Scandalous Overtures
Season 1
Concise, all too brief, historically accurate accounts of shocking moments from the lives (or deaths) of famous composers. Brahms makes the list twice.
15 Episodes
- Peter Tchaikovsky: Fear and Loathing in St. Petersburg
E2Peter Tchaikovsky: Fear and Loathing in St. PetersburgTragic story of this Russian who lived with shame and fear in a time when his sexual orientation could mean ruin or death. As a world-renowned "national treasure", death by cholera was a lie. Here the facts and the evidence are examined. - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: How Did Mozart Really Die? Rate
E3Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: How Did Mozart Really Die? RateMozart has long been rumored to have written his own requiem to be played at his funeral, just a few months before his supposed poisoning. The professor explores the real facts and provides evidence to the contrary. - Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa: Murderer at Large
E5Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa: Murderer at LargeCalling Gesualdo a "nasty" man, the professor describes a superb and innovative composer who's personal life was certainly worthy of being called "scandalous". He was indeed a known murderer and guilty of much more. - Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach the Jailbird
E6Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach the JailbirdProfessor Robert Greenberg tells the story of this great composer, who spent nearly a month in jail after losing his temper. For speaking his mind to Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar and trying to resign from his position at court, the prince had Bach tossed in jail on November 6, 1717. - Jean-Baptiste Lully: The Gnarly Demise of a Nasty Man
E7Jean-Baptiste Lully: The Gnarly Demise of a Nasty ManA wealthy noble and confidante of King Louis XIV, a divinely gifted composer. Parlaying his connections and fame into a monopoly over operas produced in France, he was allowed to behave abominably and cruelly- until his shocking death. - Giuseppe Verdi: The Conspiracy to Get Him Back to Work
E9Giuseppe Verdi: The Conspiracy to Get Him Back to WorkAmusing history of a long but loving conspiracy to tempt this gifted 19th century composer back to work after retirement. And yes--engineered by his wife with grateful cooperation by his agent, his fans, and eventually the composer himself. - Johannes Brahms & Clara Schumann: Did They or Didn't They?
E10Johannes Brahms & Clara Schumann: Did They or Didn't They?A tragic love story: As Schumann the husband, wasted away from illness did the relationship between his wife and Brahms remain platonic? Their own words tell us how they loved and supported each other. Most shocking is how this story ended. - Sergei Rachmaninoff: Reborn Through Hypnosis
E11Sergei Rachmaninoff: Reborn Through HypnosisOut of desperation this 19th C Russian composer when suffering from depression and "writer's block" sought treatment from a doctor plying the new fields of psychotherapy and hypnosis. This is his inspirational story. - Richard Wagner: What Ever Happened to Wagner's Manuscripts? S1, Ep13 17 Feb. 2015 Richard Wagner: What Ever Happened to Wagner's Manuscripts?
E13Richard Wagner: What Ever Happened to Wagner's Manuscripts? S1, Ep13 17 Feb. 2015 Richard Wagner: What Ever Happened to Wagner's Manuscripts?Tragedy of a different sort--the probable ironical fate of Wagner's original annotated scores. This story relates to Nazi Germany's plundering of European art and their final desperate attempts to cover up their crimes. - Johannes Brahms: Brahms, the Ladies, and the Trick Rocking Chair
E15Johannes Brahms: Brahms, the Ladies, and the Trick Rocking ChairSo scandalous, Brahms gets 2 episodes--as a child prodigy sexually victimized at a tender age it left him emotionally scarred and by all accounts, a difficult man to deal with. Find out how the infamous rocking chair fits in.
