1853: At Home, Among Friends

1853, Düsseldorf. A nervous 20-year-old composer arrives at the home of Robert and Clara Schumann carrying a bundle of music. By the end of the visit, the hosts are convinced they have encountered an extraordinary new talent. Johannes Brahms's first meeting with the Schumanns marks the beginning of a friendship that will shape all three of their lives.

In parlours, salons and family homes across Europe, music-making has become a vital part of cultural life. Composers, performers, patrons, artists, writers and friends gather to share new works and build professional networks. These private spaces help nurture creativity, launch careers and support artistic communities well beyond the theatre and concert stage.

From the Schumanns' circle in Düsseldorf to the cosmopolitan salons of Pauline Viardot via the myriad musical soirées hosted by amateurs, friendships and domestic music-making play an increasingly important role in 19th-century musical life. The explosion in sheet music publishing feeds this new ecosystem, as the public's hunger for the latest compositions creates a much wider market for chamber music to be performed in the home.

Meanwhile, the rise in public concert societies and the new, bespoke concert halls they build lead to the emergence of the classical canon, helping establish the concept of 'classical music' that we still live with today.

Gillian Moore is joined by a roster of distinguished historians for this major new BBC Radio 3 series, charting a course through 1000 years of classical music history. For the next eight programmes, historian Kate Williams is in the chair, as together they explore the rich musical world of the nineteenth century.

Producer: David Fay
Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford
Story Consultant: Kate Leys
Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding
With thanks to Professor Natahsa Loges (Hochschule für Musik Freiburg) and Professor Laura Tunbridge (University of Oxford).

Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan.

MUSIC DETAILS

Johannes Brahms: Scherzo in E flat, Op 4
Garrick Ohlsson (piano)

Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor, Op 5 (2nd mvt)
Julius Asal (piano)

Clara Schumann: Mazurka (Soirées musicales, Op 6 No 3)
Yoshiko Iwai (piano)

Robert Schumann: Widmung (Myrthen, Op 25 No 1)
Camilla Tilling (soprano)
Gerold Huber (piano)

Robert Schumann: Carnaval (Chiarina, Eusebius, Florestan)
Boris Giltburg (piano)

Clara Schumann: Romance, Op 22 No 2
Hana Chang (violin)
Elisabeth Brauss (piano)

Pauline Viardot: Upon the Hills of Georgia
Olena Tokar (soprano)
Igor Gryshyn (piano)

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor
Tal & Groethuysen (piano duet)

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op 68 (4th mvt)
Berlin Philharmonic
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

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