After ten seasons, the recipe is undoubtedly familiar to many. Conductor Jules van Hessen explains the great works of the classical repertoire in his own witty way. Before intermission the anecdotes fly into the hall, supported by beautiful visuals and examples played live. After intermission, the work is heard in its entirety. This time it's Beethoven's famous Third Symphony, the Eroica.

Ludwig van Beethoven began an ambitious work in 1803, a grand symphony in honor of Napoleon. When the French general turned out not to be the revolutionary Beethoven thought and he crowned himself emperor in 1804, the composer ignited in fury. Furious, he scratched the name of Napoleon, to whom he intended to dedicate the symphony, on the title page. What remained was a revolutionary work that marked the beginning of Romanticism.

Dutch conductor Jules van Hessen learned the trade from such luminaries as Gennady Roshdjestvenski and Jean Fournet and emerged as a much sought-after orchestral conductor. A few years ago he gained notoriety as the coach of Tijl Beckand for the program Tijl and Beethoven's Ninth, but his main achievement is Maestro Jules Onthult and the disarming way in which he explains classical music to a wide audience.