Stephen Schwartz
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Stephen Schwartz is a master of musicals. He wrote Godspell, Pippin, and The Baker\\u2019s Wife; he\\u2019s written the lyrics for films such as Pocohontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted - and many others. His musical Wicked, for which he wrote the words and music, has become something of a cult; it opened on Broadway in 2003 and in the West End in 2006, and it\\u2019s been running both in New York and in London ever since. He\\u2019s received numerous awards \\u2013 three Oscars, four Grammys \\u2013 and he\\u2019s over from New York for the opening of his new musical, The Prince of Egypt, a stage version of the popular film.
In conversation with Michael Berkeley, Stephen Schwartz reveals how classical music gives him ideas for his most successful musical numbers. In fact, he admits, he steals ideas from the great composers \\u201cflagrantly\\u201d. The opening of Wicked, for instance, comes from Rachmaninov\\u2019s Prelude in C-sharp minor \\u2013 listeners to this episode can hear both, and compare them. He has been influenced too by Carl Orff and the exuberant orchestration of Carmina Burana. He also talks us through the bass chords he has borrowed from Beethoven\\u2019s Moonlight Sonata, and the two bars of Beethoven that he believes are the most moving music ever written. He reflects about the success of Wicked \\u2013 and the \\u201cgreen girl inside us all\\u201d. Other musical choices include Bernstein\\u2019s Mass, Bach\\u2019s sixth Brandenburg Concerto, Copland\\u2019s Appalachian Spring, and Puccini\\u2019s opera La Rondine.
Produced by Elizabeth Burke\\nA Loftus production for BBC Radio 3
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