Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

[kernelbogey]

What Is a Symphony?
Beethoven Unleashed: Freedom and Joy
Week 21 of 26, commencing 16 November Available until 16 December

They have been described as “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man”, “an expression of monumental intellect and innermost feeling”, and “music [which] sets in motion the machinery of awe, of fear, of terror, of pain.” There is no question that Beethoven’s nine symphonies changed music forever. The colossal legacy of these works has hovered over generations of composers since, leading Johannes Brahms to exclaim “You can't have any idea what it's like always to hear such a giant marching behind you!”

Over this week of programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner, founder of the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, to delve into the world of these nine sublime works.

In Monday’s programme they discuss Beethoven’s beginnings with the form, and his first two Symphonies, exploring what the Symphony was when Beethoven first came to write one, and what he did, even in these early works, to change it.

[kernelbogey]

People Skills
Beethoven Unleashed: Pain and Persistence
Week 22 of 26* commencing 30 November Available until 30 December

Beethoven unveils a major new string quartet, but after promising the public premiere to two different ensembles, he’s faced with an awkward confrontation.

This week, Donald Macleod reaches the final chapters of his year-long biography of Beethoven. The composer’s remaining years, 1825 to 1827, were marred by failing health and a traumatic family crisis but also saw Beethoven pushing resolutely forward in his art. He continued to surprise and astonish, producing a series of extraordinary late string quartets.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

[Edit: the numbering system on this thread has an error. There are 25 series in this year; thiis is the penultimate series. There will be no revision of the numbering in the thread. KB]

[kernelbogey]

Beethoven the Man
Beethoven Unleashed: In Perspective
The Final Week of Donald Macleod's survey of Beethoven commencing Monday 14 December Available until 14 January 2021

Donald Macleod embarks on the final week of his year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, selecting his personal highlights of conversations he's had with special guests over the course of 25 series - beginning today by revealing the insights he's gained about Beethoven, the man.

Composer of the Week has this year, every alternate week, explored the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth. In this, the final week of 25 series devoted to the extraordinary composer, Donald Macleod looks back over the year, and presents his personal highlights from the interviews he carried out over the course of 125 programmes. From historian Simon Schama to conductors Marin Alsop and John Eliot Gardiner, and pianists Jonathan Biss and Angela Hewitt, Donald was joined by experts and performers who gave remarkable insights into the unique human being that was Beethoven. This week he brings together some of the conversations that stayed with him, building a picture of Beethoven the man, the composer, the interpretation of his music since his death, the times he lived in, and what he means to us today.

In the first programme of the final series this year on Beethoven, Donald looks back at what he learnt about Beethoven the Man. In conversation with Simon Schama and Marin Alsop, Aakanksha Virkar Yates, Erica Buurman, Jan Swafford, and Jonathan Biss, Donald discovered what the composer was like as a human being, from his interest in religion, to his constant loneliness, and the struggles he had communicating with those around him.

[kernelbogey]

Donald M coming to the end of his LvB survey on Monday.
Has anyone been listenng...?

[kernelbogey]

Donald M coming to the end of his LvB survey on Monday.
Has anyone been listenng...?

Apparently not....

[Bryn]

Apparently not....

Oh, I took it for a rhetorical question.

[french frank]

Oh, I took it for a rhetorical question.

Over 19,000 views on the thread, kb!

[Cockney Sparrow]

Donald M coming to the end of his LvB survey on Monday.
Has anyone been listenng...?

Yes, but I need to fill in some missed weeks from "Sounds". I enjoyed the Sonata week and the one with instrumentalists (timpani, double bass, etc) very much

[gurnemanz]

R4 programme about Beethoven's Fifth with Rachel Parris tonight https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qbgj. Not quite sure what to expect, but it was recommended in last Sunday's Observer and promises to be entertaining.

[kernelbogey]

Over 19,000 views on the thread, kb!

Yes, FF, I did notice that; but also that the thread has not lately attracted posts from Forumites.

On the other hand I wonder to what extent non-members may be using the thread (and, of course, others) as a 'way in' to the series, or LvB.

The thread is now complete, AFAIK, although I've made a mistake somewhere about the week numbers: there are 50, not 52 series.

[Bryn]

Yes, FF, I did notice that; but also that the thread has not lately attracted posts from Forumites.

On the other hand I wonder to what extent non-members may be using the thread (and, of course, others) as a 'way in' to the series, or LvB.

The thread is now complete, AFAIK, although I've made a mistake somewhere about the week numbers: there are 50, not 52 series.

25, not 26? They were, after all, biweekly.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's debatable whether the 50% Beethoven saturation idea was such a good idea for Radio 3 and Composer of the Week. In previous years, I've followed the programme closely, but this year, even though I've had more time to listen, I've not been so keen to listen, as I've sometimes been unsure whether it was to be Beethoven yet again or a different composer (which I preferred).

[kernelbogey]

25, not 26? They were, after all, biweekly.

Indeed - I'm not having a Good Arithmetic week, clearly.

[french frank]

It's debatable whether the 50% Beethoven saturation idea was such a good idea for Radio 3 and Composer of the Week. In previous years, I've followed the programme closely, but this year, even though I've had more time to listen, I've not been so keen to listen, as I've sometimes been unsure whether it was to be Beethoven yet again or a different composer (which I preferred).

Yes, I thought at the start that the problem was that all available slots in the schedule are now filled with 'regular' weekly/daily programmes so there's no space left in which to place the occasional long series. Before Late Junction, it was possible to slot a new year-long series into the late evening - no longer possible as depriving Late Junction listeners of their programme and replacing it with something which most of them won't be interested in isn't an option.

[kernelbogey]

Cross referencing this:

BBC World Service is broadcating a documentary next week on Beethoven's multiple health problems, which were revealed by his autopsy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1cyz