Beethoven's Eroica

2nd November 2006 Season 1 Episode 2

Beethoven’s Third Symphony Eroica, the “Heroic,” literally turned classical music on its head. Composing the first ever symphonic autobiography, Beethoven laid bare his dreams, his fears, and, at its climax, his rediscovered heroism. From his early musical rivalries in Vienna to the terrifying realization of his increasing deafness, Beethoven reveals the roots of his genius in this episode of Keeping Score. Never before had music dared to paint so personal a portrait. Follow Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony as they delve deep into the psyche of one of Western Civilization’s greatest artists, reading between the notes of his favorite work.

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Season 1 · Episode 3

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring

Savage, hypnotic, and hell-bent, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring, set off a shock wave that turned Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées into the scene of one of the most astounding opening nights in history. The raucous rebellion Stravinsky's score started first onto the stage. As the dancers and the music pushed past civilized limits, the audience, astounded, pushed back. “Keep going no matter what!” the conductor was told, but they didn’t expect a riot! In this episode of Keeping Score, the tendrils of Stravinsky’s music pull us back through France and Russia to pagan times. Join Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony as they celebrate the wild abandon unleashed by The Rite of Spring.

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