The Emperor

Beethoven's fifth and final piano concerto, The Emperor is majestic and moving in equal measure.

Richard McMahon plays extracts and discusses the virtuosic it demands.

Australian film producer, Hal McElroy, talks about using the Adagio (the second movement) to illustrate the classic 1970s film Picnic at Hanging Rock.

That was where Andrew Law – who was Chaplain at Malvern College - first heard the piece. He describes the Adagio as being 'one of those pieces of art which it is worth being alive to have heard'.

Concert pianist, James Rhodes, describes how The Emperor was central to his childhood and his developing love of Beethoven's piano music.

Music teacher and singer, Prue Hawthorne, recalls how her father (an amateur clarinettist) laboriously transcribed by hand the horn and clarinet sections of the first movement so they could play along with the record in their living room.

Also contributing is the renowned Beethoven biographer, John Suchet.

Concert pianist Richard McMahon has now retired as a teacher at the Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama.

Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.

Producer: Karen Gregor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.