Available online
Description
This first programme in a three-part series on the avant-garde revolution in 20th century music asks, "What happened to classical music?" It looks at the shift in the language and sound o...f music from the beautiful melodies and harmonies of the giants of classical music such as Mozart, Haydn and Brahms into the fragmented, abstract, discordant sound of the most radical composers of the new century - Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky and beyond. It examines how this new kind of music, which continues to perplex and upset even the most contemporary of audiences, was a response to the huge upheaval in the world at the start of the new century - with the developments of technology, science, modern art and the tumult of the First World War. Featuring specially shot performances of some of the key works of the period, performed by The London Sinfonietta, members of the Aurora Orchestra, and the American composer and pianist Timothy Andres, the story of this radical episode in music history is brought to life through the contributions of some of the biggest names in modern classical music, among them: Steve Reich, John Adams, Michael Tilson Thomas, Pierre Boulez, George Benjamin and Alex Ross, music critic of The New Yorker. From the atonal experiments of Vienna to the jazz-infused sounds coming from New York in the 1920s, this film travels the world to place this music in context, and to uncover the incredible personalities and lives of the composers whose single-minded visions changed the course of classical music for ever.
This first programme in a three-part series on the avant-garde revolution in 20th century music asks, "What happened to classical music?" It looks at the shift in the language and sound o...f music from the beautiful melodies and harmonies of the giants of classical music such as Mozart, Haydn and Brahms into the fragmented, abstract, discordant sound of the most radical composers of the new century - Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky and beyond. It examines how this new kind of music, which continues to perplex and upset even the most contemporary of audiences, was a response to the huge upheaval in the world at the start of the new century - with the developments of technology, science, modern art and the tumult of the First World War. Featuring specially shot performances of some of the key works of the period, performed by The London Sinfonietta, members of the Aurora Orchestra, and the American composer and pianist Timothy Andres, the story of this radical episode in music history is brought to life through the contributions of some of the biggest names in modern classical music, among them: Steve Reich, John Adams, Michael Tilson Thomas, Pierre Boulez, George Benjamin and Alex Ross, music critic of The New Yorker. From the atonal experiments of Vienna to the jazz-infused sounds coming from New York in the 1920s, this film travels the world to place this music in context, and to uncover the incredible personalities and lives of the composers whose single-minded visions changed the course of classical music for ever.
| Series: | The sound and the fury |
|---|---|
| Episode | 1 |
| First transmission date: | 12-02-2013 |
| Original broadcast channel: | BBC4 |
| Published: | 2013 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:59:29 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Ian MacMillan |
| Contributors: | John Adams; George Benjamin; Pierre Boulez; Steve Reich; Alex Ross; Michael Tilson Thomas |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Link to related site: | BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qqrqm OU website: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/whats-on/tv/ou-on-the-bbc-the-sound-and-the-fury |
| Production number: | FKIA546N |
| Videofinder number: | 83456 |
| Available to public: | no |
