Discovering Music - ETA Hoffmann

Stephen Johnson and the BBC Concert Orchestra explore the impact of writer ETA Hoffmann on music, not least on Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. The fantastical writings of ETA Hoffmann made an enormous impact on composers in the 19th Century. In this programme Stephen Johnson joins the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Johannes Wildner, before an audience at London's South Bank, for an exploration of Hoffmann's writings and ideas. Hoffmann began his career as a composer and music always played a large part in his life. In the programme the Concert Orchestra offer an opportunity to hear some of Hoffmann's music alongside a focus on Tchaikovsky's Hoffmann inspired ballet The Nutcracker.