Beethoven biography book covers

This was supposed to be the year of Ludwig van Beethoven. That is admittedly a strange thing to say in the light of how our world has changed, but it is true. Before COVID-19 forced us all indoors, there were hundreds of events planned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of arguably the most famous musician who ever lived.

In Europe, the federal government set aside a reported $33 million for these celebrations.

The Berlin Philharmonic planned a 24-hour marathon in April, cultural TV channel Arte scheduled live performances of all nine symphonies, and tribute works were commissioned by renowned orchestras.

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It compels one to ask, naturally, why Beethoven still resonates as powerfully as he does in our collective consciousness.

These books hold a few possible answers that should satisfy us until 2027, when we gather again to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death and perhaps some of this year Life of Beethoven: Schindler, Anton: 9781499545654: Amazon ... ZOD