Curated playlist
Lieder composers
- Ludwig van BeethovenBeethoven was deaf when a singer turned him around to see applause. It happened at the premiere on the 7th of May 1824.
- Richard WagnerRichard Wagner grew up believing his stepfather was his real father.
- Robert SchumannComposer Robert Schumann fought his own piano teacher in court for the right to marry the teacher's daughter.
- Arnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg died on Friday the 13th, fifteen minutes before midnight. He had long dreaded the number thirteen.
- Gustav MahlerGustav Mahler had to convert to Catholicism to run the Vienna Court Opera. The post was barred to Jewish applicants.
- Johannes BrahmsComposer Johannes Brahms once cut off a friend's toast in Berlin to raise a glass to Mozart.
- Franz SchubertFranz Schubert gave just one public concert of his own music. He died at 31 with more than 1,500 works.
- Felix MendelssohnAt 20, Felix Mendelssohn conducted Bach's St Matthew Passion in Berlin.
- Richard StraussRichard Strauss drove to a concentration camp to plead for his daughter-in-law's grandmother.
- Anton RubinsteinAnton Rubinstein gave 215 concerts in 239 days on one American tour. The Russian pianist called it slavery.