Keeping track of the tracks ...
Post categories: Radio 3, The Genius of Mozart
|23:46 UK Time, Monday, 10 January 2011
Emma Bloxham and the Mozart spreadsheet
The Genius of Mozart has been a long time in the planning. For the past six months, senior producer Emma Bloxham has been painstakingly building up an enormous spreadsheet, with an entry for every work that he wrote. Mozart scholarship has leapt forward spectacularly in recent years, which has meant close liaison between Emma and series consultant Cliff Eisen. Eisen, a distinguished Canadian musicologist, is recognised as one of the greatest Mozart experts in the world today. He’s been the final arbiter of what’s been played - and what’s been left out; new discoveries in, out with a handful of pieces once attributed to Mozart but now reckoned to be by another hand.
Though computers have been vital in building the on-air shape of the festival, pen and paper have not been entirely eliminated. A big notice-board hangs in our 8th floor studio, listing a series of short works - minuets, duos, and extracts from the London sketchbook – which have proved useful in ensuring programmes fill their allocated time-slots. First thing each morning, Emma checks the board to find out what’s been aired the previous day – even the tiniest minuet deserves its moment in the spotlight. As we start Day 11, we’re perfectly on schedule to fit everything in. And you’ll be pleased to know that mainlining Mozart for months has not put Emma off the composer; far from it. ‘Hearing everything in this way, late works in context with early has made me fall in love all over again,’ she told me last night. ‘I no longer take the greatness of the late works for granted. His genius has hit me afresh.'
Arvo Part plays Mozart
By the way, Cliff Eisen will be joining Suzy Klein and I in the studio on Wednesday evening - Last Night of the Mozart - when we’ll be opening the phone lines for your comments and questions. So if you want to test the knowledge of a world class Mozart expert, here’s your chance.
Tom Service was back in the Mozart studio on Sunday afternoon after spending the best part of a week in Finland and Estonia, recording a (non-Mozart) Music Matters special for broadcast on Saturday. He took a trip to the countryside half an hour or so outside Tallinn to meet Estonia’s most celebrated composer, Arvo Pärt. After recording the interview, Tom left him alone for a bit while he looked at papers in the archive. On his return, he caught Pärt sitting alone at the piano in his music room, playing Mozart. ‘Mozart is a present from God,’ the composer pronounced. If you missed a clip of him playing and chatting about Mozart, listen again to Tom’s show on Sunday afternoon.
Composers of every century have been inspired and influenced by Mozart. Pärt today; a hundred years ago Arnold Schoenberg. Flicking through Nicholas Kenyon’s Pocket Guide to Mozart on the tube yesterday, I found this great list – the five things Schoenberg learned from Mozart
- 1 – Inequality of phrase length
- 2 – Co-ordination of heterogeneous characters to form thematic unity
- 3 – Deviation from even-number construction in the theme and its component parts
- 4 – The art of forming subsidiary ideas
- 5 – The art of introduction and transition.
Some Viennese composers of today clearly feel a little oppressed by the omnipresence of Mozart in their city; fascinating that for Schoenberg, his music provided a chance to learn and discover.
Comment number 1.
At 09:17 11th Jan 2011, beatlingabout wrote:Genius of Mozart may have been long in planning but it's been a huge turn-off (literally) for me. Thursday seems one hell of a long way off still. I'm really sorry to be so negative but I can't remember when I've listened to R3 less my whole adult life. Thank heavens for R4 and the chocolate-box Classic FM (yes - you heard correctly, Classic FM) - they've kept me sane.
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Comment number 2.
At 10:15 11th Jan 2011, Grete wrote:I have, and am thoroughly enjoying the Genius of Mozart. I've got lots of work done, had a clear brain and felt uplifted all 11 days so far and am so sorry it all has to end tomorrow! The information, conversations and discussions have all been most interesting and have greatly added to my own appreciation of the music.
I wonder if the BBC will consider putting together a boxed set of the entire programming for the Genius of Mozart for sale?
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Comment number 3.
At 14:52 11th Jan 2011, Ashjat wrote:I am loving "The Genious of Mozart". It rarely fails to lift the spirits. I would be happy if the BBC had a dedicated Mozart Station on DAB Radio (if broadcast at an adequate bit rate!). It would be an improvement on the unforgiving rehashed pop which is mostly what seems to be available on there.
PS I am really looking forward to Andy Kershaw and Music Planet on Thursday. It is certainly time for his return. Thank you Roger Wright.
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Comment number 4.
At 16:04 11th Jan 2011, Vic wrote:I didn't listen much to Radio 3 before January; radio 4 in the morning and at night with rock during the day in the car. I have so enjoyed The Genius of Mozart. It's on in every room in the house. Thank you
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Comment number 5.
At 16:31 11th Jan 2011, C wrote:Can I support the contributor who said that the current Mozart-fest was a huge turn-off. I am not a huge fan of the classical period, but the more Mozart I listen to, the more I begin to understand the paucity of invention in much of his lesser work. To be honest, it all merges into one inoffensive noise after a while, and I think this glut is doing Mozart a huge disservice by highlighting his uneven output and his limited range. In any case, who wants to listen to the work of any one composer day after day? Music is all about variety and I cannot see the point in what is being done, other than for the gimmick-factor. Please let it end soon.
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Comment number 6.
At 18:02 11th Jan 2011, wilf wrote:Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 18:04 11th Jan 2011, wilf wrote:I have said before and repeat that it has been a magnificent project and I have enjoyed it immensely. The consulant mentioned above might be one of the worlds's best, but I wish he could pronounce Köchel properly...credibility is easily lost by such small matters!
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Comment number 8.
At 20:00 11th Jan 2011, Paulthebread wrote:I never thought I would say this, but I am so bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, by this Mozart overdose.
I applaud entirely the idea of broadcasting every note that he wrote - fine! But why do it all at once?
It would have been far less of a turn-off if you'd played, say, an hour in the morning, repeated in the evening, for the entire year. I doubt I would have missed a programme.
Thank goodness for Classic FM (but there's only so much of that a guy can take).
Thursday can't come quick enough for me!
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Comment number 9.
At 22:47 11th Jan 2011, Snorbie25 wrote:Far too much Mozart, what a turn off, Thursday can't come quickly enough for me. You are here to entertain not to thrust Mozart at us 24/7. By all means do features but not all day every day for 12 days, January is grotty enough without wall-to-wall Wolfgang.
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Comment number 10.
At 09:56 12th Jan 2011, Archanglel55 wrote:Many, many thanks for the Genius of Mozart. I have heard many works for the first time, it has been wonderful: inspiring and informative and hugely enjoyable. We also have several radios on at the same time. My only regret is that I have not been able to listen as much as I would have liked. So why not repeat it - perhaps an afternoon a week later in the year?
Thank you.
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Comment number 11.
At 12:07 12th Jan 2011, Angus McPherson wrote:I have thoroughly enjoyed being exposed to the extraordinary breadth and depth of Mozart's musical genius over the past 12 days. As an added bonus. it was wonderful to not hear a single note of the ineffably tedious and trite compositions of the Johann Strauss family. (I have never understood why this music is considered to be in the classical corpus, while our own composers such as Quilter are considered to be "light music composers.)
I look forward to the next total immersion musical experience on radio 3.
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Comment number 12.
At 13:33 12th Jan 2011, lyndalebob wrote:Playing every note he wrote is a fine idea, but doing continuously means that you have to put the rest of your life on hold in order to hear every note he wrote. Much better to have spread it out over 6 months or ayear.
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Comment number 13.
At 15:45 12th Jan 2011, Westland wrote:Come back Radio 3 all is forgiven. Wall to wall Mozart is great, but floor to ceiling as well - I think not. The essence of Radio 3 and indeed of all broadcast music is the unlimited contrasts of creativity, timing and composition. A great tribute but 24 half days would have been more appropriate I think. I too went to the chocolate factory but found no real comfort there!
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Comment number 14.
At 18:55 12th Jan 2011, coljazz wrote:Where else in the world would we be able to listen to twelve wonderful days of brilliant music by the genius known as Mozart, but the brilliant Radio3, thank you so very much it's been the best start to 2011 i could ask for.You have really thought about the presentation it has been very uplifting and joyous,keep up the good work, how about a week of Schubert or Brahms.Radio 3 is just the best!
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Comment number 15.
At 00:21 13th Jan 2011, ballinderrydave wrote:What an amazing 12 days of enrichment! Mozart has been alive to me in an entirely new way over the last number of days (and he was always my favourite before that). Thank you SO much BBC for this rare gift to us all.
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Comment number 16.
At 17:39 13th Jan 2011, davidships wrote:Well, we're past the pits of the early part of the week - nothing but Mozart live and nothing but Mozart on iPlayer.
I'm not anti-Mozart at all but there's only so much of the justly neglected tinkly minor stuff that anyone can take. And at that same time far too many programmes which didn't say what was to be played, just "including xyz" - that's what "more programme information" is for. If it was all so meticulously planned on Emma Bloxham's spreadsheet why on earth wasn't that here on-line guide to help find whatever was wanted, or to browse?
Time to get back to a proper balanced diet, with a bit of fibre.
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