Category Archive: Ludwig van Beethoven

Showering with Beethoven, Headstands with Stravinsky

Posted at 8:23 AM on May 8, 2013 by Elena See (2 Comments)
Filed under: Fun finds, Ludwig van Beethoven

A new book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work -- by Mason Currey, describes the habits of highly creative people.

Stuck on a big project? Need some creative inspiration? Take Beethoven's advice:

Beethoven would stand at the washstand and pace back and forth and then go back to the washstand and put water on himself. It was an essential part of the creative buildup, but it also made him hated as a tenant and neighbor because he was splashing water everywhere.

Moonlight at the Bus Stop

Posted at 9:56 AM on October 24, 2012 by Daniel Gilliam
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Pianist Andy Jackson collaborated with artist Anton Hecht to get London commuters to play Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata. Watch to the end for my favorite part - the final chord.

Brooklyn Rider and Beethoven

Posted at 10:14 AM on February 1, 2012 by Daniel Gilliam
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Brooklyn Rider will be releasing a new recording (date TBD) with Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, a monumental composition that has been revered by composers, string players and audiences since its completion in 1826. Here's a look inside the recording process:

Learn more about the recording here.

The Short Version: Self Assessment

Posted at 2:16 PM on January 27, 2012 by ClassicalMPR (1 Comments)
Filed under: Composers, Ludwig van Beethoven

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Any prolific composer could surprise us with how they rank their own works. Perhaps it's as simple and as compelling as "What have I done lately?" This 19th century Titan might have dismissed one of our favorites with, "That's so 1808."

Beethoven the Charismatic!

Posted at 9:40 AM on December 19, 2011 by Samuel Kjellberg
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

On Saturday December 17th, 2011 erstwhile SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon returns as host. He is known for his wonderful impersonations and also his self-imposed laughter.

However, Fallon was able to keep his composure this past Saturday when he added Ludwig van Beethoven to his list of impersonations!

Beethoven is seen introducing the "band" to the newly composed Variations on "Ode to Joy" orchestral suite with the familiar Beethovean smooth jazz flavor!

Quite funny for both music aficionados, music lovers and classical music laymen alike!

Seven More Days Until Beethoven's Birthday (More or Less)

Posted at 4:27 PM on December 9, 2011 by William Johnston
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

A week from today (December 16) is Beethoven's birthday. As pointed out by Lucy in this classic strip, we don't really know this. What we do know is that Beethoven was baptized on the 17th of December, and Catholic children were traditionally baptized on the day following birth.

The Peanuts has a online museum dedicated to Schultz and — by proxy — Schroder's love of classical music in general and Beethoven in particular; including clips of the music played in the comic strips.

The Short Version: Apocryphal

Posted at 11:03 AM on May 23, 2011 by Bill Morelock
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven, The Short Version

Too well-made for hard-headed reality, they may not in fact have happened as reported. But apocrypha are parables, saying something truthful without necessarily being true.

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The King's Speech and Beethoven

Posted at 8:11 AM on January 18, 2011 by Ward Jacobson (1 Comments)
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Having finally seen "The King's Speech" over the weekend, I was all fired up to write a marvelous blog about how the film smartly uses the music of Beethoven (Mozart too!) to fully enhance the drama. Alas, it seems David Stabler of The Oregonian beat me to the punch.

So here's the link to Mr. Stabler's article. He nailed it. I concur wholeheartedly. And if you have not yet seen the film. Go. Go. Go.

Low Cal Beethoven

Posted at 12:34 AM on January 13, 2010 by Ward Jacobson
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven, Musician stories, Programs

It was common practice in Beethoven's day to arrange large scale works for smaller forces. After all, getting to the concert hall wasn't always possible, so this allowed amateur musicians to experience great music right in their homes.

Beethoven's assistant, Ferdinand Ries arranged the "Eroica" Symphony for piano quartet, and you'll hear an exclusive performance by the Mozart Piano Quartet, recorded live last July at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Northern Germany.

Stay up late tonight for our weekly Euro Classic - just after midnight (12:05am, Thursday).

Here's Your Moment of Beethoven

Posted at 2:42 PM on March 12, 2009 by Rex Levang (2 Comments)
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Recently, a colleague of mine stopped me in the hall to ask about a certain piece of classical music that had grabbed his attention. And a little later, another colleague stopped me in the hall, with a similar question.

They were asking about the same piece.

It doesn't have a snappy title like "The Four Seasons" or "Peter and the Wolf." At the beginning, you might not know quite what to make of it. But in its enigmatic way, it's one of the most attention-getting pieces in classical music.

It's the second movement from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and in honor of that coincidence, I thought it was worth passing on.

Mixed Reviews for Beethoven on Broadway

Posted at 10:30 AM on March 10, 2009 by Gillian Martin
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Back in November I posted a note about 33 Variations, a play about a musicologist trying to unravel one last Beethoven mystery before she dies.

Well, the play has opened, and the reviews suggest the show has a lot of potential, but doesn't quite soar:

From the New York Times (registration required): "Ms. [Jane] Fonda's layered crispness is, I regret to add, a contrast to Mr. Kaufman's often soggy play..."

From the Washington Post: "On this occasion, [Jane Fonda] not only manages to transcend time, but also the material. For '33 Variations' . . . marks a pleasing Broadway return for Fonda, even if it's little more than a handsomely annotated music lesson."

Schiff on Beethoven, Again

Posted at 9:31 AM on November 28, 2008 by Gillian Martin (1 Comments)
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Andras Schiff has been spending a lot of time with Beethoven in recent years, playing all 32 piano sonatas in a series of 8 recitals in London, New York and Los Angeles (and maybe other cities, too?). He's gotten reviews like this one from Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times:

He's thought these pieces through very thoroughly, and he is gadding about the country delivering his cycle, yet he manages to make every gesture seem as though he were discovering it for the first time. He is a remarkable Beethovenian -- fresh, original, riveting.

He's recorded them all, too, and Classical Minnesota Public Radio will bring those recordings to you in December. Starting Monday, listen in the 10 a.m. hour for your daily dose of Beethoven.

Looking for extra credit? Here's a link to audio for a series of lecture-demonstrations Schiff gave about the Beethoven sonatas when he played the whole cycle in London.

Beethoven on Broadway

Posted at 3:37 PM on November 4, 2008 by Gillian Martin
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Publisher Anton Diabelli wrote a short waltz and sent it to 50 composers, asking each of them to write a variation on it. Beethoven turned him down--but then ultimately wrote 33 variations on it. Why?

That's the question at the heart of a Broadway-bound play called 33 Variations. It's by Moises Kaufmann, the same playwright who created The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Jane Fonda has been announced in the role of a modern-day musicologist trying to unravel the mystery.

Read more about the upcoming Broadway production here; find the website for the play's world premiere at Washington's Arena Stage here.

Written by Bach .... Mrs. Bach, That Is

Posted at 10:20 AM on October 15, 2008 by Rex Levang
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

What if some of J. S. Bach's best loved pieces were actually composed by his wife?

That's the conclusion that an Australian music scholar has reached.

Is it a logical conclusion, far-fetched, or somewhere in between? Judge for yourself and read the article here.

Andras Schiff on Beethoven

Posted at 12:15 PM on July 27, 2008 by Gillian Martin
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

I mentioned this on the air this morning, so I thought I'd post a link, too.

Pianist Andras Schiff has been playing all of the Beethoven sonatas in a series of eight recitals. A couple of years ago, when he played them at Wigmore Hall in London, he also gave a lecture-demonstration before each concert, and much to my delight London's Guardian newspaper put the audio files on their website.

Schiff is finishing up the same series of concerts at Carnegie Hall this season, but doesn't appear to be giving the lectures again.

Beethoven + Minnesota Orchestra + Osmo Vanska = Perfect 10

Posted at 8:48 AM on January 1, 2008 by John Birge (1 Comments)
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Happy news in the New Year for the Minnesota Orchestra. Not long after receiving a Grammy nomination for their recording of Beethoven's Ninth, their new CD of Beethoven's First and Sixth Symphonies gets a perfect 10 rating from critic David Hurwitz (actually two 10's, for artistic quality, and sound quality). Read the review here.

Beethoven Gets Even

Posted at 4:58 PM on October 17, 2007 by Rex Levang
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven

Just in case you missed it on All Things Considered: Music critic Tom Manoff taking notice that the most famous Beethoven symphonies have the odd numbers (Beethoven's Fifth, Beethoven's Ninth..), and the "neglected" ones, the even.

Actually, in the case of Beethoven, they're all famous--but the even numbers may be slightly less so. The full story here.

Beethoven, Klemperer and Mendelssohn

Posted at 10:22 AM on February 1, 2007 by John Zech
Filed under: Ludwig van Beethoven, The blog

So, the Minnesota Orchestra kicked off their "Beethoven's Back" promotion today with The Big Guy himself handing out coffee, newspapers and downloads in front of Orchestra Hall this morning, and it reminded me of a story about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the great conductor of long ago, Otto Klemperer.

It seems Klemperer was visiting a music shop with a recording company executive named George de Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. He approached a clerk and asked, "Do you have Klemperer conducting Beethoven's Fifth?"

"No," the man replied. "We have it conducted by Ormandy and Toscanini. Why do you want it by Klemperer?"

"Because I am Klemperer," the conductor replied indignantly.

"Sure," said the clerk, and nodding at his companion he said "And that, I suppose, is Beethoven?"

"No," Klemperer grinned, "That's Mendelssohn."