From BBC Radio 3, Facing the Music is a new podcast giving a fresh perspective on the real-life stories of some of classical music’s most established composers.
The ten-episode series will hear well-known narrators, including Michael Sheen, Toby Jones, Dominic West and Maxine Peake, uncovering the human frailties, obsessions and vulnerabilities of various composers.
These include Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ethel Smyth along with hearing some of the music written during their lives.
Each 30-minute episode will give insight into everything from fear of failure to heartache and the pursuit of joy to understand these composers on a more relatable human level. Additional contributions will also be provided by a range of expert creatives and psychologists.
The stories will be brought to life by a renowned actor, inviting further understanding of the composers’ hopes, their struggles and the music they composed.
The schedule and narrators are as follows:
- Ludwig van Beethoven: The Battle for Joy – Dominic West
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Staring Down the Terror – Michael Sheen
- Florence Price: Power and Pride – Nina Sosanya
- Antonín Dvořák: Heartache and Hope – Adeel Akhtar
- Sergei Rachmaninov: Fear of Failure – Kit Harington
- Jean Sibelius: Rage Against the Machine -Toby Jones
- Ethel Smyth: Resilience and Resistance – Maxine Peake
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Lust for Life – Andrew Lincoln
- Duke Ellington: In Control – Don Warrington
- Joseph Haydn: Letting Go of Loneliness – David Suchet
David Suchet says: “Haydn was not so well known to me as some of the other great composers, I wasn’t overly familiar with his music and knew little of his personal life. Having recorded this special episode on Haydn for Radio 3’s Facing The Music podcast, I feel enriched and am enjoying his exceptional musical compositions more than ever.”
Maxine Peake says: “I am delighted to part of Radio 3’s new podcast, exploring the life of Ethel Smyth through a more vulnerable and real lens. Smyth was a trailblazer, both musically and in her drive to achieve a fairer and more equitable world for women. This episode will celebrate her triumphs but also share many of the difficulties she faced over her remarkable life.”
Michael Sheen says: “Such a fascinating and moving story. Exactly the kind of thing I love listening to on the radio – even if I’m not reading it!”
Nina Sosanya says: “Florence Price – a prolific composer and musician who paved the way for many female and African American artists. Price had to overcome many challenges to realise her ambitions and bring her music to the world stage. I’m very pleased to be bringing her story to listeners, and showcasing some of her wonderful music.”
The boxset of all ten episodes of Facing the Music will be available on Monday 17 February on BBC Sounds and will also air on BBC Radio 3 every weekday for two weeks from Monday 17 February, 9.30 – 10.30 pm
