As part of Scala Radio’s celebrations of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year in 2020, I produced a 4-part series called Beethoven: The Basics presented by Andy Bush, co-host of Hometime on Absolute Radio.

Broadcast in April 2020, this is a beginner’s guide to the life and music of ol’ Ludwig Van, with contributions from world-class musicians including violinist Nicola Benedetti, pianist Stephen Hough, cellist Matthew Barley, clarinettist Julian Bliss , conductors Sir Mark Elder, Jonathon Heyward, Carlo Rizzi and Karin Hendrickson and leader of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Maya Iwabuchi.

Andy considers himself to be ‘classical curious’ and he was keen to present a show on a classical music station from the perspective of ‘I like what I’ve heard but I have no idea where to start’. Seeing as 2020’s a big year for Beethoven, it made sense for Andy to host the series. At the start of March, we were chatting about what the series should involve – should we ask an authority on the composer to be a co-host of sorts? Should we tell Beethoven’s story chronologically or thematically? – but when everyone’s work situation changed due to Covid-19, certain decisions were made for us.

Recording sessions had to be conducted remotely, so I spoke to each guest from our respective homes via Cleanfeed – and occasionally had to act as Tech Support to those who weren’t accustomed to downloading bits of kit! Whilst there are the occasional audio glitches due to bandwidth and connectivity, I’m still delighted we were able to feature such a wealth of musical knowledge and talent in the series despite the lockdown.

The combination of the contributors’ insight and Andy’s unique commentary make this a really engaging listen. I love the fact Andy managed to include references to Mr Miyagi, Shaun Ryder and swimming pools’ No Heavy Petting signs whilst exploring things like Beethoven’s family life, notable premieres and his enduring legacy.

We wanted to make this fun. Scala Radio’s aim is to reach younger audiences and those who might not think classical music is ‘for them’, and Beethoven: The Basics was no exception. Due to the tone and irreverent asides, this is a series that could not have been broadcast on other classical music stations, and we wanted to make something that stood out, that could make you laugh as well as shedding some background on the great composer.

We’ve turned the programmes into a 10-part series of bitesize podcasts, available in all the usual podcast places like Apple and Spotify, with music clips kindly provided by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Signum Records. I hope you’re able to give them a listen and if you do, please get in touch and tell me what you thought!