France and Germany of the Age of Enlightenment

The 18th century was a period of social change and upheaval of great magnitude. New feelings came to light. Natural forms became preferred to scholarly ones. Audiences turned towards works of simpler charm and emotional content. It was also a century for travelling, and interest towards other nations, and, as said Paul Hazard, it was then that first appeared the awareness of being European. This effervescence laid down the bases of a European musical style. This programme visits some emblematic composers who managed to accomplish a remarkable synthesis of the European styles.