1828: Playing with Fire

1828, Vienna. When Niccolò Paganini steps onto the stage of the Hofburg Palace's Grosser Redoutensaal, audiences hear violin playing unlike anything they have encountered before. His technical brilliance, theatrical presence and carefully cultivated mystique create a sensation that quickly spreads across Europe, turning the Italian virtuoso into one of the 19th Century's most celebrated cultural figures.

As Paganini tours the continent, newspapers fuel his fame, fans flock to his concerts and musicians struggle to comprehend the scale of his achievement. His performances help create a new model of musical celebrity, transforming the solo virtuoso into a cultural phenomenon and laying the foundations for the modern touring superstar.

Among those profoundly affected by Paganini's example is the young Franz Liszt. Inspired by the violinist's extraordinary artistry, Liszt develops a new vision of piano performance, pioneering the solo recital and generating the phenomenon of "Lisztomania". Together, Paganini and Liszt reshape concert life and redefine the relationship between performer, audience and fame.

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

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

MUSIC DETAILS

Niccolò Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor (3rd mvt, La Campanella)
Rudolf Koelman (violin)
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra
Jan Willem de Vriend (conductor)

Niccolò Paganini: Caprice in A minor, Op. 1 No. 24
Julia Fischer (violin)

Niccolò Paganini: Le streghe, Op. 8 (extract)
Mario Hossen (violin)
Vienna Classical Players
Martin Kerschbaum (conductor)

Niccolò Paganini: Caprice in G minor, Op. 1 No. 16
Alina Ibragimova (violin)

Robert Schumann: Étude in G minor after a Paganini Caprice, Op. 3 No. 6
Mariya Kim (piano)

Niccolò Paganini: Cantabile in D major, Op. 17
María Dueñas (violin)

Clara Schumann: Polonaise in E flat major, Op. 1 No. 1
Sophia Vaillant (piano)

Franz Liszt: La Campanella (Grande Étude de Paganini No. 3)
Yundi Li (piano)

Franz Liszt: Au lac de Wallenstadt (Années de pèlerinage, Première année: Suisse)
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)

Franz Schubert, arr. Franz Liszt: Gretchen am Spinnrade
Yuja Wang (piano)

Sergei Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Yuja Wang (piano)
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel (conductor)

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