Should we perform music that a composer never expected the world to hear? In a concert that weaves together philosophy and unfinished symphonies, we’ll explore what it means to share works by artists who consciously left them incomplete - and out of the public domain.

Although today one of classical music’s most famous pieces, the score for Schubert’s ‘unfinished’ symphony was abandoned during his lifetime, only resurfacing long after the composer’s death for a posthumous premiere. 

A young Schumann wrote two movements that show an artist finding his musical voice. In the same way a stand-up comedian hones their latest routine, this music evolved over several performances 190 years ago, but was cast aside incomplete and never published. 

‘Unfinished’ symphonies provide us with fascinating insights into the creative process, but do we have a right to perform them? Would Schubert and Schumann be happy that their incomplete works have resurfaced, or wish they had taken Sibelius’ later approach of burning manuscripts deemed unsatisfactory for others to hear?

Join us for this concert-meets-TED talk, as special guests provide thought-provoking perspectives on the philosophy of art, followed by a post-concert Q&A. 

The speakers are:

Zoë Martlew – Presenter
Grace-Evangeline Mason – Composer
Daisy Dixon - Art Philosopher, University of Cambridge
Karen Serres - Curator of Paintings, The Courtauld Gallery