Da da da DAAAAA!

Available for over a year

Rachel Parris leads us on an irreverent tour of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony. She starts with four notes almost anybody in the world will recognise: da da da daaa! Rachel’s journey takes her through the highs and lows of the composer’s life, as well as on detours via cover versions, rip-offs and spoofs. But what’s the secret of the composer's 5th Symphony, and why has it triumphed where so much other music has fallen flat? Does the answer lie in those first four notes? The programme was originally made to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 1770. Producer: Glyn Tansley First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2020.