Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

[Bryn]

The delectable Georgia Mann reckons that Beethoven would have been a disaster in the kitchen. This view may be correct because it's a matter of record that, while on a day trip to Ravenna, he ordered some pasta from a local restaurant. When he discovered that it had been delivered to the apartment on the floor below, recognizing that his Italian was not good enough to upbraid the owner of the restaurant, he sat down at the piano and composed a short piece for piano, which was given the opus number 129 and inevitably became known as Rage Over Lost Penne.

Coat!

[Serial_Apologist]

Coat!

Basta!

[kernelbogey]

The Sketchbooks
Beethoven Unleashed: Private Papers
Week 13 of 26 w/c/29.6.20
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s musical notebooks to see what they can tell us about his composing process.

This week Donald Macleod is joined by Beethoven scholar Erica Buurman and biographer Jan Swafford to investigate some the many documents and papers that Beethoven left behind after his death, which are now scattered in archives and collections across the world. Donald and his guests explore high-quality, digital facsimiles of Beethoven’s most personal records including his letters, notebooks and journals; scouring them for clues to his relationships, his work and his everyday life.

[kernelbogey]

Anybody read Swafford's biography of LvB? Comments?

[gurnemanz]

Anybody read Swafford's biography of LvB? Comments?

I read it a couple of years ago, taking my time and being fairly meticulous. I broke off quite often to listen to works as they came up, including quite a few which I had hitherto not paid much attention to. It was thorough and readable. For me there were many discoveries and insights.

I remember finding the index adequate but to be not the most helpful. I found myself printing off from the internet a list of opus numbers and years to keep myself orientated.
On a personal note: It would obviously have made the appendix too bulky to include the original text for the many quotes included but I do know German and I often wanted to read the original German as well as the translation - especially in the case of some of Beethoven's own more colourful utterances. Luckily, I do have a couple of books with original documents, but I couldn't always locate the relevant bit.

[LMcD]

'Being Beethoven', a 3-part series which begins at 9.00 p.m. on BBC4 tonight, looks promising, with a strong line-up of featured artists. I shall definitely give it a go - if nothing else, it will be quicker than listening to 26 episodes of Composer Of The Week!

[Bryn]

'Being Beethoven', a 3-part series which begins at 9.00 p.m. on BBC4 tonight, looks promising, with a strong line-up of featured artists. I shall definitely give it a go - if nothing else, it will be quicker than listening to 26 episodes of Composer Of The Week!

"26 episodes"? 130, surely?

[LMcD]

"26 episodes"? 130, surely?

You're right, of course, I should have said '26 weeks'.

[kernelbogey]

Frustrated Ambitions
Beethoven Unleashed: Restless Spirit
Week 14 of 26 (Week commencing 13.7.20) Available to 11 August

Beethoven is seeking financial stability in Vienna and making further attempts to find love. However, nothing goes quite to plan.

This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years 1807-1809. This was a period that ended with the traumatic second occupation of Vienna by Napoleon’s forces, and a time when Beethoven himself was feeling increasingly restless in the city after his plans to gain financial stability were thwarted.

[kernelbogey]

I read it a couple of years ago, taking my time and being fairly meticulous. I broke off quite often to listen to works as they came up, including quite a few which I had hitherto not paid much attention to. It was thorough and readable. For me there were many discoveries and insights....

Thanks for this Gurnemanz. I tried the fictionalised Suchet version a few years ago but couldn't get on with them.

[Ein Heldenleben]

For what it's worth my overall favourite Beethoven biog remains Maynard Solomon's . I've dipped in and out of the updated Thayer over the years - it's a really heavy tome but remains the definitive biog - or so the scholars say. I haven't yet finished Swafford but it's well - written and has some original insights - tricky in this over-ploughed field. I've started but not finished Beethoven Hero which is densely written in academic English and needs musical knowledge as well as , for Chap 1 , the score of the Eroica. It's not a biog either .Starting and not finishing seems to be a theme here - but I'm not really a fan of biographies . I also really like the Thames and Hudson H.C Robbins Lansdon Beethoven slim volume- because it's short and has lots of pics! To my surprise I enjoyed Suchet 'Last Master' series - he's a good writer . He knows his stuff and draws a lot on the published sources but there are incidents in there that I haven't read about anywhere else which make me worry about embellishment.

[cloughie]

Thanks for this Gurnemanz. I tried the fictionalised Suchetversion a few years ago but couldn't get on with them.

The key to his holiday is Suchet in C!

[kernelbogey]

The Inner Circle
Beethoven Unleashed: In His Own Words
Week commencing 27 July (Week 15 of 26) Available to 18 August

More than 1,770 of Beethoven's letters still survive and, this week, Donald Macleod delves into five different areas of this extensive correspondence. Today, Beethoven writes to three of his close friends. Those who knew him were ready to acknowledge his genius, but they also knew he was quick to fly off the handle so a degree of understanding would be needed. Beethoven met Franz Wegeler when he was 12 years old and still living in Bonn. Wegeler became a highly respected physician, and we find Beethoven asking his advice over his many health problems. One of the last letters he wrote is an affectionate letter to Wegeler, a month or so before he died in March 1827. It is most likely that Wegeler introduced Beethoven to the von Breuning family. Beethoven became very friendly with the whole family, and after one of the sons, Stephan, took up a position in Vienna, their friendship developed even further, although not without the occasional upset along the way. A talented musician and a theologian, Carl Amenda, was someone with whom Beethoven felt able to reveal his most personal thoughts and anxieties. The letters are read by Adrian Lester.

[Serial_Apologist]

The Inner Circle
Beethoven Unleashed: In His Own Words
Week commencing 27 July (Week 15 of 26) Available to 18 August

More than 1,770 of Beethoven's letters still survive and, this week, Donald Macleod delves into five different areas of this extensive correspondence. Today, Beethoven writes to three of his close friends. Those who knew him were ready to acknowledge his genius, but they also knew he was quick to fly off the handle so a degree of understanding would be needed. Beethoven met Franz Wegeler when he was 12 years old and still living in Bonn. Wegeler became a highly respected physician, and we find Beethoven asking his advice over his many health problems. One of the last letters he wrote is an affectionate letter to Wegeler, a month or so before he died in March 1827. It is most likely that Wegeler introduced Beethoven to the von Breuning family. Beethoven became very friendly with the whole family, and after one of the sons, Stephan, took up a position in Vienna, their friendship developed even further, although not without the occasional upset along the way. A talented musician and a theologian, Carl Amenda, was someone with whom Beethoven felt able to reveal his most personal thoughts and anxieties. The letters are read by Adrian Lester.

Maybe we will learn if he corresponded with the young Schubert: we know that Beethoven admired Schube's music.

[kernelbogey]

The Aftermath of War
Beethoven Unleashed: Creating the Myth
Week 16 of 26 w/c 10.8.20 (Available to 10 September)
Note later time 1300

Donald Macleod explores how the after effects of Napoleon’s invasion of Vienna including crippling economic sanctions and devaluation of the currency, impacted Beethoven’s life and work.

This week, Donald Macleod explores Ludwig van Beethoven’s life through the years of 1810-1812. This was a period of great financial hardship for all of Vienna in the aftermath of Napoleon’s second occupation of the city. Beethoven struggled through this economic depression, composing his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies with little hope of getting performances. The financial crisis wasn’t the only thing to afflict the composer either; alongside an increase in physical ailments, Beethoven also suffered a great emotional crisis which culminated in the letter he wrote to his unnamed ‘Immortal Beloved’.