Main content

Albinoni's Adagio

Phil Hebblethwaite explores a history of hoaxes and controversies in classical music that challenges our understanding of creativity and originality.

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It鈥檚 a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.

The second essay explores the story of one of the most widely recognised pieces in classical music - Albinoni鈥檚 Adagio in G minor. But was Albinoni even involved with the composition of the work? Phil gets to the bottom of a story that has perplexed classical scholars for years and asks how much authenticity actually matters.

Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite
Producer: Jo Glanville
Editor: Joanne Rowntree
Researcher: Heather Dempsey
Studio Engineer: Dan King

With thanks to Michael Talbot, Donald Greig and Frederick Reece

A Loftus Media Production for 成人快手 Radio 4

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Tue 29 Oct 2024 21:45

Broadcast

  • Tue 29 Oct 2024 21:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast