Dictatorship
Series exploring the politics of music. Suzy Klein investigates how Hitler and Stalin used and abused music for ideological ends.
Suzy Klein reaches the 1930s, when the totalitarian dictators sought to use and abuse music for ideological ends. She looks at the lives of Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, who produced some of the 20th-century's best-loved music whilst navigating the precarious tightrope of working for perhaps the most terrifying music lovers ever - Hitler and Stalin.
The political message of the classic musical fairytale Peter and the Wolf is revealed as well as the secret code hidden in Shostakovich's quartets and Strauss's deeply personal reasons for trying to please the Nazis.
Suzy also uncovers why Hitler adored Wagner but banned Mendelssohn's Wedding March, how Stalin used music to subtly infiltrate minds and why Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, a Nazi favourite, appeals to our most primitive senses.
Suzy also raises some intriguing questions: can we pin meaning onto music? What are the moral responsibilities of artists? And did the violence and tyranny of those regimes leave an indelible stain on the music they produced?
The stories are brought to life by performances from the 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales and its chorus - demonstrating Suzy's argument that music's incredible power to bypass our brains and reach for our hearts makes it a potent and dangerous force.
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See all episodes from Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein
Clips
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Shostakovich's secret code
Duration: 02:07
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O Fortuna from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Duration: 02:41
Music Played
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Richard Wagner
Tristan Und Isolde - Liebestod
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Dmitry Shostakovich
Symphony No.5 In D-Minor Op.47
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Richard Wagner
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg
Performer: Wolfgang Sawallisch. Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. -
Richard Wagner
Die Walkure: Walkurenritt - The Valkyrie - Ride Of The Valkyries
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Richard Wagner
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg
Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch. Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. -
Richard Wagner
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg
Conductor: Rudolf Kempe. Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. -
Felix Mendelssohn
Rondo Capriccioso Op14
Performer: Suzy Klein. -
Felix Mendelssohn
Cello Sonata No.1 In B Flat Major, Op. 45 - Andante
Performer: Maria Kliegel. Performer: Kristin Merscher. -
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wedding March - Hochzeitsmarch
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Duke Ellington
The Mooche
Performer: Duke Ellington. -
Felix Mendelssohn
Scherzo (Entr'acte To Act 2) - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Conductor: Andr茅 Previn. -
Felix Mendelssohn
Cello Sonata No.1 In B Flat Major, Op. 45 - Andante
Performer: Maria Kliegel. Performer: Kristin Merscher. -
Richard Strauss
Frestliches Pr盲ludium, Op. 61
Performer: Hayko Siemens. -
Richard Strauss
Die Schweigsame Frau, Op.80: Potpourri (Orchester)
Performer: Staatskapelle Dresden. Performer: Marek Janowski. Performer: Helmut Storjohann. Performer: Heinz Wegner. -
Richard Strauss
Olympische Hymne, T 266
Performer: Hayko Siemens. -
Richard Strauss
Metamorphosen
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Dmitry Shostakovich
Akh, Nye Spitsa B贸l'she, Popr贸buyu (Katerina)
Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich. -
Dmitry Shostakovich
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk, Op. 29, Act 2: 'opyat Usnul'(Katerina, Ghost Of Boris)
Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich. Performer: Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya. Performer: Dimiter Petkov. Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. -
Dmitry Shostakovich
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk, Op. 29, Act 1: Interlude (Orchestra)
Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich. Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. -
Sergey Prokofiev
Peter And The Wolf
Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Sergey Prokofiev
Gorokovenko - Peter And The Wolf Op.67
Performer: Leonard Bernstein. Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. -
Sergey Prokofiev
Flourish Mighty Land Op114
Performer: Valery Kuzmich Polyansky. -
Sergey Prokofiev
Zdravitsa (Hail To Stalin) Op.85 (1939)
Performer: Valery Kuzmich Polyansky. -
Sergey Prokofiev
3. March
Performer: Neville Marriner. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. -
Sergey Prokofiev
Ivan The Terrible Op.116
Performer: Vladimir Fedoseyev. Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. -
Sergey Prokofiev
2. Romance
Performer: Neville Marriner. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. -
Carl Orff
O Fortuna - Carmina Burana
Performer: 成人快手 National Chorus of Wales. Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. -
Carl Orff
O Fortuna - Carmina Burana
Performer: Cardiff University Symphony Chorus. -
Carl Orff
Orff: Carmina Burana: Part III, Empress Of The World (No. 25)
Performer: Robert Shaw. Orchestra: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Suzy Klein |
Orchestra | 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales |
Choir | 成人快手 National Chorus of Wales |
Conductor | Otto Tausk |
Interviewed Guest | Erik Levi |
Interviewed Guest | Albrecht Dumling |
Interviewed Guest | Margot Friedlander |
Interviewed Guest | Christian Strauss |
Interviewed Guest | Gerard McBurney |
Interviewed Guest | Gabriel Prokofiev |
Interviewed Guest | Julia Maximova |
Director | Helena Braun |
Executive Producer | Archie Baron |
Executive Producer | Debbie Lee |
Production Company | Wingspan Productions |
Broadcasts
- Mon 9 Oct 2017 21:00
- Tue 10 Oct 2017 02:45
- Wed 18 Jul 2018 23:00
- Fri 23 Nov 2018 00:30
- Sat 7 Dec 2019 02:45
- Mon 27 Apr 2020 18:00Red Button One
- Tue 28 Apr 2020 17:00Red Button One
- Wed 29 Apr 2020 16:00Red Button One
- Thu 30 Apr 2020 18:00Red Button One
- Fri 1 May 2020 15:00Red Button One
- Fri 1 May 2020 20:00
- Sat 2 May 2020 02:30