten
years of his life, circumstances in Vienna proved increasingly difficult, he was always welcome in the Bohemian capital. It was for Prague that he wrote his opera Don Giovanni in 1787 and for Prague that he wrote one of his last operas, La clemenza di Tito , commissioned for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, and for his unappreciative wife, who described the work as 'porcheria tedesca', German porkery. Prague continues to honour Mozart in various festivals, concerts and memorabilia.
The Places
The visit to the Czech Republic starts with Hluboka Castle, a massive building that for over three hundred years belonged to the Schwarzenberg family. The present building is modelled in part on England's Windsor Castle. Other sites visited include Konopiste Castle, the picturesque town of Telc, and Vranov Castle.
The Music
Music for the visit is by Mozart and consists of his four Horn Concertos , written during the last decade of his life, when he was in Vienna, They were intended for his old Salzburg friend Ignaz Leutgeb, who has also settled in Vienna, prudently married there, and, in tandem with his musical activities, had become the owner of a small cheese-shop. The concertos, one of them unfinished at the time of Mozart's death, represent his work at its height.
The visit to the Czech Republic starts with Hluboka Castle, a massive building that for over three hundred years belonged to the Schwarzenberg family. The present building is modelled in part on England's Windsor Castle. Other sites visited include Konopiste Castle, the picturesque town of Telc, and Vranov Castle.
The Music
Music for the visit is by Mozart and consists of his four Horn Concertos , written during the last decade of his life, when he was in Vienna, They were intended for his old Salzburg friend Ignaz Leutgeb, who has also settled in Vienna, prudently married there, and, in tandem with his musical activities, had become the owner of a small cheese-shop. The concertos, one of them unfinished at the time of Mozart's death, represent his work at its height.
The Places
Our tour takes us to three great English houses. The first, near Oxford, is Blenheim Palace, built for the first Duke of Marlborough by Sir John Vanbrugh. The second is the romantic Leeds Castle, in Kent, known for its spectacular setting, and the third is Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, designed for the Howard family by Vanbrugh.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany our tour is by George Frideric Handel, who finally settled in England in 1712, assuming a dominant position in English music. His Water Music was written to entertain King George I, probably in 1717, as he sailed up the Thames, and the second, the Music for the Royal Fireworks, was commissioned to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749, accompanying a firework display in Green Park.
Our tour takes us to three great English houses. The first, near Oxford, is Blenheim Palace, built for the first Duke of Marlborough by Sir John Vanbrugh. The second is the romantic Leeds Castle, in Kent, known for its spectacular setting, and the third is Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, designed for the Howard family by Vanbrugh.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany our tour is by George Frideric Handel, who finally settled in England in 1712, assuming a dominant position in English music. His Water Music was written to entertain King George I, probably in 1717, as he sailed up the Thames, and the second, the Music for the Royal Fireworks, was commissioned to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749, accompanying a firework display in Green Park.
The Places
The tour of London takes us to the best-known parts of the British capital, with views of the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Hampton Court and down river to Greenwich.
The Music
The music for this tour of London is taken from the last two of Joseph Haydn's twelve London Symphonies, the last such works that he would write, composed specially for a series of concerts he gave in London in the 1790s, during two extended visits.
The tour of London takes us to the best-known parts of the British capital, with views of the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Hampton Court and down river to Greenwich.
The Music
The music for this tour of London is taken from the last two of Joseph Haydn's twelve London Symphonies, the last such works that he would write, composed specially for a series of concerts he gave in London in the 1790s, during two extended visits.
The Places
The places visited are principally in the west of England, the heart of "Elgar country," with its half-timbered houses, great cathedrals and churches, rivers and verdant landscape. There are glimpses of the Malvern hills, of Hereford and Worcester, and excursions to London and to Scotland, in views largely associated with the life of the composer Edward Elgar.
The Music
The music of Elgar was rooted in his own part of England. His Enigma Variations offers portraits of his friends and neighbours, the enigma lying in the unrevealed melody that he claimed would be generally known and that would go with the whole set of variations. The puzzle remains unsolved. Other music used includes Elgar's Serenade for Strings, Pomp and Circumstance March, No. 1 and Salut d'amour.
The places visited are principally in the west of England, the heart of "Elgar country," with its half-timbered houses, great cathedrals and churches, rivers and verdant landscape. There are glimpses of the Malvern hills, of Hereford and Worcester, and excursions to London and to Scotland, in views largely associated with the life of the composer Edward Elgar.
The Music
The music of Elgar was rooted in his own part of England. His Enigma Variations offers portraits of his friends and neighbours, the enigma lying in the unrevealed melody that he claimed would be generally known and that would go with the whole set of variations. The puzzle remains unsolved. Other music used includes Elgar's Serenade for Strings, Pomp and Circumstance March, No. 1 and Salut d'amour.
The Places
Scenes of Finland, its capital Helsinki and its countryside are intercut with the work of the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who, like his contemporary Jean Sibelius, captured the spirit of his country and its legends in his work.
The Music
Jean Sibelius is the greatest of all Finnish composers, and it is his music that accompanies scenes from his native Finland, its landscape and legends. He drew inspiration from the ancient stories of his country included in the great collections of legends that make up the Kalevala and from the Finnish landscape.
Scenes of Finland, its capital Helsinki and its countryside are intercut with the work of the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who, like his contemporary Jean Sibelius, captured the spirit of his country and its legends in his work.
The Music
Jean Sibelius is the greatest of all Finnish composers, and it is his music that accompanies scenes from his native Finland, its landscape and legends. He drew inspiration from the ancient stories of his country included in the great collections of legends that make up the Kalevala and from the Finnish landscape.
The Places
Scenes of Finland and its capital Helsinki , the interlinked islands of Savonlinna , site of an ancient castle and Kerimaki , with its wooden church, suggest a vision of a remarkable country, moulded by its geographical features and its varied and long history.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean
Sibelius . The son of a doctor, Sibelius belonged to a class of which the culture and language was Swedish. He learned Finnish and acquired his knowledge of Finnish literature and legend at school, developed his understanding of music in Germany, principally in Berlin, and established himself as one of the most considerable of the late Romantic symphonists, exploring new possibilities in a vein that might have seemed overworked. Here and in his tone-poems, based largely on Finnish legend, he created a national music that has defied imitation in the very breadth of his conception of the symphonic form.
Scenes of Finland and its capital Helsinki , the interlinked islands of Savonlinna , site of an ancient castle and Kerimaki , with its wooden church, suggest a vision of a remarkable country, moulded by its geographical features and its varied and long history.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean
Sibelius . The son of a doctor, Sibelius belonged to a class of which the culture and language was Swedish. He learned Finnish and acquired his knowledge of Finnish literature and legend at school, developed his understanding of music in Germany, principally in Berlin, and established himself as one of the most considerable of the late Romantic symphonists, exploring new possibilities in a vein that might have seemed overworked. Here and in his tone-poems, based largely on Finnish legend, he created a national music that has defied imitation in the very breadth of his conception of the symphonic form.
The Places
This tour of Finland concentrates on the capital, Helsinki, and the work of the Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean
Sibelius . He established himself as one of the most considerable of the late Romantic symphonists, and in his tone-poems created a national music that has defied imitation.
This tour of Finland concentrates on the capital, Helsinki, and the work of the Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean
Sibelius . He established himself as one of the most considerable of the late Romantic symphonists, and in his tone-poems created a national music that has defied imitation.
The Places
Our tour of the interlinked islands of Savonlinna in south-east Finland begins with the medieval castle of Ovanlinna , the venue nowadays for an international opera festival, and the town of Savonlinna that has developed round it over the last four hundred years.
The Music
The music is by Sibelius , the greatest of Finnish composers, who single-handedly created a national music evoking the traditional epics of Finnish history and legend. We hear the first of his seven surviving symphonies and the symphonic poem En Saga (A Story) .
Our tour of the interlinked islands of Savonlinna in south-east Finland begins with the medieval castle of Ovanlinna , the venue nowadays for an international opera festival, and the town of Savonlinna that has developed round it over the last four hundred years.
The Music
The music is by Sibelius , the greatest of Finnish composers, who single-handedly created a national music evoking the traditional epics of Finnish history and legend. We hear the first of his seven surviving symphonies and the symphonic poem En Saga (A Story) .
The Places
Florence grew rich and powerful on the silk trade and banking, evidenced by an incredible wealth of cultural history preserved in its buildings and other works of art. The city is dominated by its great cathedral and adjacent bell tower and the famous Baptistery. Running through it is the river Arno, crossed by the old bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, and around it rise the Tuscan hills.
The Music
Ranging from Palestrina to Puccini, the music includes an excerpt from the latter's opera Gianni Schicchi , set in Florence, arias from Verdi, and instrumental excerpts by Rossini. It also includes a poignant extract from Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp and his mock serenade from Don Giovanni, and it ends with a transcription for guitar of a caprice by the demon violinist Paganini.
Florence grew rich and powerful on the silk trade and banking, evidenced by an incredible wealth of cultural history preserved in its buildings and other works of art. The city is dominated by its great cathedral and adjacent bell tower and the famous Baptistery. Running through it is the river Arno, crossed by the old bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, and around it rise the Tuscan hills.
The Music
Ranging from Palestrina to Puccini, the music includes an excerpt from the latter's opera Gianni Schicchi , set in Florence, arias from Verdi, and instrumental excerpts by Rossini. It also includes a poignant extract from Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp and his mock serenade from Don Giovanni, and it ends with a transcription for guitar of a caprice by the demon violinist Paganini.
The Places
Brittany and Normandy , in Northern France, have a character all their own, preserving, as they do, ancient Celtic traditions in a countryside bounded on one side by a rocky coast-line. The great Abbey of Mont St-Michel remains a centre of pilgrimage and secular interest, and in Normandy we catch glimpses of the Bayeux Tapestry, with its near contemporary record of William of Normandy's successful expedition in 1066 to conquer England.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Northern France is the Organ Symphony of Camille Saint-Saens , a work written in memory of Franz
Liszt that takes its name from the use of the organ in its grandiose
final movement. The other music to be heard is an orchestral version of the Belgian-born composer Cesar Franck's Prelude and Chorale , written two years earlier, in 1884, and the Romance in C major, Op. 48 , of Saint-Saens.
Brittany and Normandy , in Northern France, have a character all their own, preserving, as they do, ancient Celtic traditions in a countryside bounded on one side by a rocky coast-line. The great Abbey of Mont St-Michel remains a centre of pilgrimage and secular interest, and in Normandy we catch glimpses of the Bayeux Tapestry, with its near contemporary record of William of Normandy's successful expedition in 1066 to conquer England.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Northern France is the Organ Symphony of Camille Saint-Saens , a work written in memory of Franz
Liszt that takes its name from the use of the organ in its grandiose
final movement. The other music to be heard is an orchestral version of the Belgian-born composer Cesar Franck's Prelude and Chorale , written two years earlier, in 1884, and the Romance in C major, Op. 48 , of Saint-Saens.
The Places:
The region of southern France known as Provence has enjoyed a varied history, occupied by Ligurian and Celtic tribes, followed by Greek settlers, and finally by absorption into the Roman Empire. The succeeding centuries brought invasions, then rule by the Counts of Toulouse, before the region became, by inheritance, part of France. The local language, the langue d'oc, reflects something of this history, as do surviving popular customs. The Roman period is represented by surviving buildings, the Middle Ages by the Romanesque and Gothic.
The Music:
Music for the tour consists of string quartets by Claude Debussy and by Maurice Ravel, thirteen years his junior. Debussy's String Quartet, Op. 10, dates from 1893, while Ravel's single string quartet was written in 1902. Both works are highly characteristic of their relative composers.
The region of southern France known as Provence has enjoyed a varied history, occupied by Ligurian and Celtic tribes, followed by Greek settlers, and finally by absorption into the Roman Empire. The succeeding centuries brought invasions, then rule by the Counts of Toulouse, before the region became, by inheritance, part of France. The local language, the langue d'oc, reflects something of this history, as do surviving popular customs. The Roman period is represented by surviving buildings, the Middle Ages by the Romanesque and Gothic.
The Music:
Music for the tour consists of string quartets by Claude Debussy and by Maurice Ravel, thirteen years his junior. Debussy's String Quartet, Op. 10, dates from 1893, while Ravel's single string quartet was written in 1902. Both works are highly characteristic of their relative composers.
The Places
The tour opens with views of the Camargue, the marshy region near Arles with its wild life. Views of the Cote d'Azur are intercut with glimpses of the Munich Glyptothek with its collections of Roman and Greek statuary. Near Arles is the ancient Abbey of Montmajour and the fortified monastery and Abbey of Saint-Honorat, one of the Iles de Lerins. In Arles we see the Roman theatre and necropolis and, at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the remains of the ancient Gallo-Greek town of Glanum.
The Music
Music for the tour includes Debussy's evocative Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune , two Gymnopedies by Erik Satie and Ravel's two suites from his ballet Daphnies et Chloe , followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
The tour opens with views of the Camargue, the marshy region near Arles with its wild life. Views of the Cote d'Azur are intercut with glimpses of the Munich Glyptothek with its collections of Roman and Greek statuary. Near Arles is the ancient Abbey of Montmajour and the fortified monastery and Abbey of Saint-Honorat, one of the Iles de Lerins. In Arles we see the Roman theatre and necropolis and, at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the remains of the ancient Gallo-Greek town of Glanum.
The Music
Music for the tour includes Debussy's evocative Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune , two Gymnopedies by Erik Satie and Ravel's two suites from his ballet Daphnies et Chloe , followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
The Places
The tour starts in the formal gardens of the Palace of Versailles and
moves on to the Chateau of Chantilly. In Paris Montmartre presents a
simpler world, with scenes from the Canal Saint-Martin. The writer Rabelais is celebrated in Chinon, his birth-place, and there is a glimpse of Bluebeard's castle before we enter the traditional brasserie, La Cigale, in Nantes. In Paris again, the restaurant, the Train Bleu, celebrates an earlier age of luxury and from the historic railway stations of the capital we continue to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, before finally visiting the Place de la Concorde and the major sights of Paris.
The Music
In 1809 Vienna was once again under attack from the forces of Napoleon. Most of the leading families, including the imperial family,
had taken refuge elsewhere, the occasion of Beethoven's Sonata Les
Adieux . On 12th May the city surrendered, the French occupation
bringing with it hardship for the Viennese people. In these circumstances Beethoven, now 39 and increasingly deaf, worked on the
last of his five piano concertos, to be popularly known as the Emperor . It was probably completed in the following year and was given its first performance in Leipzig in November, 1811.
The tour starts in the formal gardens of the Palace of Versailles and
moves on to the Chateau of Chantilly. In Paris Montmartre presents a
simpler world, with scenes from the Canal Saint-Martin. The writer Rabelais is celebrated in Chinon, his birth-place, and there is a glimpse of Bluebeard's castle before we enter the traditional brasserie, La Cigale, in Nantes. In Paris again, the restaurant, the Train Bleu, celebrates an earlier age of luxury and from the historic railway stations of the capital we continue to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, before finally visiting the Place de la Concorde and the major sights of Paris.
The Music
In 1809 Vienna was once again under attack from the forces of Napoleon. Most of the leading families, including the imperial family,
had taken refuge elsewhere, the occasion of Beethoven's Sonata Les
Adieux . On 12th May the city surrendered, the French occupation
bringing with it hardship for the Viennese people. In these circumstances Beethoven, now 39 and increasingly deaf, worked on the
last of his five piano concertos, to be popularly known as the Emperor . It was probably completed in the following year and was given its first performance in Leipzig in November, 1811.
The Places
The places visited include Arles, with its Roman arena, the mill made famous by Alphonse Daudet in his Lettres de mon moulin and the celebrations of the gardians of the Camargue, with its wild horses. Accompanying the Zoological Fantasy of Saint-Saens are scenes from zoos, the nature reserve at Sigean, near Narbonne, and the Swiss children's zoo at Rapperswil.
The places visited include Arles, with its Roman arena, the mill made famous by Alphonse Daudet in his Lettres de mon moulin and the celebrations of the gardians of the Camargue, with its wild horses. Accompanying the Zoological Fantasy of Saint-Saens are scenes from zoos, the nature reserve at Sigean, near Narbonne, and the Swiss children's zoo at Rapperswil.
The Places
The tour of France takes us to Burgundy , to the Pays de la Loire , to Franche-Comte and elsewhere and includes glimpses of the 17th century Chateau de Cheverny , with its hunting museum and souvenirs of the chase, and the Chateau d'Arlay, with its site for falconry. The Chateau de Bussy-Rabutain was rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century by Count Roger of Bussy-Rabutain, exiled from the French court after his scandalous Histoire amoureuse des Gaules, a literary preoccupation reflected in his collection of pictures. The restored gardens of the Chateau de Villandry are seen in their formal lay-out.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany the tour of the fertile and varied
landscapes of France is by Beethoven and consists principally of his Pastoral Symphony , a work that reflects his feelings, as he recollects a visit to the countryside. The symphony includes elements of realism in its versions of bird-calls and its depiction of a storm, followed by a song of the thanksgiving, when the storm has passed. Also included is the Romance in G Major , a single movement for solo violin and orchestra, possibly intended for a violin concerto that was never written.
The tour of France takes us to Burgundy , to the Pays de la Loire , to Franche-Comte and elsewhere and includes glimpses of the 17th century Chateau de Cheverny , with its hunting museum and souvenirs of the chase, and the Chateau d'Arlay, with its site for falconry. The Chateau de Bussy-Rabutain was rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century by Count Roger of Bussy-Rabutain, exiled from the French court after his scandalous Histoire amoureuse des Gaules, a literary preoccupation reflected in his collection of pictures. The restored gardens of the Chateau de Villandry are seen in their formal lay-out.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany the tour of the fertile and varied
landscapes of France is by Beethoven and consists principally of his Pastoral Symphony , a work that reflects his feelings, as he recollects a visit to the countryside. The symphony includes elements of realism in its versions of bird-calls and its depiction of a storm, followed by a song of the thanksgiving, when the storm has passed. Also included is the Romance in G Major , a single movement for solo violin and orchestra, possibly intended for a violin concerto that was never written.
The Places
Starting from the great Cathedral of Chartres, our tour takes us to Brittany and Normandy in northern France and to Franche Comte and Burgundy. Many of the scenes chosen match closely the music of Faure, particularly his Requiem, with a wide range of images from the cavalries of Brittany, the startling architecture of Le Corbusier in his church of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp, The Last Judgment by Rogier van der Weyden in Beaune, and the tapestries of Jean Lurcat at Angers.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of France is by Gabriel Faure. It includes his Requiem, the evocative Pavane, his Sicilienne, probably originally intended as part of incidental music for Moliere's Le bourgeois gentilhomme, and the Berceuse.
Starting from the great Cathedral of Chartres, our tour takes us to Brittany and Normandy in northern France and to Franche Comte and Burgundy. Many of the scenes chosen match closely the music of Faure, particularly his Requiem, with a wide range of images from the cavalries of Brittany, the startling architecture of Le Corbusier in his church of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp, The Last Judgment by Rogier van der Weyden in Beaune, and the tapestries of Jean Lurcat at Angers.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of France is by Gabriel Faure. It includes his Requiem, the evocative Pavane, his Sicilienne, probably originally intended as part of incidental music for Moliere's Le bourgeois gentilhomme, and the Berceuse.
The Places
The places visited are on the coast of Southern France , from Frejus and Cannes to Marseille. They include the Chateau of King Rene in Tarascon and the famous island Chateau d'If, where the fictional Edmond Dantes was held prisoner in The Count of Monte Cristo . There is particular attention given to the flat marshland of the Camargue, with its wild horses and its associated festivities in Arles.
The Music
The music that accompanies the tour is all by French composers, from Saint Saens and Offenbach to Debussy and Ravel's nostalgic Pavane sur une infante defunte . The tour starts in cheerful mood with Chabrier's Marche Joyeuse
The places visited are on the coast of Southern France , from Frejus and Cannes to Marseille. They include the Chateau of King Rene in Tarascon and the famous island Chateau d'If, where the fictional Edmond Dantes was held prisoner in The Count of Monte Cristo . There is particular attention given to the flat marshland of the Camargue, with its wild horses and its associated festivities in Arles.
The Music
The music that accompanies the tour is all by French composers, from Saint Saens and Offenbach to Debussy and Ravel's nostalgic Pavane sur une infante defunte . The tour starts in cheerful mood with Chabrier's Marche Joyeuse
The Places
This musical tour of France starts in Paris with scenes that reflect the modenisation of the city in the 19th century under Baron Haussmann. From Paris the tour passes to Burgundy, with its vineyards, to Provence, with its Fete des Gardiens in Arles and Roman aqueduct, and thence to the Loire, with its great castles and country houses. The tour ends with a visit to Brittany and Normandy, the northern coasts and the great monastery of Mont Saint-Michel.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from Fryderyk Chopin's two piano concertos. The son of a French Emigre and a Polish mother, Chopin left his native Warsaw in 1830, settling in the following year in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1849. His piano concertos were written and first performed in Warsaw in 1830 and seemed a necessary part of his stock-in-trade for a planned career as a virtuoso. Eventually Chopin found a more congenial role in Paris as a performer in private society salons and as a fashionable teacher.
This musical tour of France starts in Paris with scenes that reflect the modenisation of the city in the 19th century under Baron Haussmann. From Paris the tour passes to Burgundy, with its vineyards, to Provence, with its Fete des Gardiens in Arles and Roman aqueduct, and thence to the Loire, with its great castles and country houses. The tour ends with a visit to Brittany and Normandy, the northern coasts and the great monastery of Mont Saint-Michel.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from Fryderyk Chopin's two piano concertos. The son of a French Emigre and a Polish mother, Chopin left his native Warsaw in 1830, settling in the following year in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1849. His piano concertos were written and first performed in Warsaw in 1830 and seemed a necessary part of his stock-in-trade for a planned career as a virtuoso. Eventually Chopin found a more congenial role in Paris as a performer in private society salons and as a fashionable teacher.
The Places
Gardens, formal and informal, French, Italian, German and English, are an important element of European culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of European garden and parks is matched carefully with the places chosen.
Gardens, formal and informal, French, Italian, German and English, are an important element of European culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of European garden and parks is matched carefully with the places chosen.
The Places
Our journey takes us principally to the city of Genoa, for centuries an independent republic, held by Austria, seized by Napoleon, and later joined to Piedmont.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from concertos for various instruments.
Our journey takes us principally to the city of Genoa, for centuries an independent republic, held by Austria, seized by Napoleon, and later joined to Piedmont.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from concertos for various instruments.
The Places
On a hill above the ancient town of Kulmbach stands the imposing 12th century Hohenzollern fortress of Plassenburg. Among various collections on display is the remarkable Tin Soldier Museum, with various figures and dioramas that re-create battles and mirror the great castle itself, with a variety of scenes from all period of human history.
The Music
The March has an inevitable part to play in human history. Marco Polo remarked on the use of music by the armies of China to terrify the enemy before a battle. Military music, however, has a more precise purpose, whatever alarm it may strike into the hearts of those who hear it. Drums and trumpets may serve as useful signals, to advance or retreat, to eat or to sleep. The same instruments and their near relations may serve to keep an army moving together, and may serve to inspire feelings feelings of bravery and patriotism. At the same time a march can provide a suitable accompaniment to an occasion of solemnity, a wedding, a funeral or a state economy. The music chosen for this tour offers a series of Marches by different composers, culminationg in Mendelssohn's Wedding March
On a hill above the ancient town of Kulmbach stands the imposing 12th century Hohenzollern fortress of Plassenburg. Among various collections on display is the remarkable Tin Soldier Museum, with various figures and dioramas that re-create battles and mirror the great castle itself, with a variety of scenes from all period of human history.
The Music
The March has an inevitable part to play in human history. Marco Polo remarked on the use of music by the armies of China to terrify the enemy before a battle. Military music, however, has a more precise purpose, whatever alarm it may strike into the hearts of those who hear it. Drums and trumpets may serve as useful signals, to advance or retreat, to eat or to sleep. The same instruments and their near relations may serve to keep an army moving together, and may serve to inspire feelings feelings of bravery and patriotism. At the same time a march can provide a suitable accompaniment to an occasion of solemnity, a wedding, a funeral or a state economy. The music chosen for this tour offers a series of Marches by different composers, culminationg in Mendelssohn's Wedding March
The Places
Ludwig II of Bavaria followed family precedent in undertaking an extravagant building programme during his relatively short reign from 1864 to 1886. The castles constructed on his orders included the romantic Neuschwanstein and the magnificent Schloss Linderhof, with its elaborate formal gardens, grottoes and fountains. The tour ends with a brief glimpse of the mountainous Southern Tyrol in winter snow.
The Music
Richard Wagner's innovative and immensely influential music-dramas were largely based on older German legend, notably on the Nibelungenlied, the basis of his tetralogy, The Ring . Ludwig II was fascinated by Wagner and by his operas, on subjects that had long been dear to him. These include the opera Lohengrin , which Ludwig first saw in 1861, the beginning of his preoccupation with Wagner, and the earlier opera Tannhauser . The music chosen also includes an overture by Heinrich Marschner to an opera based on the Old Bohemian legend of Hans Heiling, son of an Earth Spirit.
Ludwig II of Bavaria followed family precedent in undertaking an extravagant building programme during his relatively short reign from 1864 to 1886. The castles constructed on his orders included the romantic Neuschwanstein and the magnificent Schloss Linderhof, with its elaborate formal gardens, grottoes and fountains. The tour ends with a brief glimpse of the mountainous Southern Tyrol in winter snow.
The Music
Richard Wagner's innovative and immensely influential music-dramas were largely based on older German legend, notably on the Nibelungenlied, the basis of his tetralogy, The Ring . Ludwig II was fascinated by Wagner and by his operas, on subjects that had long been dear to him. These include the opera Lohengrin , which Ludwig first saw in 1861, the beginning of his preoccupation with Wagner, and the earlier opera Tannhauser . The music chosen also includes an overture by Heinrich Marschner to an opera based on the Old Bohemian legend of Hans Heiling, son of an Earth Spirit.
The Places
This tour of Germany and, in particular, Thuringia, takes us to places associated with Johann Sebastian Bach, to his birthplace, Eisenach, to Arnstadt where he had early employment, and to Leipzig, where he spent the last 27 years of his life. We also see the historic town of Gotha with Schloss Friedenstein and its surviving baroque theatre, Erfurt, and Naumburg, with its Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The Music
The music for this tour of Germany is taken from three keyboard concertos by Bach, originally written for harpsichord but here heard on the piano, an instrument only beginning to develop in Bach's time. Bach's keyboard concertos, many of them arrangements of earlier works for other solo instruments, were written in Leipzig, where, in 1729, Bach took over direction of the University Collegium Musicum. This ensemble of talented amateurs and professionals met on Wednesday afternoons at Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house or in summer on Friday evenings in his garden outside Leipzig.
This tour of Germany and, in particular, Thuringia, takes us to places associated with Johann Sebastian Bach, to his birthplace, Eisenach, to Arnstadt where he had early employment, and to Leipzig, where he spent the last 27 years of his life. We also see the historic town of Gotha with Schloss Friedenstein and its surviving baroque theatre, Erfurt, and Naumburg, with its Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The Music
The music for this tour of Germany is taken from three keyboard concertos by Bach, originally written for harpsichord but here heard on the piano, an instrument only beginning to develop in Bach's time. Bach's keyboard concertos, many of them arrangements of earlier works for other solo instruments, were written in Leipzig, where, in 1729, Bach took over direction of the University Collegium Musicum. This ensemble of talented amateurs and professionals met on Wednesday afternoons at Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house or in summer on Friday evenings in his garden outside Leipzig.
The Places
The tour visits four notable baroque churches in Bavaria, the Monastic Church of the Assumption at Rohr, the Benedictine Abbey Church of Ottobeuren, the Alte Kapelle in Regensburg and the Monastic Church of St. George and St. Martin at Weltenburg near Kelheim.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Johann Sebastian Bach and is taken from the works Bach wrote for the organ. He had been familiar with the instrument from childhood, and apart from a short period from 1717 to 1723 as Court Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, remained a respected performer on the instrument, a composer of organ music and an expert on the construction of the instrument.
The tour visits four notable baroque churches in Bavaria, the Monastic Church of the Assumption at Rohr, the Benedictine Abbey Church of Ottobeuren, the Alte Kapelle in Regensburg and the Monastic Church of St. George and St. Martin at Weltenburg near Kelheim.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Johann Sebastian Bach and is taken from the works Bach wrote for the organ. He had been familiar with the instrument from childhood, and apart from a short period from 1717 to 1723 as Court Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, remained a respected performer on the instrument, a composer of organ music and an expert on the construction of the instrument.
The Places
Bavaria, in south Germany, in earlier times ruled by an elector whose capital was Munich, is a region of the greatest variety. The places seen here start with the Bavarian Forest and its traditional craft of glass-blowing. Other scenes are of the great palace of the Thurn und Taxis Princes at Regensburg and the fine baroque monastery church of St. George and St. Martin at Weltenburg.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Telemann, a friend and contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, founder of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum later directed by Bach, godfather to Bach's second son and for many years in charge of music in Hamburg, where he was later succeeded by his godson. The music here includes a suite for recorder and strings and two concertos from his Tafelmusik, one for three violins and the other for two horns.
Bavaria, in south Germany, in earlier times ruled by an elector whose capital was Munich, is a region of the greatest variety. The places seen here start with the Bavarian Forest and its traditional craft of glass-blowing. Other scenes are of the great palace of the Thurn und Taxis Princes at Regensburg and the fine baroque monastery church of St. George and St. Martin at Weltenburg.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Telemann, a friend and contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, founder of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum later directed by Bach, godfather to Bach's second son and for many years in charge of music in Hamburg, where he was later succeeded by his godson. The music here includes a suite for recorder and strings and two concertos from his Tafelmusik, one for three violins and the other for two horns.
The Places
The Road of Romance, in South Bavaria, leads through the countryside to the great castle of Weikersheim, former residence of the Counts and Princes Hohenlohe. Further exploration of Bavaria and the Bavarian Forest leads to Prunn Castle on its rocky eminence, and finally to Würzburg on the river Main and the Marienberg Fortress.
The Music
Max Bruch, a native of Cologne, enjoyed a career that took him as a conductor to Liverpool, Coblenz, Breslau and Bonn before his final years in Berlin. His first Violin Concerto remains among his most popular works. Carl Maria von Weber led an even more varied life that took him to musical centres in Germany and Austria. He was a pioneer of German romantic opera, and three opera overtures are chosen here. Der Freischütz (The Marksman) evokes the spirit of the German forest, while Euryanthe explores more exotic territory, as does Oberon, Weber's final opera, written for London in 1826, the last year of his life.
The Road of Romance, in South Bavaria, leads through the countryside to the great castle of Weikersheim, former residence of the Counts and Princes Hohenlohe. Further exploration of Bavaria and the Bavarian Forest leads to Prunn Castle on its rocky eminence, and finally to Würzburg on the river Main and the Marienberg Fortress.
The Music
Max Bruch, a native of Cologne, enjoyed a career that took him as a conductor to Liverpool, Coblenz, Breslau and Bonn before his final years in Berlin. His first Violin Concerto remains among his most popular works. Carl Maria von Weber led an even more varied life that took him to musical centres in Germany and Austria. He was a pioneer of German romantic opera, and three opera overtures are chosen here. Der Freischütz (The Marksman) evokes the spirit of the German forest, while Euryanthe explores more exotic territory, as does Oberon, Weber's final opera, written for London in 1826, the last year of his life.
The Places
The city of Nuremberg owes its importance partly to its geographical position, which made it a significant centre for trade. In spite of considerable war damage, its old medieval city, now restored, remains as a monument to its importance in the late Middle Ages. By the 16th century Nuremberg had become a centre of trade and of artistic activity. In art it could boast the presence of Albrecht Durer and in poetry Hans Sachs and the Guild of Mastersingers, later to be celebrated by Wagner.
The Music
The son of Leopold Mozart, the Deputy Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had grown up at the archiepisopcal court, to be employed there, like his father, in a childhood and early adolescence interrupted by long concert tours as an infant prodigy. He excelled as a pianist, but was also a proficient violinist, and two of the three Violin Sonatas included here date from years in which he tried briefly to escape from Salzburg and find employment elsewhere, with the third written in 1781, when he was first establishing himself in independence in Vienna, where he was to die ten years later.
The city of Nuremberg owes its importance partly to its geographical position, which made it a significant centre for trade. In spite of considerable war damage, its old medieval city, now restored, remains as a monument to its importance in the late Middle Ages. By the 16th century Nuremberg had become a centre of trade and of artistic activity. In art it could boast the presence of Albrecht Durer and in poetry Hans Sachs and the Guild of Mastersingers, later to be celebrated by Wagner.
The Music
The son of Leopold Mozart, the Deputy Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had grown up at the archiepisopcal court, to be employed there, like his father, in a childhood and early adolescence interrupted by long concert tours as an infant prodigy. He excelled as a pianist, but was also a proficient violinist, and two of the three Violin Sonatas included here date from years in which he tried briefly to escape from Salzburg and find employment elsewhere, with the third written in 1781, when he was first establishing himself in independence in Vienna, where he was to die ten years later.
The Places
The Abbey of Ottobeuren was founded in 764 under the Frankish Emperor Pippin III, father of Charlemagne, and housed the relics of the Roman martyr St Alexander. In 960 Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg acquired the relics of the martyr St. Theodore for the Abbey, which remains dedicated to St. Alexander and St. Theodore. In the following years the Abbey underwent various vicissitudes, periods of prosperity and of warfare and destruction. The present buildings owe their existence to the Abbot Rupert II Ness, who in 1711 embarked on a program of restoration. The secularisation of the earlier 19th century brought its problems, but Ottobeuren finally regained its independent status in 1918, and the church, under Pope Pius XI, was
declared a Basilica Minor.
The Music
Written in 1741, Messiah is Handel's English language oratorio with text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. First performed in Dublin in 1741 but only achieved its lasting success after performances in 1750 in aid of the Foundling Hospital, established ten years earlier by Captain Thomas Coram. At his death in 1759 Handel left a fair copy of the score and all parts to the Hospital, an institution that continued...
The Abbey of Ottobeuren was founded in 764 under the Frankish Emperor Pippin III, father of Charlemagne, and housed the relics of the Roman martyr St Alexander. In 960 Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg acquired the relics of the martyr St. Theodore for the Abbey, which remains dedicated to St. Alexander and St. Theodore. In the following years the Abbey underwent various vicissitudes, periods of prosperity and of warfare and destruction. The present buildings owe their existence to the Abbot Rupert II Ness, who in 1711 embarked on a program of restoration. The secularisation of the earlier 19th century brought its problems, but Ottobeuren finally regained its independent status in 1918, and the church, under Pope Pius XI, was
declared a Basilica Minor.
The Music
Written in 1741, Messiah is Handel's English language oratorio with text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. First performed in Dublin in 1741 but only achieved its lasting success after performances in 1750 in aid of the Foundling Hospital, established ten years earlier by Captain Thomas Coram. At his death in 1759 Handel left a fair copy of the score and all parts to the Hospital, an institution that continued...
The Places
Bavaria has a place of its own in Germany, both geographically and culturally. The tour stars with the Alpine lake known as Königssee and explores the surrounding landscape, including the Berchtesgaden National Park and the gardens of Ludwig II's answer to Versailles, his grandiose Schloss Herrenchiemsee. The tour ends with the Chiemsee, its islands and its tranquil waters.
The Music
The music for the tour is by Johannes Brahms and his colleague and collaborator, the violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms' second symphony, which accompanies the earlier parts of the tour, was described by some contemporaries as Brahms' "pastoral" symphony and provides, in its generally cheerful serenity, an apt accompaniment to views of the Bavarian countryside. Joachim's Overture In memoriam Heinrich von Kleist, written probably in the same year as Brahms' symphony, 1877, commemorates the centenary of the birth of the great German writer.
Bavaria has a place of its own in Germany, both geographically and culturally. The tour stars with the Alpine lake known as Königssee and explores the surrounding landscape, including the Berchtesgaden National Park and the gardens of Ludwig II's answer to Versailles, his grandiose Schloss Herrenchiemsee. The tour ends with the Chiemsee, its islands and its tranquil waters.
The Music
The music for the tour is by Johannes Brahms and his colleague and collaborator, the violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms' second symphony, which accompanies the earlier parts of the tour, was described by some contemporaries as Brahms' "pastoral" symphony and provides, in its generally cheerful serenity, an apt accompaniment to views of the Bavarian countryside. Joachim's Overture In memoriam Heinrich von Kleist, written probably in the same year as Brahms' symphony, 1877, commemorates the centenary of the birth of the great German writer.
The Places
Scenes of Italy range from the bay of Sestri Levante in Liguria to the Tuscan vineyards of Montepulciano, Florence and Venice.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Italy is chiefly from foreign composers who drew inspiration from Italy.
Scenes of Italy range from the bay of Sestri Levante in Liguria to the Tuscan vineyards of Montepulciano, Florence and Venice.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Italy is chiefly from foreign composers who drew inspiration from Italy.
The Places
Northern Italy has been ruled by various powers over the centuries. The Southern Tyrol, seen here, retains much of its Austrian past, with some regions predominantly German-speaking and others Italian. Scenes are shown of the Dolomites, the strangely shaped rock formations, a typical castle and mountain lakes. There are also views of the neighbouring Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, with his Violin Concerto, written and first performed in Vienna, and one of his two Romances for solo violin and orchestra, independent pieces perhaps intended as slow movements for another concerto that was never completed.
Northern Italy has been ruled by various powers over the centuries. The Southern Tyrol, seen here, retains much of its Austrian past, with some regions predominantly German-speaking and others Italian. Scenes are shown of the Dolomites, the strangely shaped rock formations, a typical castle and mountain lakes. There are also views of the neighbouring Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, with his Violin Concerto, written and first performed in Vienna, and one of his two Romances for solo violin and orchestra, independent pieces perhaps intended as slow movements for another concerto that was never completed.
The Places
The Tuscan city of Siena has a long history and is the site of one of the earliest great Gothic churches of the region, instantly recognisable from the polychrome marble and sculptures of its facade. From Siena our tour goes to Pisa , where, inevitably, the famous leaning tower and its adjacent buildings are the centre of our attention. The tour ends with a visit to Nervi , a resort that is now part of the city of Genoa, and the Villa Luxoro, with its
collections of objets d'art.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, with his Piano Concerto No. 1 , completed in 1795, and his first numbered Piano Sonata in F Minor , one of a set of three, published in 1796 and dedicated to his teacher, Joseph Haydn.
The Tuscan city of Siena has a long history and is the site of one of the earliest great Gothic churches of the region, instantly recognisable from the polychrome marble and sculptures of its facade. From Siena our tour goes to Pisa , where, inevitably, the famous leaning tower and its adjacent buildings are the centre of our attention. The tour ends with a visit to Nervi , a resort that is now part of the city of Genoa, and the Villa Luxoro, with its
collections of objets d'art.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, with his Piano Concerto No. 1 , completed in 1795, and his first numbered Piano Sonata in F Minor , one of a set of three, published in 1796 and dedicated to his teacher, Joseph Haydn.
The Places
South Tyrol , in Northern Italy, has had a varied history, for many years as part of Austrian territory. The region remains largely German-speaking, although both German and Italian are used. Looming over the territory are the mountains, the Dolomites, with their strange shapes, and the Alps, while the valleys provide fertile ground for the production of wine.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from four Concerti grossi by Handel . Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.
South Tyrol , in Northern Italy, has had a varied history, for many years as part of Austrian territory. The region remains largely German-speaking, although both German and Italian are used. Looming over the territory are the mountains, the Dolomites, with their strange shapes, and the Alps, while the valleys provide fertile ground for the production of wine.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from four Concerti grossi by Handel . Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.
The Places
The Southern Tyrol was in earlier times part of the Habsburg Empire, governed from Vienna, and ceded to Italy in 1919. The region remains largely German-speaking and enjoys a considerable degree of autonomy. Of particular interest are the rock formations of the Dolomites and the many castles and fortified houses of the province. The tour shows two historic buildings, Schloss Velthurns and Schloss Runkelstein.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Mozart, born in Salzburg in 1756. With his father, Leopold Mozart, Vice-Kapellmeister in Salzburg, he made three notable visits to Italy, and on various occasions he broke his journey at Bozen (Bolzano) and visited Brixen (Bressanone). The music heard here is the "Posthorn" Serenade, written in Salzburg in 1779, and the Notturno, another serenade, written there in the winter of 1776?EUR"77.
The Southern Tyrol was in earlier times part of the Habsburg Empire, governed from Vienna, and ceded to Italy in 1919. The region remains largely German-speaking and enjoys a considerable degree of autonomy. Of particular interest are the rock formations of the Dolomites and the many castles and fortified houses of the province. The tour shows two historic buildings, Schloss Velthurns and Schloss Runkelstein.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Mozart, born in Salzburg in 1756. With his father, Leopold Mozart, Vice-Kapellmeister in Salzburg, he made three notable visits to Italy, and on various occasions he broke his journey at Bozen (Bolzano) and visited Brixen (Bressanone). The music heard here is the "Posthorn" Serenade, written in Salzburg in 1779, and the Notturno, another serenade, written there in the winter of 1776?EUR"77.
The Places
The journey starts in the countryside near Arezzo, and passes from there to other districts of Tuscany, to the wine-producing fields near Montalcino, and thence to Rome and to the volcanic Lake Bracciano. The tour ends in the ancient town of Perugia, for long an artistic centre.
The Music
The music of the tour consists of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 of 1812 and two overtures, Coriolanus and The Consecration of the House . The Coriolanus overture was written for a play by Heinrich von Collin on the plot familiar from Shakespeare, and the second overture for the opening of a new theatre in Vienna in 1822.
The journey starts in the countryside near Arezzo, and passes from there to other districts of Tuscany, to the wine-producing fields near Montalcino, and thence to Rome and to the volcanic Lake Bracciano. The tour ends in the ancient town of Perugia, for long an artistic centre.
The Music
The music of the tour consists of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 of 1812 and two overtures, Coriolanus and The Consecration of the House . The Coriolanus overture was written for a play by Heinrich von Collin on the plot familiar from Shakespeare, and the second overture for the opening of a new theatre in Vienna in 1822.
The Places
Our tour of Italy starts in the countryside near Orvieto, moves to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, then to Montalcino and its ancient abbey. We see the Tuscan landscape around Montepulciano, glimpse Siena and finally see something of the historic buildings of Florence.
The Music
As part of his Grand Tour of Europe, the young Felix Mendelssohn visited Italy in the autumn of 1830 and it was there that he began his Italian Symphony, completed in 1833 in Berlin and first performed in that year in London. His Violin Concerto in E Minor was completed in 1844 and remains an essential element in any violinist's solo repertoire.
Our tour of Italy starts in the countryside near Orvieto, moves to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, then to Montalcino and its ancient abbey. We see the Tuscan landscape around Montepulciano, glimpse Siena and finally see something of the historic buildings of Florence.
The Music
As part of his Grand Tour of Europe, the young Felix Mendelssohn visited Italy in the autumn of 1830 and it was there that he began his Italian Symphony, completed in 1833 in Berlin and first performed in that year in London. His Violin Concerto in E Minor was completed in 1844 and remains an essential element in any violinist's solo repertoire.
The Places
Our journey starts with Assisi, the home of St Francis, and proceeds to the vineyards of Tuscany and the wineries of Montepulciano.
The Music
The music for our journey is taken from overtures and ballet music by Giuseppe Verdi , the leading composer of Italian opera of the mid-nineteenth century.
Our journey starts with Assisi, the home of St Francis, and proceeds to the vineyards of Tuscany and the wineries of Montepulciano.
The Music
The music for our journey is taken from overtures and ballet music by Giuseppe Verdi , the leading composer of Italian opera of the mid-nineteenth century.
The Places
The tour starts at the great Augustinian foundation, Kloster Neustift (Novacella), at Brixen (Bressanone) in Southern Tyrol, with its rococo church interior and collection of late medieval paintings. This is followed by a visit to Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol, with its famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) and rococo Wilten Basilica and Collegiate Church.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Brixen and Innsbruck is by Mozart and includes two symphonies, with other works. Symphony No. 40 is the second of the group of three final symphonies, written in Vienna in 1787, and Symphony No. 28 was written in Salzburg in 1773 or 1774. Other works included are overtures to the early opera Il rè pastore, to The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart's first operatic success in Vienna, and to La clemenza di Tito, written in 1791, a few months before his death.
The tour starts at the great Augustinian foundation, Kloster Neustift (Novacella), at Brixen (Bressanone) in Southern Tyrol, with its rococo church interior and collection of late medieval paintings. This is followed by a visit to Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol, with its famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) and rococo Wilten Basilica and Collegiate Church.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Brixen and Innsbruck is by Mozart and includes two symphonies, with other works. Symphony No. 40 is the second of the group of three final symphonies, written in Vienna in 1787, and Symphony No. 28 was written in Salzburg in 1773 or 1774. Other works included are overtures to the early opera Il rè pastore, to The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart's first operatic success in Vienna, and to La clemenza di Tito, written in 1791, a few months before his death.
The Places
The tour starts with the Baroque Villa Mansi in Lucca, followed by Hadrian's villa at Tivoli. Other sites include the villages of Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast, Lake Bolsano and Chianti.
The Music
The music for this journey is by Johann Sebastian Bach , who spent his life in his native Germany, but drew on influences from Italy and France in a late Baroque synthesis. The three Violin Concertos heard were written during Bach's period as Court Music Director from 1717 to 1723 at the small court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen, where his duties involved secular rather than sacred music.
The tour starts with the Baroque Villa Mansi in Lucca, followed by Hadrian's villa at Tivoli. Other sites include the villages of Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast, Lake Bolsano and Chianti.
The Music
The music for this journey is by Johann Sebastian Bach , who spent his life in his native Germany, but drew on influences from Italy and France in a late Baroque synthesis. The three Violin Concertos heard were written during Bach's period as Court Music Director from 1717 to 1723 at the small court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen, where his duties involved secular rather than sacred music.
The Places
Our tour of Italy stars in Verona, with its reminiscences of Romeo and Juliet. It then goes to Florence, for some 300 years from 1434 the seat of the powerful Medici family, whose artistic patronage has left an impressive cultural legacy. The tour ends in the south with Naples, originally a Greek colony and later a Roman port. It then became the capital of a kingdom ruled first by Normans and later the Spanish. Briefly a Habsburg possession, from 1734 it belonged to the Bourbons until the unification of Italy in 1860.
The Music
Tchaikovsky stayed in Florence on two occasions in 1878, after the disaster of his marriage, hastily contracted, had led him to seek respite abroad. A visit to Rome in 1880 led to the composition of Capriccio Italien, and his opera The Queen of Spades, written in 1890 in Florence, was recalled in the same year in his Souvenir de Florence. The other music heard here is the Fantasy Overture from Romeo and Juliet, written in 1869 and based on Shakespeare's play, set in Verona.
Our tour of Italy stars in Verona, with its reminiscences of Romeo and Juliet. It then goes to Florence, for some 300 years from 1434 the seat of the powerful Medici family, whose artistic patronage has left an impressive cultural legacy. The tour ends in the south with Naples, originally a Greek colony and later a Roman port. It then became the capital of a kingdom ruled first by Normans and later the Spanish. Briefly a Habsburg possession, from 1734 it belonged to the Bourbons until the unification of Italy in 1860.
The Music
Tchaikovsky stayed in Florence on two occasions in 1878, after the disaster of his marriage, hastily contracted, had led him to seek respite abroad. A visit to Rome in 1880 led to the composition of Capriccio Italien, and his opera The Queen of Spades, written in 1890 in Florence, was recalled in the same year in his Souvenir de Florence. The other music heard here is the Fantasy Overture from Romeo and Juliet, written in 1869 and based on Shakespeare's play, set in Verona.
The Places
Scenes from London include major sights, from Big Ben to Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, with glimpses of St. Paul's Cathedral, Piccadilly and memorials to Wellington and Queen Victoria. From Oxford comes a panorama of the city and visits to Christ Church and to Blenheim Palace.
The Music
The music here included ranges from Byrd to Elgar by way of Handel and excerpts from Haydn's "London" Symphony, Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Verdi's Macbeth and Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Scenes from London include major sights, from Big Ben to Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, with glimpses of St. Paul's Cathedral, Piccadilly and memorials to Wellington and Queen Victoria. From Oxford comes a panorama of the city and visits to Christ Church and to Blenheim Palace.
The Music
The music here included ranges from Byrd to Elgar by way of Handel and excerpts from Haydn's "London" Symphony, Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Verdi's Macbeth and Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The Places
Our journey takes us principally to the old city of Lucca, for centuries independent until seized by Napoleon, who made his sister, Elisa Baciocchi, and her husband its rulers. Lucca was the birth-place of Boccherini and of Puccini and for some time Paganini was employed at the Baciocchi court.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from concertos for various wind instruments.
Our journey takes us principally to the old city of Lucca, for centuries independent until seized by Napoleon, who made his sister, Elisa Baciocchi, and her husband its rulers. Lucca was the birth-place of Boccherini and of Puccini and for some time Paganini was employed at the Baciocchi court.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from concertos for various wind instruments.
The Places
We explore the streets, palaces and parks of Madrid, the capital of Castile and of Spain, before turning south to La Mancha, the country of the immortal Don Quixote, and to Toledo, the home of Cervantes and of the great painter known as El Greco.
The Music
The music of Spain held an exotic attraction for composers from other lands. The Russians Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov found inspiration here, as did the French composers Lalo, Massenet and Ravel, who claimed Basque descent on his mother's side, and Bizet, whose opera Carmen is imbued with the spirit of the country. Spain provided Verdi with a narrative source, and another Italian, the demon violinist Paganini, was equally a master of the quintessential Spanish instrument, the guitar.
We explore the streets, palaces and parks of Madrid, the capital of Castile and of Spain, before turning south to La Mancha, the country of the immortal Don Quixote, and to Toledo, the home of Cervantes and of the great painter known as El Greco.
The Music
The music of Spain held an exotic attraction for composers from other lands. The Russians Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov found inspiration here, as did the French composers Lalo, Massenet and Ravel, who claimed Basque descent on his mother's side, and Bizet, whose opera Carmen is imbued with the spirit of the country. Spain provided Verdi with a narrative source, and another Italian, the demon violinist Paganini, was equally a master of the quintessential Spanish instrument, the guitar.
The Places
The journey starts in Switzerland , in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine Falls. From Styria, in Austria , comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle, the latter intercut with wild life from the Austrian Assling Nature Park. The tour ends amid the strangely shaped mountains of the Dolomites in Southern Tyrol, a region divided between Austria and Italy .
The Music
In a remarkable way Mahler , in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the world of today in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. Distinguished as a conductor, his fame as a composer has grown over the years since his death. The music included here is Mahler's Symphony No. 1 , nick-named Titan, not for its massive power, but after the book by Jean Paul, a strong influence over earlier romantics and over Mahler at this stage in his career. The symphony breathes the spirit of the Austrian countryside, reflected in Mahler's songs.
The journey starts in Switzerland , in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine Falls. From Styria, in Austria , comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle, the latter intercut with wild life from the Austrian Assling Nature Park. The tour ends amid the strangely shaped mountains of the Dolomites in Southern Tyrol, a region divided between Austria and Italy .
The Music
In a remarkable way Mahler , in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the world of today in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. Distinguished as a conductor, his fame as a composer has grown over the years since his death. The music included here is Mahler's Symphony No. 1 , nick-named Titan, not for its massive power, but after the book by Jean Paul, a strong influence over earlier romantics and over Mahler at this stage in his career. The symphony breathes the spirit of the Austrian countryside, reflected in Mahler's songs.
The Places
Scenes from Moscow and the Golden Ring, the cluster of historic towns to the northeast of the city, including Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov and Zagorsk, show the historic heart of Russia in winter and summer.
The Music
The music included here ranges from folk song and extracts from the Russian Orthodox liturgy to works by Russian nationalist composers of the later nineteenth century, including Balakirev, Arensky and the more cosmopolitan Tchaikovsky.
Scenes from Moscow and the Golden Ring, the cluster of historic towns to the northeast of the city, including Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov and Zagorsk, show the historic heart of Russia in winter and summer.
The Music
The music included here ranges from folk song and extracts from the Russian Orthodox liturgy to works by Russian nationalist composers of the later nineteenth century, including Balakirev, Arensky and the more cosmopolitan Tchaikovsky.
The Places
Most of the places visited reflect a spirit of calm and tranquility, although the glimpse of Venice dwells briefly on carnival revellers. Other scenes range from the Bavarian Chiemsee and the Swiss Engadin to the marshy tracts of the Camargue in the South of France, with its wild horses.
The Music
The music matches the reflective mood of the scenes shown. Included are movements from Mozart's famous Eine kleine Nachmusik and Symphony No. 40 , and from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata , with Pachelbel's ingenious Canon . From Tchaikovsky comes a Melodie , a composition that formed part of a thank-you letter to his hostess and patron, whom he was never to meet face to face, and from Debussy the popular Clair de lune . The recording ends with Faure's Sicilienne , familiar in so many forms and transcriptions.
Most of the places visited reflect a spirit of calm and tranquility, although the glimpse of Venice dwells briefly on carnival revellers. Other scenes range from the Bavarian Chiemsee and the Swiss Engadin to the marshy tracts of the Camargue in the South of France, with its wild horses.
The Music
The music matches the reflective mood of the scenes shown. Included are movements from Mozart's famous Eine kleine Nachmusik and Symphony No. 40 , and from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata , with Pachelbel's ingenious Canon . From Tchaikovsky comes a Melodie , a composition that formed part of a thank-you letter to his hostess and patron, whom he was never to meet face to face, and from Debussy the popular Clair de lune . The recording ends with Faure's Sicilienne , familiar in so many forms and transcriptions.
The Places
The scenes shown all breathe an air of peace and tranquillity. Starting with an evening landscape in Bohemia, we move to a lake in the Tyrol, to the Museo Vela, with its gesso figures, Bavarian craftsmen fashioning glass and the Corniche near Cannes, in the South of France. Other scenes include the ancient Chapel of St. Sixtus at Eygalieres, the Church of St. Jakob at Tramin, night in Madrid, and a nocturnal view of Seville, the whole culminating in the great Basilica of St. Mark in Venice.
The Music
The music chosen, like the scenes it accompanies, suggest the calm of night. There are movements from Handel and Telemann , from concertos by Mozart for horn and for flute, and a Chopin Prelude . There is a Spanish element in the music of two French composers, Bizet and Massenet , and an air of nostalgia evoked in Faure's Pavane.
The scenes shown all breathe an air of peace and tranquillity. Starting with an evening landscape in Bohemia, we move to a lake in the Tyrol, to the Museo Vela, with its gesso figures, Bavarian craftsmen fashioning glass and the Corniche near Cannes, in the South of France. Other scenes include the ancient Chapel of St. Sixtus at Eygalieres, the Church of St. Jakob at Tramin, night in Madrid, and a nocturnal view of Seville, the whole culminating in the great Basilica of St. Mark in Venice.
The Music
The music chosen, like the scenes it accompanies, suggest the calm of night. There are movements from Handel and Telemann , from concertos by Mozart for horn and for flute, and a Chopin Prelude . There is a Spanish element in the music of two French composers, Bizet and Massenet , and an air of nostalgia evoked in Faure's Pavane.
The Places
The tour starts in northern Italy, in the city of Mantua, once the domain of the Gonzaga family. We visit Cremona, the centre of violin making, and Milan, where Mozart stayed on more than one occasion during his Italian journeys. Sicily has a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians before becoming part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and held by Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was Sicily drawn into the unified country of Italy.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is by Mozart and includes his final Symphony No. 41, known as the "Jupiter," written in Vienna in August 1788, and the earlier Symphony No. 25, completed in Mozart's native city of Salzburg in early October 1773. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there, if a position could be found for his son. In this, however, they were unsuccessful, and the third Italian tour was Mozart's last.
The tour starts in northern Italy, in the city of Mantua, once the domain of the Gonzaga family. We visit Cremona, the centre of violin making, and Milan, where Mozart stayed on more than one occasion during his Italian journeys. Sicily has a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians before becoming part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and held by Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was Sicily drawn into the unified country of Italy.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is by Mozart and includes his final Symphony No. 41, known as the "Jupiter," written in Vienna in August 1788, and the earlier Symphony No. 25, completed in Mozart's native city of Salzburg in early October 1773. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there, if a position could be found for his son. In this, however, they were unsuccessful, and the third Italian tour was Mozart's last.
The Places
Scenes of Finland and its capital Helsinki, the interlinked islands of Suomenlinna, site of an ancient castle and fortifications, and the hills, valleys and fjords of Norway follow a journey through varied Nordic landscapes.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean Sibelius , whose Violin Concerto is the principal work included in the video. Other works are by the Norwegian composers Johan Svendsen, Johan Halvorsen and Christian Sinding .
Scenes of Finland and its capital Helsinki, the interlinked islands of Suomenlinna, site of an ancient castle and fortifications, and the hills, valleys and fjords of Norway follow a journey through varied Nordic landscapes.
The Music
Finland found its musical identity largely through the work of Jean Sibelius , whose Violin Concerto is the principal work included in the video. Other works are by the Norwegian composers Johan Svendsen, Johan Halvorsen and Christian Sinding .
The Places
The tour of Norway takes us from the capital, Oslo, with its harbours, parks and imposing buildings, to Bergen, the birthplace of Edvard Grieg, and its surrounding countryside, with a glimpse of Grieg's house at Troldhaugen. Trolls make their presence known before a final return to Oslo and to the sculpture display of Vigeland Park.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by Norwegian composers, of whom the best known is Edvard Grieg. Included are excerpts from his incidental music for Ibsen's drama Peer Gynt and for Bjornstjerne Bjornson's Sigurd Jorsalfar. Other composers featured are Christian Sinding, composer of the famous Rustle of Spring, and Johan Halvorsen.
The tour of Norway takes us from the capital, Oslo, with its harbours, parks and imposing buildings, to Bergen, the birthplace of Edvard Grieg, and its surrounding countryside, with a glimpse of Grieg's house at Troldhaugen. Trolls make their presence known before a final return to Oslo and to the sculpture display of Vigeland Park.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by Norwegian composers, of whom the best known is Edvard Grieg. Included are excerpts from his incidental music for Ibsen's drama Peer Gynt and for Bjornstjerne Bjornson's Sigurd Jorsalfar. Other composers featured are Christian Sinding, composer of the famous Rustle of Spring, and Johan Halvorsen.
The Places
The tour of Norway takes us to the countryside, with its mountains, lakes, fjords, rivers and waterfalls. We see Edvard Grieg's house at Troldhaugen, and then Bergen, Grieg's birthplace, with its colourful traditional houses.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg , and includes his popular Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 , as well as his 2 Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34 , with other pieces.
The tour of Norway takes us to the countryside, with its mountains, lakes, fjords, rivers and waterfalls. We see Edvard Grieg's house at Troldhaugen, and then Bergen, Grieg's birthplace, with its colourful traditional houses.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg , and includes his popular Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 , as well as his 2 Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34 , with other pieces.
The Places
The tour of Norway takes us from the countryside between Gaupne and Sogndal to Bergen, the birthplace of Edvard Grieg, and its surrounding countryside. Trolls make their presence known, and there are views of traditional farm buildings and stave churches from the open-air museum at Maihaugen.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by Norwegian composers, of whom the best known is Edvard Grieg. His Holberg Suite, Norwegian Dances and "Erotikon" from his Lyric Pieces are heard on this video. Other composers featured are Christian Sinding, composer of the famous Rustle of Spring, and Johan Svendsen.
The tour of Norway takes us from the countryside between Gaupne and Sogndal to Bergen, the birthplace of Edvard Grieg, and its surrounding countryside. Trolls make their presence known, and there are views of traditional farm buildings and stave churches from the open-air museum at Maihaugen.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by Norwegian composers, of whom the best known is Edvard Grieg. His Holberg Suite, Norwegian Dances and "Erotikon" from his Lyric Pieces are heard on this video. Other composers featured are Christian Sinding, composer of the famous Rustle of Spring, and Johan Svendsen.
The Places
The tour of Norway takes us to the Maihaugen Open-Air Museum of Lillenhammer, with its display of items from the traditional culture of Norway, and, briefly, to the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg , taken from his many Lyric Pieces , short piano pieces that reflect the culture and life of Norway
The tour of Norway takes us to the Maihaugen Open-Air Museum of Lillenhammer, with its display of items from the traditional culture of Norway, and, briefly, to the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg , taken from his many Lyric Pieces , short piano pieces that reflect the culture and life of Norway
The Places
The legendary Norwegian figure Peer Gynt is widely known through Henrik Ibsen's play that follows Peer's unscrupulous adventures, a work that enjoys still further fame through the incidental music written for it by Edvard Grieg . Parts of the Norwegian countryside are identified with some of Peer Gynt's adventures.
The Music
Grieg collaborated with the greatest of Norwegian dramatists, Henrik Ibsen, in his music for the play Peer Gynt , from which he drew two orchestral suites. Grieg also worked with Bjornstjerne Bjornson, providing incidental music for the historical play Sigurd Jorsalfar .
The legendary Norwegian figure Peer Gynt is widely known through Henrik Ibsen's play that follows Peer's unscrupulous adventures, a work that enjoys still further fame through the incidental music written for it by Edvard Grieg . Parts of the Norwegian countryside are identified with some of Peer Gynt's adventures.
The Music
Grieg collaborated with the greatest of Norwegian dramatists, Henrik Ibsen, in his music for the play Peer Gynt , from which he drew two orchestral suites. Grieg also worked with Bjornstjerne Bjornson, providing incidental music for the historical play Sigurd Jorsalfar .
The Places
Our tour takes us to Oxford, site of the oldest university in England, with scenes of the city and some of the colleges.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany our tour is by Joseph Haydn , whose Oxford Symphony was performed there to celebrate the award of a doctorate by the university. His Surprise Symphony was written for performance in London 1791.
Our tour takes us to Oxford, site of the oldest university in England, with scenes of the city and some of the colleges.
The Music
The music chosen to accompany our tour is by Joseph Haydn , whose Oxford Symphony was performed there to celebrate the award of a doctorate by the university. His Surprise Symphony was written for performance in London 1791.
The Places
In addition to characteristic scenes from Paris, its buildings and its people, there is a glimpse of the Château at Chantilly, the magnificent palace of Versailles, and the Cathedral at Chartres.
The Music
The music included here is largely associated with Paris, although not all by French composers. It includes a movement from a symphony that Mozart wrote in Paris in 1778 and excerpts from Verdi's opera La Traviata, set principally in the city. Other music ranges from that of the seventeenth-century French viol player Marais to works by Debussy and the eccentric Erik Satie.
In addition to characteristic scenes from Paris, its buildings and its people, there is a glimpse of the Château at Chantilly, the magnificent palace of Versailles, and the Cathedral at Chartres.
The Music
The music included here is largely associated with Paris, although not all by French composers. It includes a movement from a symphony that Mozart wrote in Paris in 1778 and excerpts from Verdi's opera La Traviata, set principally in the city. Other music ranges from that of the seventeenth-century French viol player Marais to works by Debussy and the eccentric Erik Satie.
The Places
The tour of Paris starts with the Eiffel Tower and includes the famous landmarks of the French capital, the Churches of Notre-Dame and the Sacré Coeur, the Opéra Garnier and the great river, the Seine, that runs through the city. The tour ends with a nocturnal view of Paris and an excursion to Chartres, with its magnificent cathedral.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, who at one time seemed to hope for employment in Paris. His "Eroica" Symphony was at first intended as a celebration of his one-time hero, Napoleon, but reflected in the end his disillusionment when Napoleon had himself crowned as emperor. The music used also includes Beethoven's Coriolanus Overture, written, not for Shakespeare's play, but for a contemporary drama by Heinrich von Collin.
The tour of Paris starts with the Eiffel Tower and includes the famous landmarks of the French capital, the Churches of Notre-Dame and the Sacré Coeur, the Opéra Garnier and the great river, the Seine, that runs through the city. The tour ends with a nocturnal view of Paris and an excursion to Chartres, with its magnificent cathedral.
The Music
Music for the tour is by Beethoven, who at one time seemed to hope for employment in Paris. His "Eroica" Symphony was at first intended as a celebration of his one-time hero, Napoleon, but reflected in the end his disillusionment when Napoleon had himself crowned as emperor. The music used also includes Beethoven's Coriolanus Overture, written, not for Shakespeare's play, but for a contemporary drama by Heinrich von Collin.
The Places
Potsdam owes its development as a garrison town to the soldier King of Prussia, Frederick William I. The park and places of Sanssouci, however, largely reflect the very different taste of his son, Frederick the Great, who reigned from 1740 to 1786. The park of Sanssouci, established first in 1725, includes later changes in a number of distinct horticultural styles, with lay-out in Dutch, French and English taste.
The Music
Bach's set of six concertos known as the Brandenburg Concertos was completed in 1721 at Cothen, where Bach was director of court music, possibly using some compositions written during earlier years at the court of Weimar. Bach presented the set to the Margrave of Brandenburg, prefaced by a dedication in French, from which it seems that the prince has asked Bach for something of his at a meeting some two years earlier in Berlin. There is no indication that the works were performed, and at the Margrave's death in 1734 the manuscripts were sold, apparently in a lot of 77 concertos by different masters.The fame and wide popularity of the Brandenburg Concertos was to come later. Included here are the first three concertos and a Siciliano
Potsdam owes its development as a garrison town to the soldier King of Prussia, Frederick William I. The park and places of Sanssouci, however, largely reflect the very different taste of his son, Frederick the Great, who reigned from 1740 to 1786. The park of Sanssouci, established first in 1725, includes later changes in a number of distinct horticultural styles, with lay-out in Dutch, French and English taste.
The Music
Bach's set of six concertos known as the Brandenburg Concertos was completed in 1721 at Cothen, where Bach was director of court music, possibly using some compositions written during earlier years at the court of Weimar. Bach presented the set to the Margrave of Brandenburg, prefaced by a dedication in French, from which it seems that the prince has asked Bach for something of his at a meeting some two years earlier in Berlin. There is no indication that the works were performed, and at the Margrave's death in 1734 the manuscripts were sold, apparently in a lot of 77 concertos by different masters.The fame and wide popularity of the Brandenburg Concertos was to come later. Included here are the first three concertos and a Siciliano
The Places
Prague is the ancient capital of Bohemia and now of the Czech Republic. Its history is reflected in its buildings, recalling the splendours of the past under changing dynasties and the 400 or so years as part of the Habsburg Empire, until the establishment of the new republic of Czechoslovakia in 1918. At the heart of Europe, the region has always been a fertile ground for musicians.
The Music
The music included here is associated in one way or another with Prague or Bohemia. It includes works by the Bohemian composers Smetana and Dvorak, by the Moravian composer Janacek, and by Fibich who, with Mozart, always found a ready welcome for his music in Prague.
Prague is the ancient capital of Bohemia and now of the Czech Republic. Its history is reflected in its buildings, recalling the splendours of the past under changing dynasties and the 400 or so years as part of the Habsburg Empire, until the establishment of the new republic of Czechoslovakia in 1918. At the heart of Europe, the region has always been a fertile ground for musicians.
The Music
The music included here is associated in one way or another with Prague or Bohemia. It includes works by the Bohemian composers Smetana and Dvorak, by the Moravian composer Janacek, and by Fibich who, with Mozart, always found a ready welcome for his music in Prague.
The Places
The tour starts in northern Italy, in Ravenna, once the capital of the Roman Emperor Honorius, who moved there from Milan with his court in CE 402. The place is famous for its mosaics. The tour also takes us to Faenza, famous for its majolica ware, known as faïence, and to the great Basilica of San Marco in Venice and its carnival.
The Music
The music for this tour of Italy is by Mozart and includes his two flute concertos, written for a patron during a visit to Mannheim in 1777?EUR"78. The Andante, K.315, is thought to date from the same period. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there if a position could be found for his son. Northern Italy had become part of the Hapsburg Empire, but attempts to find a place in Milan or Florence were unsuccessful. By 1777 he was again anxious to find a position away from his native Salzburg, but it was only in 1781 that he was able to make a break with his patron, the Archbishop of Salzburg, thereafter settling in Vienna for the last decade of his life.
The tour starts in northern Italy, in Ravenna, once the capital of the Roman Emperor Honorius, who moved there from Milan with his court in CE 402. The place is famous for its mosaics. The tour also takes us to Faenza, famous for its majolica ware, known as faïence, and to the great Basilica of San Marco in Venice and its carnival.
The Music
The music for this tour of Italy is by Mozart and includes his two flute concertos, written for a patron during a visit to Mannheim in 1777?EUR"78. The Andante, K.315, is thought to date from the same period. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there if a position could be found for his son. Northern Italy had become part of the Hapsburg Empire, but attempts to find a place in Milan or Florence were unsuccessful. By 1777 he was again anxious to find a position away from his native Salzburg, but it was only in 1781 that he was able to make a break with his patron, the Archbishop of Salzburg, thereafter settling in Vienna for the last decade of his life.
The Places
Scenes are shown of the glory that was Rome in monuments of the great empire that ruled Europe and the Near East in its heyday. There are also glimpses of St. Peter's and of the modern city.
The Music
The music included here is all associated in one way or another with Rome and its traditions. It ranges from the overture to Mozart's Roman opera La clemenza di Tito to Wagner's Tannhauser, whose hero seeks pardon for his sins in the Eternal City, from Puccini's opera Tosca, set in Rome dominated by a corrupt chief of police, to Berlioz's evocation of the city in the age of Benvenuto Cellini, his Roman Carnival Overture.
Scenes are shown of the glory that was Rome in monuments of the great empire that ruled Europe and the Near East in its heyday. There are also glimpses of St. Peter's and of the modern city.
The Music
The music included here is all associated in one way or another with Rome and its traditions. It ranges from the overture to Mozart's Roman opera La clemenza di Tito to Wagner's Tannhauser, whose hero seeks pardon for his sins in the Eternal City, from Puccini's opera Tosca, set in Rome dominated by a corrupt chief of police, to Berlioz's evocation of the city in the age of Benvenuto Cellini, his Roman Carnival Overture.
The Places
Starting from the Pantheon and the Colosseum, our tour takes us to the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Trajan, the Arch of Constantine and the Capitol, with the later city represented by the Piazza di Spagna, the Trevi Fountain, and the great piazza before St Peter's in Vatican City.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Rome is by Franz Liszt, who divided the last 25 years of his life between Rome, Hungary and Weimar after an early career as a travelling virtuoso, one of the greatest pianists of his time, and a period settled in Weimar as Director of Music Extraordinary to the Grand Duchy. In Rome he took minor orders and developed further his interest in the music of the Church.
Starting from the Pantheon and the Colosseum, our tour takes us to the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Trajan, the Arch of Constantine and the Capitol, with the later city represented by the Piazza di Spagna, the Trevi Fountain, and the great piazza before St Peter's in Vatican City.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Rome is by Franz Liszt, who divided the last 25 years of his life between Rome, Hungary and Weimar after an early career as a travelling virtuoso, one of the greatest pianists of his time, and a period settled in Weimar as Director of Music Extraordinary to the Grand Duchy. In Rome he took minor orders and developed further his interest in the music of the Church.
The Places
The tour starts in Uzbekistan , of which there are later glimpses. There is a visit to the historic Russian town of Suzdal and scenes from St. Petersburg as well as from Ukraine . It would be impossible to avoid the Russian winter, which appears in various guises, providing entertainment for some and for others a seemingly enchanted snow-bound landscape.
The Music
The music for the tour is taken from Russian composers who were, by and large, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of their country. This is reflected in Lyadov's arrangement of a series folk-songs and his translation of Russian legend into music. Other composers represented are Ippolitov-Ivanov, Kabalevsky and Anton Rubinstein , with two well known excerpts from unfinished operas by Mussorgsky .
The tour starts in Uzbekistan , of which there are later glimpses. There is a visit to the historic Russian town of Suzdal and scenes from St. Petersburg as well as from Ukraine . It would be impossible to avoid the Russian winter, which appears in various guises, providing entertainment for some and for others a seemingly enchanted snow-bound landscape.
The Music
The music for the tour is taken from Russian composers who were, by and large, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of their country. This is reflected in Lyadov's arrangement of a series folk-songs and his translation of Russian legend into music. Other composers represented are Ippolitov-Ivanov, Kabalevsky and Anton Rubinstein , with two well known excerpts from unfinished operas by Mussorgsky .
The Places
Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg in 1703 on Swedish territory, a provocation to Sweden, then the most powerful state in the region. Over a few years, he created a new city with an outlet to the Baltic, a city to challenge Moscow and force Russia to face Western Europe. Victory over the Swedes at Poltava in 1709 secured the city's future.
The tour takes in Odessa , in the Ukraine, an important naval base for Russia on the Black Sea, and concludes with a visit to Uzbekistan .
The Music
Mussorgsky was originally an army officer, ending his life in intermittent government service, as addiction to alcohol took its toll. At his death in 1881, at the age of 42, he left much unfinished. His Pictures at an Exhibition was written in 1874 as a set of piano pieces, a translation into music of paintings, designs, models and drawings by his friend Victor Hartmann, who had died the year before, heard here in the colourful orchestration by Ravel . Borodin had a successful career as an analytical chemist, a professor at the Medico-Surgical Academy. His activities as a scientist limited the attention he could give to music, so that a number of his compositions remained incomplete at his relatively early death at the age of 53 in 1887.
Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg in 1703 on Swedish territory, a provocation to Sweden, then the most powerful state in the region. Over a few years, he created a new city with an outlet to the Baltic, a city to challenge Moscow and force Russia to face Western Europe. Victory over the Swedes at Poltava in 1709 secured the city's future.
The tour takes in Odessa , in the Ukraine, an important naval base for Russia on the Black Sea, and concludes with a visit to Uzbekistan .
The Music
Mussorgsky was originally an army officer, ending his life in intermittent government service, as addiction to alcohol took its toll. At his death in 1881, at the age of 42, he left much unfinished. His Pictures at an Exhibition was written in 1874 as a set of piano pieces, a translation into music of paintings, designs, models and drawings by his friend Victor Hartmann, who had died the year before, heard here in the colourful orchestration by Ravel . Borodin had a successful career as an analytical chemist, a professor at the Medico-Surgical Academy. His activities as a scientist limited the attention he could give to music, so that a number of his compositions remained incomplete at his relatively early death at the age of 53 in 1887.
The Places
Our visit starts in St. Petersburg , with its palaces and gardens and strange white nights by the River Neva. It continues with scenes of life in Moscow, Red Square, the Kremlin, monasteries and the
Bolshoy Theatre. There is a final homage to the poet Pushkin, with portraits and memorabilia from Ukraine and from Russia.
The Music
Tchaikovsky completed his Fifth Symphony in 1888, and regarded it with his usual critical diffidence. "Having played my symphony twice in St. Petersburg and once in Prague, I have decided it is a failure. There is something repellent in it, some over-exaggerated colour, some insincerity of invention, which the public instinctively recognises", he wrote, in a letter to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck. It nevertheless achieved considerable success, eventually winning Tchaikovsky's own approval, and has remained a popular element in Russian symphonic repertoire ever since. His Marche Slave of 1876 reflects patriotic Russian feelings at a time of Balkan conflict with Turkey.
Our visit starts in St. Petersburg , with its palaces and gardens and strange white nights by the River Neva. It continues with scenes of life in Moscow, Red Square, the Kremlin, monasteries and the
Bolshoy Theatre. There is a final homage to the poet Pushkin, with portraits and memorabilia from Ukraine and from Russia.
The Music
Tchaikovsky completed his Fifth Symphony in 1888, and regarded it with his usual critical diffidence. "Having played my symphony twice in St. Petersburg and once in Prague, I have decided it is a failure. There is something repellent in it, some over-exaggerated colour, some insincerity of invention, which the public instinctively recognises", he wrote, in a letter to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck. It nevertheless achieved considerable success, eventually winning Tchaikovsky's own approval, and has remained a popular element in Russian symphonic repertoire ever since. His Marche Slave of 1876 reflects patriotic Russian feelings at a time of Balkan conflict with Turkey.
The Places
The places visited include St. Petersburg , Peter the Great's new westward-looking capital, and the traditional capital, Moscow . In Ukraine we see Odessa with the famous Potemkin Steps and something of the surrounding countryside of a region that for long offered holiday resorts to those living in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
The Music
The music of the Russian composer Tchaikovsky has come to enjoy
wide popularity throughout the world. He lived at a time when composers were creating a new national form of Russian music, and this element of national inspiration he was able to combine with a sound and acceptable command of technique and particularly of colourful orchestration. His Symphony No. 6, Pathetique , was the last of his symphonies, first performed a few days before his sudden and unexpected death in 1893, which it seemed to portend. Other music consists of two dances from his opera Eugene Onegin , elements that have a poignant part to play in the drama.
The places visited include St. Petersburg , Peter the Great's new westward-looking capital, and the traditional capital, Moscow . In Ukraine we see Odessa with the famous Potemkin Steps and something of the surrounding countryside of a region that for long offered holiday resorts to those living in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
The Music
The music of the Russian composer Tchaikovsky has come to enjoy
wide popularity throughout the world. He lived at a time when composers were creating a new national form of Russian music, and this element of national inspiration he was able to combine with a sound and acceptable command of technique and particularly of colourful orchestration. His Symphony No. 6, Pathetique , was the last of his symphonies, first performed a few days before his sudden and unexpected death in 1893, which it seemed to portend. Other music consists of two dances from his opera Eugene Onegin , elements that have a poignant part to play in the drama.
The Places
Our tour of Russia starts in St. Petersburg, including churches and palaces and, above all, the river Neva, on the banks of which Peter the Great's city stands. We visit Tchaikovsky's house at Klin, near Moscow, and travel south to Ukraine to see Sebastopol in the Crimea and Odessa. Finally we return to St. Petersburg, seeing the surrounding countryside, the city by night, the bridges and the people.
The Music
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky succeeded in uniting strands of Russian musical nationalism with music in the cosmopolitan forms of his training. He spent his childhood and adolescence in St. Petersburg, later moving to Moscow and finally finding some refuge in the country at Klin, where his house is preserved. The music accompanying our tour is Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and his Serenade for Strings.
Our tour of Russia starts in St. Petersburg, including churches and palaces and, above all, the river Neva, on the banks of which Peter the Great's city stands. We visit Tchaikovsky's house at Klin, near Moscow, and travel south to Ukraine to see Sebastopol in the Crimea and Odessa. Finally we return to St. Petersburg, seeing the surrounding countryside, the city by night, the bridges and the people.
The Music
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky succeeded in uniting strands of Russian musical nationalism with music in the cosmopolitan forms of his training. He spent his childhood and adolescence in St. Petersburg, later moving to Moscow and finally finding some refuge in the country at Klin, where his house is preserved. The music accompanying our tour is Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and his Serenade for Strings.
The Places
Our visit starts in Moscow, with the Kremlin, the famous Conservatory
of Music and the Tretyakov Art Gallery, with its unrivalled collection of Russian paintings. We see the splendour of some of the Metro stations in St. Petersburg and much of the winter landscape in Moscow and in St Petersburg. We end with commemoration of Napoleon's defeat in 1812 and his retreat from Moscow during a bitter winter.
The Music
Tchaikovsky's disastrous marriage to an infatuated admirer in July 1877 ended after just a few weeks, when he left for his brother-in-law's estate at Kamenka to escape from a wife to whom he had taken an invincible aversion. By the end of September, after attempted suicide, his marriage was at an end, and in October he left Russia to find relief in travel. In these extraordinary circumstances he nevertheless continued to work on the fourth of his six symphonies, completing it in early January 1878. Its first performance was given six weeks later in Moscow under the direction of Nikolay Rubinstein, attended by his new patroness Nadezhda von Meck, to whom it was dedicated, but in the composer's absence.
Our visit starts in Moscow, with the Kremlin, the famous Conservatory
of Music and the Tretyakov Art Gallery, with its unrivalled collection of Russian paintings. We see the splendour of some of the Metro stations in St. Petersburg and much of the winter landscape in Moscow and in St Petersburg. We end with commemoration of Napoleon's defeat in 1812 and his retreat from Moscow during a bitter winter.
The Music
Tchaikovsky's disastrous marriage to an infatuated admirer in July 1877 ended after just a few weeks, when he left for his brother-in-law's estate at Kamenka to escape from a wife to whom he had taken an invincible aversion. By the end of September, after attempted suicide, his marriage was at an end, and in October he left Russia to find relief in travel. In these extraordinary circumstances he nevertheless continued to work on the fourth of his six symphonies, completing it in early January 1878. Its first performance was given six weeks later in Moscow under the direction of Nikolay Rubinstein, attended by his new patroness Nadezhda von Meck, to whom it was dedicated, but in the composer's absence.
The Places
Starting in St. Petersburg, once the capital of Russia under Peter the Great, our tour takes us to Ukraine and to Uzbekistan before returning first to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg and the famous Marïinsky Theatre, where Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker were first performed.
The Music
The Russian composer Tchaikovsky had a mastery of the smaller forms demanded by ballet, with its series of relatively short scenes. Excerpts from his three famous ballet scores, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker, provide the music to accompany a tour of Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Starting in St. Petersburg, once the capital of Russia under Peter the Great, our tour takes us to Ukraine and to Uzbekistan before returning first to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg and the famous Marïinsky Theatre, where Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker were first performed.
The Music
The Russian composer Tchaikovsky had a mastery of the smaller forms demanded by ballet, with its series of relatively short scenes. Excerpts from his three famous ballet scores, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker, provide the music to accompany a tour of Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The Places
Mozart's father Leopold settled in Salzburg in 1737 and in 1744 entered the service of the city's ruling Prince-Archbishop as a violinist. The city underwent various changes of regime in the first years of the nineteenth century, but in 1825 Schubert could express his wonder at the fine churches and palaces of the place.
The Music
The music includes movements directly connected with Salzburg, compositions for distinguished local families, members of the Mozarts' social circle, and works resulting from his visit in 1777-78 to Mannheim. Other compositions come from the remarkable final decade of Mozart's life, when he was living in Vienna, culminating in the Lacrimosa from the unfinished Requiem of 1791, a movement that he is said to have tried to sing, with his friends, on his deathbed.
Mozart's father Leopold settled in Salzburg in 1737 and in 1744 entered the service of the city's ruling Prince-Archbishop as a violinist. The city underwent various changes of regime in the first years of the nineteenth century, but in 1825 Schubert could express his wonder at the fine churches and palaces of the place.
The Music
The music includes movements directly connected with Salzburg, compositions for distinguished local families, members of the Mozarts' social circle, and works resulting from his visit in 1777-78 to Mannheim. Other compositions come from the remarkable final decade of Mozart's life, when he was living in Vienna, culminating in the Lacrimosa from the unfinished Requiem of 1791, a movement that he is said to have tried to sing, with his friends, on his deathbed.
The Places
The places visited are associated in one way or another with Mozart . He was born in 1796 in Salzburg, where his father was a leading musician at the court of the ruling Prince-Archbishop, and remained there, with occasional breaks for foreign concert tours, until he was finally able to break free in 1781 and settle in Vienna, where he spent the last ten years of his short life.
The Music
The music chosen for the tour of Salzburg and its surroundings consist of two piano concertos by Mozart, written during his earlier successful years of independence in Vienna for subscription concerts at which he performed as soloist.
The places visited are associated in one way or another with Mozart . He was born in 1796 in Salzburg, where his father was a leading musician at the court of the ruling Prince-Archbishop, and remained there, with occasional breaks for foreign concert tours, until he was finally able to break free in 1781 and settle in Vienna, where he spent the last ten years of his short life.
The Music
The music chosen for the tour of Salzburg and its surroundings consist of two piano concertos by Mozart, written during his earlier successful years of independence in Vienna for subscription concerts at which he performed as soloist.
The Places
The tour takes us first to the carnival celebrations in Basel, with its elaborate displays. There follows a visit to Vigeland Park in Oslo, with its characteristics figures, the work of Gustav Vigeland
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is by Robert Schumann . His Carnaval accompanies the carnival in Basel, flowers in the countryside are depicted in Blumenstuck and the granite figures in Vigeland Park, in Oslo, are matched with Scenes of Childhood
The tour takes us first to the carnival celebrations in Basel, with its elaborate displays. There follows a visit to Vigeland Park in Oslo, with its characteristics figures, the work of Gustav Vigeland
The Music
The music chosen for this tour is by Robert Schumann . His Carnaval accompanies the carnival in Basel, flowers in the countryside are depicted in Blumenstuck and the granite figures in Vigeland Park, in Oslo, are matched with Scenes of Childhood
The Places
The journey starts at Blair Castle, the gateway to the Highlands, moving then to the Isles of Skye and Mull, ending with the sights of the capital, Edinburgh.
The Music
The music chosen is by Sir Edward Elgar , including his famous Cello Concerto , his Introduction and Allegro for Strings and his Serenade for Strings
The journey starts at Blair Castle, the gateway to the Highlands, moving then to the Isles of Skye and Mull, ending with the sights of the capital, Edinburgh.
The Music
The music chosen is by Sir Edward Elgar , including his famous Cello Concerto , his Introduction and Allegro for Strings and his Serenade for Strings
The Places
Scotland's rugged landscape has a unique quality that marks it out from the rest of Britain, contrasting most clearly with England, the traditional enemy and occupier. We visit the remote Hebrides, traveling through wild scenery to the mellower Lowlands and to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, with its royal palace and castle.
The Music
Although none of the pieces are Scottish in origin, they complement beautifully the places visited. A mass by Byrd accompanies the old Abbey of Iona. Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony and Hebrides Overture draw respectively on historical Edinburgh and the wild scenery of Fingal's Cave. And Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor is based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by the great Scottish romantic novelist Walter Scott.
Scotland's rugged landscape has a unique quality that marks it out from the rest of Britain, contrasting most clearly with England, the traditional enemy and occupier. We visit the remote Hebrides, traveling through wild scenery to the mellower Lowlands and to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, with its royal palace and castle.
The Music
Although none of the pieces are Scottish in origin, they complement beautifully the places visited. A mass by Byrd accompanies the old Abbey of Iona. Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony and Hebrides Overture draw respectively on historical Edinburgh and the wild scenery of Fingal's Cave. And Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor is based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by the great Scottish romantic novelist Walter Scott.
The Places
Our tour of Scotland takes us from Edinburgh, with its castle, Scott monument and Palace of Holyrood, to the Highlands and then to The Hebrides, recalling the journey undertaken by the young Mendelssohn.
The Music
In 1829 Mendelssohn visited England and, after the summer season, travelled north to Scotland, accompanied by his friend Karl Klingemann. In Edinburgh he visited the Palace of Holyrood, recalling the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the murder there of her secretary David Rizzio. Further north he took the steamer to the island of Staffa, where he saw Fingal's Cave and in spite of sea-sickness immediately sketched the opening theme of his Hebrides Overture . It was not until 1842 that his Scottish Symphony was completed, a work inspired by memories of his visit to Scotland
Our tour of Scotland takes us from Edinburgh, with its castle, Scott monument and Palace of Holyrood, to the Highlands and then to The Hebrides, recalling the journey undertaken by the young Mendelssohn.
The Music
In 1829 Mendelssohn visited England and, after the summer season, travelled north to Scotland, accompanied by his friend Karl Klingemann. In Edinburgh he visited the Palace of Holyrood, recalling the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the murder there of her secretary David Rizzio. Further north he took the steamer to the island of Staffa, where he saw Fingal's Cave and in spite of sea-sickness immediately sketched the opening theme of his Hebrides Overture . It was not until 1842 that his Scottish Symphony was completed, a work inspired by memories of his visit to Scotland
The Places
Andalusia, in the south of the Iberian peninsula, is one of the fifteen autonomous administrative regions of modern Spain. It includes the provinces of Sevilla and Granada, which have their capitals at the cities of the same name.
The Music
Spanish composers are represented here by Granados and Albeniz, whose successful careers extended into the 20th century. Music by other composers reflects various connections with Spain. Seville is the setting for Mozart's operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni , and for Rossini's Figaro opera, The Barber of Seville . Bizet's Carmen is centred on Seville, while Verdi's tragic opera The Force of Destiny , set in Spain and based on a Spanish play, ranges over a wider area.
Andalusia, in the south of the Iberian peninsula, is one of the fifteen autonomous administrative regions of modern Spain. It includes the provinces of Sevilla and Granada, which have their capitals at the cities of the same name.
The Music
Spanish composers are represented here by Granados and Albeniz, whose successful careers extended into the 20th century. Music by other composers reflects various connections with Spain. Seville is the setting for Mozart's operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni , and for Rossini's Figaro opera, The Barber of Seville . Bizet's Carmen is centred on Seville, while Verdi's tragic opera The Force of Destiny , set in Spain and based on a Spanish play, ranges over a wider area.
The Places
Sicily has a remarkably varied history. From the ninth century BC it served as a Phoenician outpost and was later colonised by the Greeks, then became part of the Carthaginian Empire until absorbed by the Romans in the third century BC. After occupation by the Ostrogoths, in AD 353 it was reconquered by the Byzantines and subsequently ruled in turn by Saracens, Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was the island drawn into the unified country of Italy. The historical changes that Sicily has undergone are reflected in its culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Sicily is largely Italian, ranging from the Vienna court composer Salieri to Verdi and Leoncavallo. Other composers included are Mozart, Mendelssohn and Bach, the last represented by a characteristic Sicilian dance, and the Italian violinist and composer Paganini.
Sicily has a remarkably varied history. From the ninth century BC it served as a Phoenician outpost and was later colonised by the Greeks, then became part of the Carthaginian Empire until absorbed by the Romans in the third century BC. After occupation by the Ostrogoths, in AD 353 it was reconquered by the Byzantines and subsequently ruled in turn by Saracens, Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was the island drawn into the unified country of Italy. The historical changes that Sicily has undergone are reflected in its culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Sicily is largely Italian, ranging from the Vienna court composer Salieri to Verdi and Leoncavallo. Other composers included are Mozart, Mendelssohn and Bach, the last represented by a characteristic Sicilian dance, and the Italian violinist and composer Paganini.
The Places
Sicily has enjoyed a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians, it became part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and occupied by the Normans, followed by German, French and Spanish overlords. It was only in the mid-nineteenth century that the island was drawn into the unified country of Italy. The historical changes that Sicily has undergone are reflected in its culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Sicily is by Beethoven and consists of three of his best known piano sonatas, the Pathetique , the Moonlight and the Appassionata .
Sicily has enjoyed a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians, it became part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and occupied by the Normans, followed by German, French and Spanish overlords. It was only in the mid-nineteenth century that the island was drawn into the unified country of Italy. The historical changes that Sicily has undergone are reflected in its culture.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Sicily is by Beethoven and consists of three of his best known piano sonatas, the Pathetique , the Moonlight and the Appassionata .
The Places
Scenes of Provence, with its ancient Roman remains and ancestral traditions, mingle with the coast of the Cote d'Azur with its blue seas, rocks and islands and with the great nature reserve of Camargue, land of wild bulls and horses.
The Music
Chopin and Puccini may seem outsiders in a gathering of French musicians. The former, however, was the son of an emigre French father and spent the greater part of his life in Paris, while Puccini finds a place here with his transformation of the Abbe Prevost's novel Manon Lescaut into an immensely moving opera. Other composers reflect a French tradition ranging from Berlioz to Ravel.
Scenes of Provence, with its ancient Roman remains and ancestral traditions, mingle with the coast of the Cote d'Azur with its blue seas, rocks and islands and with the great nature reserve of Camargue, land of wild bulls and horses.
The Music
Chopin and Puccini may seem outsiders in a gathering of French musicians. The former, however, was the son of an emigre French father and spent the greater part of his life in Paris, while Puccini finds a place here with his transformation of the Abbe Prevost's novel Manon Lescaut into an immensely moving opera. Other composers reflect a French tradition ranging from Berlioz to Ravel.
The Places
From Caserta and Naples in southern Italy we travel to Sicily, an island with a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians before becoming part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and held by Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was Sicily drawn into the unified country of Italy.
The Music
The music is by Mozart, his Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467, written in Vienna in March 1785, and the second of his two piano concertos in a minor key, the Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491, composed in Vienna in the following year. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there if a position could be found for his son. In this, however, they were unsuccessful, and the third Italian tour was Mozart's last.
From Caserta and Naples in southern Italy we travel to Sicily, an island with a remarkably varied history, held by Phoenicians and Carthaginians before becoming part of Roman territory, later to be occupied by Ostrogoths, recaptured by the Byzantines, ruled by Saracens, and held by Normans, Germans, French and Spanish. Only in the mid-nineteenth century was Sicily drawn into the unified country of Italy.
The Music
The music is by Mozart, his Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467, written in Vienna in March 1785, and the second of his two piano concertos in a minor key, the Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491, composed in Vienna in the following year. Mozart had made three extended Italian tours between 1771 and 1773, and his father Leopold had hoped that his family might be able to settle there if a position could be found for his son. In this, however, they were unsuccessful, and the third Italian tour was Mozart's last.
The Places:
The ancient city of Seville, capital of Andalucía, was an Iberian settlement of importance during the period of Roman domination and, after the Moorish conquest of the 8th century, part of the Caliphate of Córdoba. It retained importance under other Moorish rulers until its reconquest by Fernando III in 1248. It enjoyed the height of prosperity after the discovery of America in 1492.
The Music:
Music for the tour includes two of the suites drawn from the French composer George Bizet's opera Carmen, first staged in Paris in 1875 and drawing on Spanish traditions for its plot and setting and for its transformation of traditional Spanish dances. There is also Spanish Dances by the composer Enrique Granados.
The ancient city of Seville, capital of Andalucía, was an Iberian settlement of importance during the period of Roman domination and, after the Moorish conquest of the 8th century, part of the Caliphate of Córdoba. It retained importance under other Moorish rulers until its reconquest by Fernando III in 1248. It enjoyed the height of prosperity after the discovery of America in 1492.
The Music:
Music for the tour includes two of the suites drawn from the French composer George Bizet's opera Carmen, first staged in Paris in 1875 and drawing on Spanish traditions for its plot and setting and for its transformation of traditional Spanish dances. There is also Spanish Dances by the composer Enrique Granados.
The Places
The tour starts in the countryside near Sancti Petri, and shows other aspects of the fertile landscape of Andalusia , leading to the historic hillside town of Medina-Sidonia, seat of the Guzman family, whose Duke led the Spanish Armada in 1588. The resort of Sitges in
Catalonia is followed by the great Cathedral of Seville, reputedly the largest Gothic church in the world, and towns that reflect the Moorish past of this region of Spain .
The Music
The French composer Maurice Ravel inherited from his mother, of Basque origin, a strong interest in Spain. Spanish elements influence much of his music including the Rapsodie espagnole , completed in 1908, Ravel's first major orchestral work and a demonstration of his originality and of his gifts as an orchestrator. The music moves from the stillness of night to two characteristic Spanish dances and a final Spanish fiesta. Isaac Albeniz enjoyed a double career, winning an international reputation as a virtuoso pianist and doing much to establish Spanish music in a form acceptable at home and abroad. He divided the later years of his life, a period of deteriorating health, between Paris, Barcelona and Nice, years which saw the composition of his Iberia .
The tour starts in the countryside near Sancti Petri, and shows other aspects of the fertile landscape of Andalusia , leading to the historic hillside town of Medina-Sidonia, seat of the Guzman family, whose Duke led the Spanish Armada in 1588. The resort of Sitges in
Catalonia is followed by the great Cathedral of Seville, reputedly the largest Gothic church in the world, and towns that reflect the Moorish past of this region of Spain .
The Music
The French composer Maurice Ravel inherited from his mother, of Basque origin, a strong interest in Spain. Spanish elements influence much of his music including the Rapsodie espagnole , completed in 1908, Ravel's first major orchestral work and a demonstration of his originality and of his gifts as an orchestrator. The music moves from the stillness of night to two characteristic Spanish dances and a final Spanish fiesta. Isaac Albeniz enjoyed a double career, winning an international reputation as a virtuoso pianist and doing much to establish Spanish music in a form acceptable at home and abroad. He divided the later years of his life, a period of deteriorating health, between Paris, Barcelona and Nice, years which saw the composition of his Iberia .
The Places
The musical tour of Spain starts at the present capital, Madrid, the principal city of Castile. From Madrid it is not too far to the plains of La Mancha, a region always remembered for its association with the great hero of Miguel Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha, whose windmills, mistaken by him for giants, form a characteristic element in the landscape. The varied history of Spain is seen in the city of Cordoba, once capital of a Moorish kingdom, and the gardens of the Alcazar of the Christian Kings.
The Music
The music chosen for the tour of Spain may be characteristically Spanish in its rhythms and turns of melody, but is all the work of foreigners, two of the composers, Chabrier and Massenet , French, and two of them, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov , Russian. For France, geographically adjacent to Spain, there was an obvious connection with Spain, which continued to exercise a certain fascination over its neighbour. Russian composers in the 19th century embarked on the creation of a new national music, but at the same time drew on remoter countries for inspiration, whether on the different regions of the vast Russian Empire or still further afield.
The musical tour of Spain starts at the present capital, Madrid, the principal city of Castile. From Madrid it is not too far to the plains of La Mancha, a region always remembered for its association with the great hero of Miguel Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha, whose windmills, mistaken by him for giants, form a characteristic element in the landscape. The varied history of Spain is seen in the city of Cordoba, once capital of a Moorish kingdom, and the gardens of the Alcazar of the Christian Kings.
The Music
The music chosen for the tour of Spain may be characteristically Spanish in its rhythms and turns of melody, but is all the work of foreigners, two of the composers, Chabrier and Massenet , French, and two of them, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov , Russian. For France, geographically adjacent to Spain, there was an obvious connection with Spain, which continued to exercise a certain fascination over its neighbour. Russian composers in the 19th century embarked on the creation of a new national music, but at the same time drew on remoter countries for inspiration, whether on the different regions of the vast Russian Empire or still further afield.
The Places
Our visit to Spain centres on the old capital of Castile, Toledo, historically famous for its steel and swords and as the home of the great painter known as El Greco. There are views of Cordoba, with its relics of Moorish occupation, and a brief glimpse of the windmills on the plains of La Mancha, buildings Don Quixote once mistook for giants.
The Music
The music of Spain held an exotic attraction for composers from other countries. The French composer Lalo was of remote Spanish origin himself, and his Symphonie espagnole, written for the great Spanish violinist Pablo Sarasate, evokes the spirit of the country. Sarasate himself is represented here by a gypsy piece, Zigeunerweisen, and the versatile and prolific French composer Saint-Saens, who also dedicated a number of works to Sarasate, by his Spanish Havanaise.
Our visit to Spain centres on the old capital of Castile, Toledo, historically famous for its steel and swords and as the home of the great painter known as El Greco. There are views of Cordoba, with its relics of Moorish occupation, and a brief glimpse of the windmills on the plains of La Mancha, buildings Don Quixote once mistook for giants.
The Music
The music of Spain held an exotic attraction for composers from other countries. The French composer Lalo was of remote Spanish origin himself, and his Symphonie espagnole, written for the great Spanish violinist Pablo Sarasate, evokes the spirit of the country. Sarasate himself is represented here by a gypsy piece, Zigeunerweisen, and the versatile and prolific French composer Saint-Saens, who also dedicated a number of works to Sarasate, by his Spanish Havanaise.
The Places
St. Petersburg, the former Russian capital established in 1712 by Peter the Great, represented an era of modernisation. Built around the river Neva, which flows into the seas of the Gulf of Finland, its palaces, streets and parks reflect the age of its construction and wider European influences to which the tsar sought to direct his country.
The Music
The composers whose music is here included - Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Liadov and Ippolitov-Ivanov - were themselves closely associated with Russian music of the later nineteenth century and, inevitably, with St. Petersburg and its Conservatory.
St. Petersburg, the former Russian capital established in 1712 by Peter the Great, represented an era of modernisation. Built around the river Neva, which flows into the seas of the Gulf of Finland, its palaces, streets and parks reflect the age of its construction and wider European influences to which the tsar sought to direct his country.
The Music
The composers whose music is here included - Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Liadov and Ippolitov-Ivanov - were themselves closely associated with Russian music of the later nineteenth century and, inevitably, with St. Petersburg and its Conservatory.
The Places
The tour starts with views of Catherine the Great's Palace at Tsarskoe
Selo and leads eventually to the resort of Pavlovsk, after scenes from
Ukraine.
The Music
The music is taken from two of Rachmaninov's four piano concertos. The Second Concerto is among the most popular in romantic repertoire, while the Third Concerto is among the most challenging.
The tour starts with views of Catherine the Great's Palace at Tsarskoe
Selo and leads eventually to the resort of Pavlovsk, after scenes from
Ukraine.
The Music
The music is taken from two of Rachmaninov's four piano concertos. The Second Concerto is among the most popular in romantic repertoire, while the Third Concerto is among the most challenging.
The Places
The journey starts in Switzerland, in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine falls. From Styria, in Austria, comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle, the latter intercut with wild life from the Austrian Assling Nature Park. The tour ends amid the strangely shaped mountains of the Dolomites in Southern Tyrol, a region divided between Austria and Italy.
The Music
In a remarkable way Mahler , in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the twentieth century in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. Distinguished as a conductor, his fame as a composer has grown over the years since his death. The music included here is Mahler's Symphony No. 1 , nick-name Titan , not for its massive power, but after the book by Jean Paul, a string influence over earlier romantics and over Mahler at this stage in his career. The symphony breathes the spirit of the Austrian countryside, reflected in Mahler's songs.
The journey starts in Switzerland, in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine falls. From Styria, in Austria, comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle, the latter intercut with wild life from the Austrian Assling Nature Park. The tour ends amid the strangely shaped mountains of the Dolomites in Southern Tyrol, a region divided between Austria and Italy.
The Music
In a remarkable way Mahler , in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the twentieth century in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. Distinguished as a conductor, his fame as a composer has grown over the years since his death. The music included here is Mahler's Symphony No. 1 , nick-name Titan , not for its massive power, but after the book by Jean Paul, a string influence over earlier romantics and over Mahler at this stage in his career. The symphony breathes the spirit of the Austrian countryside, reflected in Mahler's songs.
The Places:
The canton of the Graubunden, the Grey Leagues, covers the largest territory of all Swiss cantons while remaining the most sparsely populated. Geographically it borders the Southern Tyrol, Austria and Liechtenstein, and much of its population speaks Romansch, though other languages spoken include German, Italian and, to a much lesser extent, French. The canton has traditional importance as a crossing point between south and north in Europe.
The Music:
Music for the tour is taken from four concerti grossi by Handel. Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.
The canton of the Graubunden, the Grey Leagues, covers the largest territory of all Swiss cantons while remaining the most sparsely populated. Geographically it borders the Southern Tyrol, Austria and Liechtenstein, and much of its population speaks Romansch, though other languages spoken include German, Italian and, to a much lesser extent, French. The canton has traditional importance as a crossing point between south and north in Europe.
The Music:
Music for the tour is taken from four concerti grossi by Handel. Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.
The Places
The Canton of Ticino (German Tessin) is the only Swiss canton to have Italian as its official language. It is bounded on three sides by Italy and boasts spectacular mountain scenery, with waterfalls, rivers and lakes. The capital of the canton is now Bellinzona, but was earlier shared with Locarno and Lugano. A feature of the landscape lies in the great lakes that are within its territory, including part of Lago Maggiore, into which the Ticino and Maggia flow.
The Music
Robert Schumann was born in 1810 in Saxony, studied in Leipzig,
lived in Dresden and, in 1850 moved to Dusseldorf as director of music to the city. He died in 1856, after a severe mental breakdown, from which he never recovered. In 1840, in spite of the objections of her father, he had married the young pianist Clara Wieck, daughter of his former teacher. It was particularly after his marriage that he turned his attention to larger scale compositions, of which his Piano Concerto is an example, inspired by his wife. The other work heard here, the Intermezzi, Op. 4 , dates from an earlier period, devoted in particular to the composition of shorter piano pieces, when a career as a pianist still seemed possible for him.
The Canton of Ticino (German Tessin) is the only Swiss canton to have Italian as its official language. It is bounded on three sides by Italy and boasts spectacular mountain scenery, with waterfalls, rivers and lakes. The capital of the canton is now Bellinzona, but was earlier shared with Locarno and Lugano. A feature of the landscape lies in the great lakes that are within its territory, including part of Lago Maggiore, into which the Ticino and Maggia flow.
The Music
Robert Schumann was born in 1810 in Saxony, studied in Leipzig,
lived in Dresden and, in 1850 moved to Dusseldorf as director of music to the city. He died in 1856, after a severe mental breakdown, from which he never recovered. In 1840, in spite of the objections of her father, he had married the young pianist Clara Wieck, daughter of his former teacher. It was particularly after his marriage that he turned his attention to larger scale compositions, of which his Piano Concerto is an example, inspired by his wife. The other work heard here, the Intermezzi, Op. 4 , dates from an earlier period, devoted in particular to the composition of shorter piano pieces, when a career as a pianist still seemed possible for him.
The Places
The Museo Vela is at Ligornetto in the Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino. The galleries have remarkable collections of the works of the Vela family, Lorenzo, Vincenzo and his son Spartaco. The principal part of the collection includes works in gesso of Vincenzo (1821?EUR"1891), plaster-cast figures later reworked in stone. The Museo Vela houses the largest such exhibition in the world.
The Music
Music for the visit is by Chopin, with his piano preludes, written principally during the winter of 1838?EUR"39 that he spent in Mallorca with his mistress, the writer George Sand. The stay there brought many difficulties, not least the early signs of illness that was to bring about Chopin's death ten years later. Other music included is Chopin's Variations brillantes, written in 1833, based on a melody from an opera by Hérod and Halévy.
The Museo Vela is at Ligornetto in the Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino. The galleries have remarkable collections of the works of the Vela family, Lorenzo, Vincenzo and his son Spartaco. The principal part of the collection includes works in gesso of Vincenzo (1821?EUR"1891), plaster-cast figures later reworked in stone. The Museo Vela houses the largest such exhibition in the world.
The Music
Music for the visit is by Chopin, with his piano preludes, written principally during the winter of 1838?EUR"39 that he spent in Mallorca with his mistress, the writer George Sand. The stay there brought many difficulties, not least the early signs of illness that was to bring about Chopin's death ten years later. Other music included is Chopin's Variations brillantes, written in 1833, based on a melody from an opera by Hérod and Halévy.
The Places
The musical tour starts in Zürich and moves to the hilltop village of Regensberg. The farmland of Emmental is seen, with Lake Thun and the waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen. Still more impressive is the great Matterhorn and a tribute to mountaineers who have lost their lives there. Zermatt, a popular ski resort as well as a base for climbers, is also seen in the milder days of summer.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from the first two of Mozart's violin concertos, written in Salzburg in 1773 and in 1775 respectively. Mozart composed his five violin concertos either for his own use or for the Italian violinist Antonio Brunetti, who was employed with Mozart in the musical establishment of the Prince-Archbishop in Salzburg.
The musical tour starts in Zürich and moves to the hilltop village of Regensberg. The farmland of Emmental is seen, with Lake Thun and the waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen. Still more impressive is the great Matterhorn and a tribute to mountaineers who have lost their lives there. Zermatt, a popular ski resort as well as a base for climbers, is also seen in the milder days of summer.
The Music
Music for the tour is taken from the first two of Mozart's violin concertos, written in Salzburg in 1773 and in 1775 respectively. Mozart composed his five violin concertos either for his own use or for the Italian violinist Antonio Brunetti, who was employed with Mozart in the musical establishment of the Prince-Archbishop in Salzburg.
The Places
The places visited range from the icy slopes of the Jungfraujoch, approached by the highest railway in Europe, to the tranquility of Lake Thun, the imposing waterfalls of Trümmelbach and the distinctive French, German, Italian and Romansch regions of the country.
The Music
The music for this tour of Switzerland is by Franz Schubert, a composer who spent his life largely in his native Vienna. His famous "Unfinished" Symphony, the two movements of which were written in 1822, were not performed until 37 years after Schubert's death, when the manuscripts were discovered at the home of Schubert's friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner. The music continues with Schubert's Fifth Symphony, written in the space of a few weeks in 1816 when the composer was nineteen.
The places visited range from the icy slopes of the Jungfraujoch, approached by the highest railway in Europe, to the tranquility of Lake Thun, the imposing waterfalls of Trümmelbach and the distinctive French, German, Italian and Romansch regions of the country.
The Music
The music for this tour of Switzerland is by Franz Schubert, a composer who spent his life largely in his native Vienna. His famous "Unfinished" Symphony, the two movements of which were written in 1822, were not performed until 37 years after Schubert's death, when the manuscripts were discovered at the home of Schubert's friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner. The music continues with Schubert's Fifth Symphony, written in the space of a few weeks in 1816 when the composer was nineteen.
The Places
Our journey takes us principally to the Tuscan spa resort of Montecatini and its neighbourhood.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his concertos for flute.
Our journey takes us principally to the Tuscan spa resort of Montecatini and its neighbourhood.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his concertos for flute.
The Places
Tuscany (Toscana) draws its modern name from the ancient kingdom of Etruria and its inhabitants, the Etruscans, whose early history is inextricably entangled with the rise to power of Rome. The region stretches from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea and includes, among its nine provinces, Pisa, Siena and Lucca.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Tuscany is largely Italian, ranging from the sixteenth-century Milanese lutenist Francesco Canova da Milano to the Venetian Vivaldi, the Genoese-born violinist Paganini and the opera composers Donizetti, Verdi, Catalani and Puccini. Place is also found for appropriate music by the Italian-trained Gluck and from Mozart's Italian opera Don Giovanni .
Tuscany (Toscana) draws its modern name from the ancient kingdom of Etruria and its inhabitants, the Etruscans, whose early history is inextricably entangled with the rise to power of Rome. The region stretches from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea and includes, among its nine provinces, Pisa, Siena and Lucca.
The Music
The music chosen for this tour of Tuscany is largely Italian, ranging from the sixteenth-century Milanese lutenist Francesco Canova da Milano to the Venetian Vivaldi, the Genoese-born violinist Paganini and the opera composers Donizetti, Verdi, Catalani and Puccini. Place is also found for appropriate music by the Italian-trained Gluck and from Mozart's Italian opera Don Giovanni .
The Places
This tour of Uzbekistan takes us to Bukhara and to Khiva, former oases on the old Silk Road that joined East and West. Their great buildings, mosques and medrese reflect their former importance under successive rulers with monuments of Islamic architecture and decorative art.
The Music
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov held a leading position among the Russian nationalist composers of the nineteenth century. His symphonic suite Sheherazade, based on episodes from The Arabian Nights, provides an apt accompaniment to a tour of Uzbekistan. The music chosen also includes the musical picture Sadko, based on a watery legend that takes the hero of the title into the depths of the sea.
This tour of Uzbekistan takes us to Bukhara and to Khiva, former oases on the old Silk Road that joined East and West. Their great buildings, mosques and medrese reflect their former importance under successive rulers with monuments of Islamic architecture and decorative art.
The Music
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov held a leading position among the Russian nationalist composers of the nineteenth century. His symphonic suite Sheherazade, based on episodes from The Arabian Nights, provides an apt accompaniment to a tour of Uzbekistan. The music chosen also includes the musical picture Sadko, based on a watery legend that takes the hero of the title into the depths of the sea.
The Places
Venice is one of the most famous of all cities, its buildings reflecting its former commercial importance and wealth. Its canals and its position at the head of the Adriatic have given it a unique character that has continued to attract visitors.
The Music
The music included here is either associated directly with Venice or familiar there in the heyday of the Serenissima. It includes music by the Venetian composers Vivaldi and Marcello, and by Domenico Scarlatti, Neapolitan by birth, who was sent to study there by his father.
Venice is one of the most famous of all cities, its buildings reflecting its former commercial importance and wealth. Its canals and its position at the head of the Adriatic have given it a unique character that has continued to attract visitors.
The Music
The music included here is either associated directly with Venice or familiar there in the heyday of the Serenissima. It includes music by the Venetian composers Vivaldi and Marcello, and by Domenico Scarlatti, Neapolitan by birth, who was sent to study there by his father.
The Places
A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, its buildings retain much of their historic character and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour which starts and ends with the lagoon, after visiting the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello and San Michele.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, L'Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration), published in Amsterdam in 1711.
A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, its buildings retain much of their historic character and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour which starts and ends with the lagoon, after visiting the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello and San Michele.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, L'Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration), published in Amsterdam in 1711.
The Places
A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, its buildings retain much of their historic character, and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour, which visits a number of the principal sites and reflects the changing light, which casts a spell of its own.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pietà, a charitable institution for girls with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos Il Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Inventione (The Contest of Harmony and Invention), published in Paris in 1725.
A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, its buildings retain much of their historic character, and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour, which visits a number of the principal sites and reflects the changing light, which casts a spell of its own.
The Music
Violinist, priest and most prolific composer Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pietà, a charitable institution for girls with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos Il Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Inventione (The Contest of Harmony and Invention), published in Paris in 1725.
The Places
Scenes from Vienna include historical and modern buildings, monuments of the glorious past and the present day from the Emperor's Palace of Schonbrunn to the colourful buildings of the controversial artist Hundertwasser.
The Music
The music included here is all closely associated with Vienna, where Mozart spent the last ten years of his life, where Schubert was born in 1797, and where Beethoven, from 1792 until his death in 1827, was a dominant musical figure.
Scenes from Vienna include historical and modern buildings, monuments of the glorious past and the present day from the Emperor's Palace of Schonbrunn to the colourful buildings of the controversial artist Hundertwasser.
The Music
The music included here is all closely associated with Vienna, where Mozart spent the last ten years of his life, where Schubert was born in 1797, and where Beethoven, from 1792 until his death in 1827, was a dominant musical figure.
The Places
Vienna was already an ancient Celtic town called Vindobona when
around 15 BC the Romans fortified it with a military camp. The town
prospered and grew, undergoing considerable further development under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who died there in AD 180. In later times Vienna assumed the greatest importance as the capital of the Habsburg Empire and as a bulwark defending Western Europe from invasion from the East, although it failed to repel Napoleon, who occupied the city twice in the first decade of the 19th century.
The Music
The eldest son of Johann Strauss I , the younger Johann Strauss was born in 1825, the year in which his father established his popular dance orchestra. The father intended other professions for his sons, but in 1844, two years after his father had abandoned his wife in favour of his mistress, the younger Strauss set up his own orchestra, an enterprise in which he later compelled his younger brothers, Joseph and Eduard, to share. In 1863 Strauss was appointed Imperial Music Director for the balls held at court, a position he held until 1871, when he was succeeded by his brother Eduard. He then began writing a series of operettas, including in 1874 the best known of all, Die Fledermaus . He died in 1899 after a busy and successful...
Vienna was already an ancient Celtic town called Vindobona when
around 15 BC the Romans fortified it with a military camp. The town
prospered and grew, undergoing considerable further development under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who died there in AD 180. In later times Vienna assumed the greatest importance as the capital of the Habsburg Empire and as a bulwark defending Western Europe from invasion from the East, although it failed to repel Napoleon, who occupied the city twice in the first decade of the 19th century.
The Music
The eldest son of Johann Strauss I , the younger Johann Strauss was born in 1825, the year in which his father established his popular dance orchestra. The father intended other professions for his sons, but in 1844, two years after his father had abandoned his wife in favour of his mistress, the younger Strauss set up his own orchestra, an enterprise in which he later compelled his younger brothers, Joseph and Eduard, to share. In 1863 Strauss was appointed Imperial Music Director for the balls held at court, a position he held until 1871, when he was succeeded by his brother Eduard. He then began writing a series of operettas, including in 1874 the best known of all, Die Fledermaus . He died in 1899 after a busy and successful...
The Places
Our journey takes us to places in Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Scotland, largely following the order of the seasons, from the hope of spring to the snow of winter.
The Music
Violinist, priest and highly prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there. The most popular of his 500 or more concertos, then and now, has been The Four Seasons , eventually published in 1725, each concerto accompanied by an explanatory sonnet.
Our journey takes us to places in Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Scotland, largely following the order of the seasons, from the hope of spring to the snow of winter.
The Music
Violinist, priest and highly prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there. The most popular of his 500 or more concertos, then and now, has been The Four Seasons , eventually published in 1725, each concerto accompanied by an explanatory sonnet.