New Season of GREAT PERFORMANCES: NOW HEAR THIS Features Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven

From Vienna to Montreal, Berlin to Philadelphia, London to New York City and beyond, celebrated violinist and chief conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic Scott Yoo discovers the secret stories behind some of the greatest classical music ever composed in the second season of Great Performances: Now Hear This. The critically acclaimed documentary miniseries that merges music, storytelling, travel and culture returns with four new episodes focusing on signature works by Classical period composers Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven beginning Friday, September 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nowhearthis and the PBS Video app. Each episode traces the creation of different masterworks and explores the composer's profound, lasting cultural impact.

"We focused on baroque-era composers last season," said GREAT PERFORMANCES: NOW HEAR THIS Host and Executive Producer Scott Yoo. "This season, we uncover the fascinating histories and modern reverberations of composers from the Classical era."

Great Performances: Now Hear This "Haydn: King of Strings"

Premieres Friday, September 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nowhearthis and the PBS Video app

When Joseph Haydn visited England, he was so taken with "God Save the King" that he wanted to write an anthem for Austria's monarch. Host Scott Yoo discovers how the composer borrowed folk music from Scotland, Hungary and Austria to create his "Emperor Quartet." Along the way, he and guest violinist Geoff Nuttall reveal how Haydn first created the string quartet format, providing an inside look and deeper appreciation for the genre. Haydn went on to write more great string quartets than any other composer.

Places visited: Eisenstadt, Rohrau and Vienna, Austria; Fertod, Hungary; London; Charleston, S.C.

Great Performances: Now Hear This "The Schubert Generation"

Premieres Friday, September 25 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nowhearthis and the PBS Video app
Franz Schubert composed 1,500 works, but his genius wasn't recognized until after his tragic death at 31. The Vienna native never found success in his hometown, which was the musical capital of the time. Host Scott Yoo goes to today's musical capitals to meet tomorrow's most promising artists-all around Schubert's age-to play the Austrian composer's catalog, understand his life and learn what it takes for a young classical artist to make it in the 21st century.
Places visited: New York City and rural New York; Montreal; Philadelphia, P.A.

Great Performances: Now Hear This "Becoming Mozart"

Premieres Friday, October 2 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nowhearthis and the PBS Video app

Host Scott Yoo invites piano phenomenon Stewart Goodyear to his Festival Mozaic to play Mozart's titanic 20th piano concerto as the Salzburg composer would have done: directing the orchestra himself from the piano while improvising the solos. To do that, Yoo must teach Goodyear to conduct. As one of the only living classical pianists with this improvisational skill, Goodyear has to find the inspiration to become Mozart.

Places visited: San Luis Obispo and rural California

Great Performances: Now Hear This "Inside the Mind of a Genius"

Premieres 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nowhearthis and the PBS Video app

Host Scott Yoo and young German pianist Elisabeth Brauss go on a mission to record Beethoven's fiery Kreutzer sonata as the composer envisioned it. To do that, they must go inside his mind. They discover Beethoven's notebooks, where visitors wrote questions to the deaf composer, and try to recreate his conversations. They investigate his mental state with a famous Freudian. Yoo even analyzes fragments of Beethoven's skull and hair, looking for toxicology that might have influenced his moods. In the end, they reveal a surprising picture of the man and a brilliant interpretation of his masterwork.

Yoo is the Chief Conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic, Music Director of Festival Mozaic, Conductor of the Colorado College Music Festival, and the Founder of the Medellín Festicámara, a chamber music and social program in Colombia. He has conducted the London Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony and San Francisco Symphony, among many others.

Throughout its more than 40-year history on PBS, GREAT PERFORMANCES has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America's most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).

Now Hear This was created by producer, writer and director Harry Lynch and is a production of Arcos Film + Music. Harry Lynch, Scott Yoo, and Richard Lim are executive producers. GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Bill O'Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.

Websites: pbs.org/nowhearthis, facebook.com/GreatPerformances, @GPerfPBS, youtube.com/greatperformancespbs #NowHearThisOnPBS

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