Mozart’s health has fascinated observers for over two hundred years. The documents have examined to reveal every available medical detail. Any mention of a cough or an ache has been minutely analysed for evidence about the diseases he suffered and the mystery illness that killed him at the tender age of 35. But is this intense scrutiny is obscuring our picture of Mozart? Over 160 different causes of death, alone, have now been suggested. Professor Winston sifts through the morass of information and speculation to discover what Mozart’s health can really tell us about the man and his music.
Professor Robert Winston brings a scientist’s ear to his passion for music, exploring the medical histories of great composers and how illness affected the music they wrote.
Caught this the other day – sadly it’s the last in the series, so in case you missed it too and have always wondered how a relatively young man could die whilst composing ‘Requiem’……
You can catch the episode here if you’re quick – or just listen to the piece itself!
A sublime and extraordinary piece of ecstatic music – and a very interesting set of portraits to go along with it.
Thank you, GFG.
Caught it. Recommend it. Wireless at its best. Most artists, in themselves, tell us very little about their work. Tom Hardy, for example, was nothing like his books. But the staggering quality of Mozart’s genius makes us want to know everything we can find out about him.
In contrast with, for example, the wretched, self-righteous Bonio or that ghastly String.