Contrary to popular belief, some of the presenters on Classic FM do actually know what they’re talking about; and one is the former ITV news anchor John Suchet, whose commitment to Beethoven runs so deep he’s written several books on the composer.
But he has another interest: the dynasty of Johann Strauss, father and son (and brothers too).
Between them, they ruled over Viennese dance music throughout the middle/later 19th century and on into the 20th.
And they’re the subject of a lecture Suchet gives this month at JW3, in Finchley Rd.
That the Strausses were of Jewish ancestry was inconvenient to the Nazis who enjoyed their music and accordingly disguised their family tree. But truth will out. And Suchet will presumably go into that and other buried facts.
An opportunity, for those of us who get confused, to figure out which Strauss composed which waltzes.
Suchet on the Strausses: Sun May 22, 3.30pm, JW3.
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