Classical Destinations - Season 3

Aled starts the series in his birth home of Wales and takes us on an overview of the series throughout Europe and Australia. He then explores his Welsh homeland and his musical inspirations as a child. We delve into the strong Welsh musical traditions and their love for music featuring the life of the most noted classical Welsh composer, William Matthias. We then head to Hamburg and unveil classical music's great romantic, Johannes Brahms.

We head to the heart of Europe –Vienna- unfolding the lives and music of two of the greats - Brahms and Mahler. We continue our journey with, Johannes Brahms, in his adopted home of Vienna, featuring his long relationship with Clara Schumann. Then we explore the music and life of Mahler and visit two of the composing huts in the Austrian countryside where he wrote many of his magnificent symphonies.

The music of the Danube (Liszt, Bartok, Kodaly). We follow the great Danube River as it carves its way from Budapest in Hungary to Vienna via Bratislava. The dramatic history of Budapest reveals the works of the immensely talented Franz Liszt and those who came after him – Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok. All shared a desire to create music with a distinctively Hungarian flavour. We finish with an overview of Vienna set to Beethoven.

The music of the Danube (Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Johann Strauss II & Bruckner). This episode is a musical montage of some of the greatest cities, towns and music along this magnificent waterway. We start in Vienna, stopping at Durnstein, Melk and Linz before closing in Salzburg. Along the way we encounter the incredible music of such greats as Mozart, Johann Strauss Jnr, Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Anton Bruckner – all set against breathtaking scenery.

The Music of Mozart. Aled tours the captivating city of Salzburg with its grand palaces and famous music festival. He explores the early life of the child prodigy, Mozart, the phenomenal music he created and, finally, his tragically premature end. We then cruise past the German city of Passau across the Austrian border.

The music of the Main, Ins and the Rhine. We cruise through to Nuremburg – via a brief visit to the Czech Republic – and then on to the medieval town of Regensburg to experience the great German beer and a famous historic sausage kitchen. Further downstream we visit Bamberg and Rothenburg with their stunning architecture, and all with their own part to play in classical music history. In Nuremburg Aled looks at the city's part in the dramatic events of the Second World War and explores the influence of Wagner's music on Hitler and the Nazis.

Bayreuth ~ Richard Wagner. After a short recap in Nuremburg, we travel to the idyllic Bavarian town of Bayreuth where Aled looks at the tumultuous life of Richard Wagner, his scandalous love affairs, his stunning Opera House and, 50 years later, the disturbing musical ties with Hitler. We explore how Wagner came to actually build his opera theatre in Bayreuth, largely funded by a royal admirer and the history of his famous Opera festival.

Cruising the Rivers of Europe. Part III – The music of the Rhine (Beethoven, Schumann & the Rhine Gorge). Aled takes us cruising again and, along the way, we visit the gateway to the Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim and then sail through the stunning gorge with its famous steep vineyards and brilliant castles. It's an area that inspired both Wagner and Robert Schumann in their music. Then we travel on to Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven, and Cologne to visit its magnificent Gothic cathedral. To complete our musical journey, Aled finishes this remarkable cruise from Budapest in the great canal city of Amsterdam.

The Sydney Opera House and the vibrant Australian classical music scene. Aled takes the series to Australia and the spectacular harbour city of Sydney. He takes us on a guided tour behind the scenes of the iconic Sydney Opera House. We also explore the musical world of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia and the Australian Chamber Orchestra with its emerging artists program. A stunning experience visually and musically.

Sydney Opera House continued - Melbourne – Percy Grainger. In this episode, we continue our journey in Sydney and the Sydney Opera House before heading to Melbourne and delving into the eccentric world of Percy Grainger. We follow his life through his music, his relationships with other great composers of the time, his innovative and inventive spirit, the tragic death of his beloved mother, and how he made a name for himself in America and England. It's a compelling story that ends back on Sydney Harbour for a beautiful evening cruise.

Music of Jean Sibelius & Edvard Grieg. Aled guides us through Finland and Norway as he unfolds the dedication of Sibelius and his driving ambition to establish truly Finnish music, which takes us to some glorious locations. Another child prodigy, Sibelius led a tumultuous life and inspired a new breed of Finnish composers. Aled then travels to the Norwegian city of Bergen to explore the life and music of Edvard Grieg.

Music of Frederick Delius & George Butterworth. We head to Bradford in England where the progressive composer, Frederick Delius, was born. Bradford was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and Aled looks at the great changes that came from this and Delius's early life here. We discover Delius's close connections with both Grieg and Grainger. We finish in Westminster Abbey at the tomb of the unknown warrior and the short life of the English composer George Butterworth who was killed by a sniper's bullet in the First World War.

Over the years, Classical Destinations has visited many of the major European cities and, in this very special episode, Aled guides us through some of the most important music festivals that take place in them each year. It's a very informative guide to what's on in Europe for the lovers of classical music. Aled covers eight of these fantastic summer festivals that are all ‘must see' events.