Beethoven the Composer
Donald Macleod selects highlights from a year of programmes celebrating 250 years since Beethoven's birth, looking today at the composer's innovative musical style.
Donald Macleod selects highlights from a year of programmes celebrating 250 years since Beethoven's birth, looking today at how he went about composing.
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.
Donald Macleod revisits conversations he's had over the course of this year's special programmes on Beethoven, focussing today on the insights he gained about how Beethoven went about the process of composition. At the beginning of this year Donald was joined by Erica Buurman in the Beethovenhaus in Bonn - the house where he was born, to discover possessions like his walking stick - taking a stroll was essential in mulling over musical ideas. Together with Chi-chi Nwanoku, Jonathan Biss, Simon Schama and Marin Alsop, Donald considers some of the hallmarks of Beethoven's style and to what extent he was a revolutionary.
Maigesang, Op 52 no 4
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Antonio Pappano, piano
Piano Sonata No 4 in E flat, Op 7 - 2nd movement: Largo, com gran espressione
Jonathan Biss, piano
Violin Concerto in D, Op 61 - 1st movement
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Deutsche Symphonie Orchestra, Berlin
Robin Ticciati, conductor
String Quartet No 16 in F, Op 135 - 4th movement: Grave, ma non troppo tratto
Brodsky Quartet
Last on
Music Played
-
![]()
Ludwig van Beethoven
8 Songs, Op 52, No 4 Maigesang
Performer: Sir Antonio Pappano. Singer: Ian Bostridge.- WARNER CLASSICS: 9029527643.
- WARNER CLASSICS.
- 15.
-
![]()
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No 4 in E flat major, Op 7 (2nd mvt)
Performer: Jonathan Biss.- ONYX:4094.
- ONYX.
- 2.
-
![]()
Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61 (1st mvt)
Performer: Christian Tetzlaff. Performer: German Symphony Orchestra Berlin. Conductor: Robin Ticciati.- ONDINE : ODE 13342.
- ONDINE.
- 1.
-
![]()
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F major, Op 135 (4th mvt)
Ensemble: Brodsky String Quartet.- CHANDOS: CHAN 20114(3).
- CHANDOS.
- 9.
Broadcast
- Tue 15 Dec 2020 12:00大象传媒 Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed 鈥� the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time 鈥� why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.