1848: Composing a Country

Available for 33 days

1848, Prague. Smoke hangs over the Vltava as gunfire echoes across Charles Bridge. Among the revolutionaries defending the barricades is a 24-year-old composer named Bedřich Smetana. Across Europe, uprisings are challenging empires and monarchies, while new ideas about nationhood and self-determination are beginning to reshape the continent. Although many of the revolutions of 1848 are ultimately defeated, their cultural impact proves lasting. In Italy, Verdi's operas become closely associated with the cause of unification. In Bohemia, Smetana helps create a distinctly Czech musical voice, drawing on language, folklore and landscape. Across Europe, composers increasingly look beyond the Austro-German tradition, seeking ways to express national identity through music. From the revolutionary fervour of the Risorgimento to the Czech National Revival, music becomes a powerful means of expressing belonging, memory and political aspiration. The echoes of 1848 can be heard in some of the nineteenth century's most enduring works, including Smetana's Má vlast, Dvořák's Slavonic Dances and Verdi's great opera choruses. 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: Megan Jones Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford Story Consultant: Kate Leys Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan. MUSIC DETAILS Bedřich Smetana: Grande Overture Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Válek (conductor) Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth – "Patria oppressa!" Ambrosian Opera Chorus New Philharmonia Orchestra Riccardo Muti (conductor) Johann Strauss I: Radetzky March Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Herbert von Karajan (conductor) Giuseppe Verdi: Attila – "Cara patria" Johanna Kinkel: Abendlied nach der Schlacht, Op. 21 No. 5 Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered Bride – Overture Philharmonia Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) Bedřich Smetana: Má vlast – Vltava Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Jiří Bělohlávek (conductor) Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance, Op. 46 No. 4 Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle (conductor) Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco – "Va, pensiero" Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala Theatre Claudio Abbado (conductor) To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Key Changes."