Episode list

Star violinist and conductor Scott Yoo explores the musical legacy of Haydn. His special guest is Geoff Nuttall from Charleston, South Carolina, a leading expert on Haydn. He contends that Haydn singularly invented the string quartet as a result of needing to provide so much music for the wealthy Esterházy family, his patrons throughout his life. He was also responsible for establishing the symphonic form. Much of this time he was at their remote palace in Hungary. Haydn was an early adopter of folk music idioms into his works. There is, in fact, some contention over which melodies he composed himself, and which melodies he adapted for his use. Each movement of the Emperor Quartet is played by various groups of musicians, both in Charleston and in Europe. Using the "Emporer" Quartet as an example, Geoff describes each of the four sections. The opening of the First Movement to the quartet may be an imitation of bagpipers that he heard while in England. The second movement is a set of variations on "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" ("God Save Emperor Francis"). This is an anthem Haydn wrote for Emperor Francis II. This melody is recognizable for its later use by the Nazis in their German national anthem, the Deutschlandlied.

Franz Schubert wrote 1,500 works, but his genius wasn't recognized till after his tragic death at 31. Scott Yoo goes to today's musical capitals to meet tomorrow's most promising artists, all Schubert's age during his career--to play Schubert's masterpieces, understand his life through the eyes of his 'peers,' and learn what it takes for a young classical artist to make it in the 21st century.

Scott Yoo invites Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear to emulate Mozart's unbelievable talent to simultaneously perform a piano concerto, including improvised credenzas, and conduct the orchestra. No other living pianist has attempted this feat. The event is planned for the Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, California, a venue in which Yoo conducts every summer. The focus of the exercise is Concerto No. 20 for piano and orchestra that was premiered February 10, 1785. The concertos were designed to help market Mozart's musical talents during 1784-86 in Vienna. Making this challenge more difficult is that Goodyear has no experience as a conductor. Yoo coaches Goodyear in elements of conducting that are refined through a week of rehearsals. In an attempt to push Goodyear toward a more modern sounding improvisation, Yoo invites jazz bassist Sue Cahill and drummer Clayton Cameron to jam with him. Also featured are excerpts from the overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" played by the festival orchestra plus Yoo and Goodyear playing the first movement of Violin Sonata 22.

Go inside the mind of a genius as host Scott Yoo and fellow musicians undertake a recording of Beethoven's most personal music at a historic Berkshires manor to explore the composer's brilliant career where they are visited by some unexpected guests.