Publisher's Synopsis
Without Beethoven, music as we know it wouldn't exist. Who was this titan of world culture?
Through 100 recordings, Lebrecht brings to life the composer as we've never seen him before. Unruly, offensive and hopeless in so much of his life, yes, but driven to a fault and devoted to his art, conquering deafness to compose some of the towering works of our culture.
Along the way, we encounter the great musicians who have taken on the challenge of Beethoven, in all their glories and foibles. In this revealing, unique biography, Beethoven emerges as a cornerstone of the modern world.
All recordings are freely available on Idagio and YouTube.
‘An incredibly fascinating personal search for the “core” of Beethoven's personality, his legacies and relevance of his figure nowadays. Lots of details and facts were new to me, many of the chapters provoked me to think even further, beyond the music and philosophy of this titan.’ - Vasily Petrenko, Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
'From one of our most prolific and wide-ranging writers on music, here is a connoisseur’s guide to Beethoven recordings fleshed out with vivid bits of biography and memoir. Most books recommend either recordings or works. This singular book does both.’ - Jan Swafford, author of Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph
