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Audiobooks Narrated by Richard Mayes
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Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has come to represent Classical Music and modern Western Culture in general. It was used by the allies and the BBC European Service in WWII as a symbol of victory, since the opening "da-da-da-dum" rhythm happens to translate as the letter "V" in Morse Code. "Imagine a blind painter!" So said Richard Wagner when describing the effect of deafness on a composer. Yet Ludwig van Beethoven was a man with the character to overcome this seemingly incapacitating disability and produce some of the most powerful and beautiful music ever written.This absorbing biodrama features the words of Beethoven and his contemporaries, and includes excerpts from his best known and loved works. Together with an informative and illuminating commentary, it conveys to the listener a fascinating and colourful picture of a musical giant. Credits:Beethoven: Kevin Flood. Other parts: Michael Burrell, Derrick Gilbert. Beethoven portrait Wiki Commons.
Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the help of a local patron. Copiously illustrated by excerpts from Verdi's music, this biodrama tells how the composer rose from humble origins to become the unrivalled master of Italian opera. Living in the time of Italian unification, his music and his life became entwined with politics and patriotism and his melodies were taken up as battle cries in the Italian fight against foreign domination. This Chiron full cast and music audiobook explores the fertility of Verdi's musical imagination and his deep but unconventional religious faith. His operas remain extremely popular, especially the three peaks of his 'middle period': Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata. The bicentenary of his birth in 2013 was widely celebrated in broadcasts and performances.
In his lifetime Johann Strauss theYounger was known as 'The Waltz King', and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century. Some of Johann Strauss's most famous works include The Blue Danube (Famously used in '2001: A Space Odyssey'), The Emperor Waltz, Tales from the Vienna Woods and the Tritsch-Tratsch-polka. The opening bars of The Blue Danube Waltz can bring a tear to the eye and a lump to the throat. It is at once the most romantic and sentimental melody ever written. For more than 60 years Strauss captivated audiences with his evocations of Viennese joi de vivre; yet his own life was often sad. This biodrama makes use of fascinating contemporary writings as well as the wonderful music itself. Credits: Johann Strauss: Steve Hodson. Other parts: Trader Faulkner. Strauss portrait Wiki Commons.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy and the opera Eugene Onegin. "An artist should not be troubled by the indifference of his contemporaries. He should go on working and say all that he is predestined to say. He should know that posterity alone can deliver a true and just verdict". So said Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - and posterity has delivered its verdict. His music is glorious, uplifting, soulful, humourous and wonderfullymelodic. Thchaikovsky regarded music as something to be savoured and shared, and he worked hard and long to that end. This Chiron biodrama reveals much of his troubled life and times - and presents many extracts from his marvellous music. Credits: Tchaikovsky: Trader Faulkner. Other parts: Marcia Warren, Steve Hodson. Tchaikovsky portrait Wiki Commons.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. With Haydn and Beethoven he brought to its height the achievement of the Viennese Classical school. Unlike any other composer in musical history, he wrote in all the musical genres of his day and excelled in every one. His taste, his command of form, and his range of expression have made him seem the most universal of all composers; yet, it may also be said that his music was written to accommodate the specific tastes of particular audiences. (Britannica). Mozart is without doubt also the most famous of all musical child prodigies. At the age of 6 he enthralled the Austrian Court with his unbelievable virtuosity. Yet he died friendless and in poverty at the age of 36, a victim of jealousy, and vicious intrigue. Mozart's story is a tragedy, but one filled with superb music; for he brought new colour, passion and power to opera, symphony and concerto. Credits: Mozart: Robert Rietty. Young Mozart: Nikolaj Berg. Other parts: Edmund Pegge. 'The Boy Mozart' portrait Wiki Commons.
