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| Elliot & Thompson 13 February 2020 My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book |
✰ Updated 250th Anniversary Edition ✰
You know the music… but do you know the man?
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the world’s best loved and most influential composers. His life – its dramas, conflicts, loves and losses – is played out in his music.
In this special edition to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth – with a new section featuring his most celebrated pieces – John Suchet shows us the man behind the music. He reveals a difficult and complex character, struggling to continue his profession as musician despite increasing deafness, alienating friends with unprovoked outbursts of anger one moment, overwhelming them with excessive kindness and generosity the next, living in a city in almost constant disarray because of war with France.
This is the real Beethoven, and Suchet brings him faithfully and vividly to life.
What did I think..
Born in Bonn in 1770, Ludwig Van Beethoven would, from a fairly inauspicious start, go to become one of the world's most well loved composers. His musical ability was recognised from an early age and he went on to produce some of our most recognisable pieces of classical music. Beautifully written, John Suchet has, once again, revealed the intricacies of the life behind a fascinating man of music, and includes a comprehensive account of Beethoven's lifestyle and musical legacy in a biography which flows in a very readable way.
For those who have an interest in classical music, this updated anniversary edition about one of the world's finest composers is a real treat and if, like me, you don't know very much about the life and times of classical composers, I am sure that you will this find biography a very readable and fascinating insight into Beethoven's seventeenth century world.
John Suchet is a recognised authority on the composer and shares his in-depth knowledge so generously that, in this 250th anniversary of the great composers's birth, this biography has been a real pleasure to read and enjoy.
Born in Bonn in 1770, Ludwig Van Beethoven would, from a fairly inauspicious start, go to become one of the world's most well loved composers. His musical ability was recognised from an early age and he went on to produce some of our most recognisable pieces of classical music. Beautifully written, John Suchet has, once again, revealed the intricacies of the life behind a fascinating man of music, and includes a comprehensive account of Beethoven's lifestyle and musical legacy in a biography which flows in a very readable way.
For those who have an interest in classical music, this updated anniversary edition about one of the world's finest composers is a real treat and if, like me, you don't know very much about the life and times of classical composers, I am sure that you will this find biography a very readable and fascinating insight into Beethoven's seventeenth century world.
John Suchet is a recognised authority on the composer and shares his in-depth knowledge so generously that, in this 250th anniversary of the great composers's birth, this biography has been a real pleasure to read and enjoy.
John Suchet presents Classic FM’s flagship morning programme. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK’s best known television newscasters, regularly presenting ITN’s flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly 20 years. John has been honoured for both roles. He is the author of several bestselling composer biographies, including Beethoven: The Man Revealed.
This updated edition of Suchet’s acclaimed biography contains new material, including a detailed guide to Beethoven’s most important compositions, family tree and timeline.
Twitter @JohnSuchet1
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