Renowned violinist and conductor Scott Yoo travels through Europe and the U.S. to explore beloved works by the world’s greatest classical composers.
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 legacies 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 Haydn 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 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, then the world’s musical capital. Host Scott Yoo goes to today’s musical capitals to meet tomorrow’s most promising artists—all of them Schubert’s age during his career—to understand Schubert’s life through some of his greatest music 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 and rural Quebec; 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 Mozart himself would have done it: directing the orchestra from the piano while improvising the solos. To do that, Yoo must teach Goodyear to conduct. And Goodyear, one of the only classical concert pianists with this improvisational skill, will have to find his 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 and is currently in development.
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.
