The Classical Style

About the show

Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven observe from heaven that classical music seems to be declining in relevance. They descend to Earth to visit Charles Rosen and interrupt a symposium on sonata form, where a doctoral student disrupts a performance of Don Giovanni with extended analysis. The composers meet anthropomorphized musical chords and eventually speak with Rosen, who tells them that relevance changes. They return to heaven, and Robert Schumann then visits Rosen.