Friday series

Composers in the 19th century frequently wrote music inspired by events in their own lives. This programme explores the biographical connections in the music of two composers – Schumann and Beethoven. Schumann wrote his song collection Myrthen in 1840, in the wake of his marriage with Clara Wieck. Fourteen years later, he believed that he was surrounded by spirits who played him music, both "wonderful" and "hideous". His last work before he was admitted to a mental hospital was the Geistervariationen, a set of variations on a theme he believed had been dictated to him by spirits.

Beethoven's “Fate” Symphony is one of the most famous musical compositions of all time, written at a time in which the composer's deafness was becoming more acute. “Thus Fate knocks at the door!” Beethoven is supposed to have said about the opening gesture that is so well known to listeners today.