The Essay

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It’s a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.More than 20 years ago, critics began to acclaim the recordings of the pianist Joyce Hatto. One described her as the greatest living pianist. When the fraud was later revealed, it turned out to be one of the greatest instances of plagiarism in the history of the record industry. Phil explores the story of a digital deception.Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer: Jo Glanville Editor: Joanne Rowntree Researcher: Heather Dempsey Studio Engineer: Dan KingWith thanks to Nicholas Cook and Jessica DuchenA Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It’s a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.Thirty years ago, the classical music world hailed the discovery of six lost Haydn sonatas. Only it soon turned out that they probably weren’t written by Haydn at all, and the finger of suspicion was pointed at an obscure German musician. In this third essay of the series, Phil explores the fallout from the scandal. Can a work of art still have value if it's not authentic?Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer: Jo Glanville Editor: Joanne Rowntree Researcher: Heather Dempsey Studio Engineer: Dan KingWith thanks to Michael Beckerman and Frederick ReeceA Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It’s a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.The second essay explores the story of one of the most widely recognised pieces in classical music - Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor. But was Albinoni even involved with the composition of the work? Phil gets to the bottom of a story that has perplexed classical scholars for years and asks how much authenticity actually matters.Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer: Jo Glanville Editor: Joanne Rowntree Researcher: Heather Dempsey Studio Engineer: Dan KingWith thanks to Michael Talbot, Donald Greig and Frederick ReeceA Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It’s a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.In the first essay, Phil tells the story of Fritz Kreisler - the virtuoso violinist who passed his own works off as compositions by forgotten Baroque composers. It took 30 years before the hoax was revealed. How did Kreisler manage to fool so many people for so long?Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer: Jo Glanville Editor: Joanne Rowntree Researcher: Heather Dempsey Studio Engineer: Dan King A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4