Secret Police

Donald Macleod explores the role of police surveillance in Schubert’s Vienna, and the impact of this on the composer and his circle.

Of all Europe’s major cities, perhaps Vienna is the one with the reputation as the most comfortable, the most sophisticated, and the most musical. In fact, has any other city been home to so many great composers as Vienna? Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Salieri all spent their best years working there. Yet none of those starry names was born in the city, none were true Viennese. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores Vienna through the lens of arguably the greatest home grown composer the city has ever produced – Franz Schubert – a man whose short life spanned a crucial period in Austrian history, a time of crisis and much change. In his company we’ll explore Vienna’s churches and theatres, its parks, coffee houses and taverns, and also glimpse the darker side of the city too – the excesses of Europe’s aristocracy and the all seeing eyes of Vienna’s secret police.

In Wednesday’s episode, Donald explores the role of police surveillance in Schubert’s Vienna, and the impact of this on the composer and his circle, including an incident that left Schubert with a black eye, and led to one of his closest allies being imprisoned and then deported from the city.

Quartettsatz
Jerusalem Quartet

Lazarus, Act 2 (unfinished)
Horst Gebhardt, tenor (Nathanael)
Bernd Riedel, baritone (Simon)
Berlin Singakademie
Staatskapelle Berlin
Dietrich Knothe, conductor

Schwanengesang, D744
Julian Prégardien, tenor
Martin Helmchen, piano

4 Impromptus, D899, Op90 (No 3 in G Flat Major)
Andras Schiff, fortepiano

Symphony No 8 in B minor, D759 “Unfinished” (1st mvt, Allegro moderato)
Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor

Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio Wales & West

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