Behind Closed Doors

Available for 29 days

This week, Donald introduces us to the remarkable life story and unsung musical innovations of Hélène de Montgeroult. There aren’t many composers who can claim that music saved their life – at least, in the literal sense. But for Hélène de Montgeroult, it was her astounding powers of improvisation that got her out of the stickiest situation imaginable, hauled in front of the guillotine during the French Revolution. This week, we’ll follow her rollercoaster tale and hear how she had her own revolutionary impact on the piano literature. Described as a precursor of Romanticism, anticipating the language of Schubert and Mendelssohn, audiences said her playing “made the keys speak”. She broke ground as the first female professor at the Paris Conservatoire and left behind 600 pages of music, including a complete course for piano which elevated the technical study into a miniature lyrical artform. As Donald pieces together her tantalising story, he’s joined by pianist Clare Hammond, who has spent recent years getting to know Montgeroult and recording an album of her études. Today, Donald explores the twist and turns of Hélène’s private life, from her illegitimate son, who was possibly conceived in prison, to her three marriages and her not-so-secret affair with the Baron of Tremont. Also, Donald and Clare talk about how intimacy was central to her music-making, which mainly took place in private spheres. Etude No 26 in G major Ian Buckle, piano Etude No 73 in D major Luca Chiantore, piano Fugue No 1 in F minor Edna Stern, piano Fugue No 3 in G minor Bruno Robilliard, piano Etudes No 110 in A major and 112b in A flat major Nicolas Stavy, piano Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 Nicolas Horvath, piano Etude No 106 in B major Clare Hammond, piano Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Cardiff