Masterworks

Michael Berkeley reveals the infidelity and scandal lying beneath Claude Debussy's vivid evocation of the sea, La Mer. With contributions from pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Oscar-winning film composer Anne Dudley, with the voice of Robert Lindsay as Debussy.

One of the seminal works of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky's masterpiece caused a riot at its first performance. Michael Berkeley reveals the piece's dramatic origins, conductor Leonard Slatkin and the BBC Symphony Orchestra join Richard Alston Dance Company to explore its musical roots, and the film ends with a full performance, complete with choreographed sections.

In the series exploring landmark 20th-century orchestral works, composer Michael Berkeley investigates the fascinating story behind the violin concerto that Alban Berg dedicated "to the memory of an angel" - a stunningly beautiful young girl who died at the age of 18. Shot in Vienna and Carinthia, the film uncovers the coded messages buried deep within the music, including hidden melodies, secret numbers and even an anti-Nazi agenda, while the piece is rehearsed and performed by soloist Leonidas Kavakos with conductor Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra,

Presenter Michael Berkeley concludes the series exploring landmark 20th-century orchestral works with an examination of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony: a Soviet Artist's Reply to Just Criticism. Written in the shadow of official criticism of his latest opera, and at the peak of Stalin's purges, this piece re-established Shostakovich as an ideologically sound Soviet composer, and remains one of the most popular of all 20th-century symphonies. Russian conductor Valery Gergiev leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the work.