Radio Times: Review by:; Patrick Mulkern

Simon Russell Beale’s enviable gig continues. Trips to Vienna, Helsinki, St Petersburg and New York are all called for, as he sniffs out faint echoes of the great symphonic composers in their former haunts and in the grand halls where their works were premiered.

In this episode, he covers the conflict between Wagner and Brahms – should music be descriptive or abstract? And there’s a persuasive analysis of how Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Dvorak brought a vivid nationalist voice to their work. Most touchingly, Simon goes to Dvorak’s summer house near Prague to meet the composer’s grandson Antonin and marvel at the surprisingly cramped desk where he laboured.

About this programme

3/4. Simon Russell Beale explores how composers including Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Sibelius were inspired by the rise of nationalism in Europe during the late 19th century - which also won their work new audiences in America. He also delves into the ideological divides that shaped the music of the period, including the clash between narrative and abstract forms, and visits some of the world's best-known concert halls, including New York's Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic Hall in St Petersburg. He is also given a guided tour of Dvorak's summer house by the composer's grandson.