Roll Over Beethoven

Being Beethoven
A major new 3-part series retelling the story of his life, how his father had extreme expectations of him, how he was compared to Mozart, how his hearing started to deteriorate early on, how his search for love reflected his relationship with his mother, and how he then tried to dote on a nephew and how that didn't work out as he hoped. All while writing some of the most challenging and now loved music of the 18th & 19th centuries. Peter Capaldi voiced Ludwig himself in extracts from the composer's own words.

misery guts wrote:
BBC Proms '17: Beethoven's Fidelio
Juanjo Mena conducted the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra through this opera. Yup.

Beethoven's Fidelio - The Royal Opera
An all-new production, fortunately completed before lockdown. Antonio Pappano conducted. Beethoven's only opera.

BBC Proms '20: First Night of the Proms
6 weeks later than planned, but remarkable to be happening at all. Sakari Oramo conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra through works by Kendall, Whitacre, Copland, and finally Beethoven's 3rd Symphony in all its glory. The opening piece, Tuxedo: Vasco da Gama was also a world premiere.

BBC Proms '20: Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO
A modest program with some Beethoven sonata, works from Kurtag, Gabrieli and a world premiere from Thomas Ades, and a main event of the 5th symphony from Vaughn Williams.

BBC Proms '20: Exploring Beethoven's Seventh
Tom Service and conductor Nicholas Collon, with help from the Aurora Orchestra, discuss and then play the titular piece, following an introductory piece from Richard Ayres, a world premiere no less of a piece (or rather, three pieces) inspired by Beethoven.

BBC Proms '20: Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason
Popular cellist who did a Prom in 2019, returns with his pianist sister to perform pieces from Beethoven, Barber, Bridge and finally Rachmaninov. Some of the pieces were comparatively obscure, adding intrigue value to proceedings.

Barenboim on Beethoven - The Lost Tapes
So, in 1970, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim made a 13-part series on the famous composer. And though lost (or undesired) for many years, they've turned up again in the big anniversary year (well, 2020 anyway). Here was a lengthy taster really, linked by Sandi Toksvig from various clips. The whole series was screened the same night on a separate channel in one marathon sitting. Why they didn't spread them out more, like over 13 weeks, rather than splurge the whole lot in one night, I don't get. Anyway, this whetted my appetite, and I'll get to the rest yet.

Orain - Ghaidhlig Beethoven
Michael Klevenhaus investigates the premise that some of Beethoven's works were ripped off from Gaelic folk tunes. It turned out to be more complicated than simple inspiration/theft.

Beethoven - A' Chuirm Ghaidhlig
The concert/show to go with the above, as Michael leads various guests, including Allan MacDonald, Mairi MacInnes, Trio van Beethoven and others through some of the works of Beethoven featured and their Gaelic counterparts.

Mountain
A surprising look at what drives people to conquer mountains, backed with a soundtrack from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Part and Grieg and others, and a commentary read by Willem Dafoe.

misery guts wrote:Barenboim on Beethoven - The Lost Tapes
So, in 1970, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim made a 13-part series on the famous composer. And though lost (or undesired) for many years, they've turned up again in the big anniversary year (well, 2020 anyway). Here was a lengthy taster really, linked by Sandi Toksvig from various clips. The whole series was screened the same night on a separate channel in one marathon sitting. Why they didn't spread them out more, like over 13 weeks, rather than splurge the whole lot in one night, I don't get. Anyway, this whetted my appetite, and I'll get to the rest yet.

Barenboim on Beethoven
The above-mentioned 13 part series from 1970. Some were more about performance than discussion, but that was no bad thing. Barenboim was a charming and informed presenter, for a topic he clearly understood well.

Charles Hazlewood - Beethoven and Me
The conductor, and musical director of Paraorchestra, considers the life and works of Beethoven through the prism of his having been abused (Ludwig physically by his father - Charles suffered a different abuse). He used the 5th symphony as his set text to work with, through its various sections.

BBC Proms '21: Nicola Benedetti and the NYO
Jonathan Heyward conducted the National Youth Orchestra on their annual Proms show, through pieces by Prokofiev (on which Nicola did her stuff), and Beethoven's 3rd symphony, as well as new pieces by composers Laura Jurd, and Jessie Montgomery.

BBC Proms '21: A Night at the Opera
Petroc Trelawny introduced as Ben Glassberg conducted the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra through selections from various operas ranging from La Boheme to Carmen to Hansel und Gretel and Beethoven's Fidelio too.

BBC Proms '21: Beethoven's Second Symphony
Ilan Volkov conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as they first did the world premiere of a new George Lewis piece, Minds in Flux, then Ah! Perfido by ol' Ludwig, before finishing with the titular Main Event. In the curious trend of unusual studio guests, Sheila Hancock got to be generally enthusiastic for all concerned.

Leeds International Piano Competition 2021
The final of a long contest, with 5 talented young pianists playing a performance piece each. Two chose different works by Beethoven, but the winner, Alim Beisembayev, plumped for something from Rachmaninov.

Beethoven - The Piano Concertos
A series of 5 performances by Jan Lisiecki at the Konzerthaus, Berlin, through each of 5 piano concertos, in 2019.

Summer Night's Concert
The usual effort with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Schonnbrun Palace, conducted this time by Andris Nelsons, through a setlist which included a couple of Ukrainian composers, along with more familiar names like Rossini, Saint-Saens, Dvorak and of course the opener, the 3rd Leonore Overture by Beethoven.

BBC Proms '22: The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
Their debut performance saw them run through a setlist including some Brahms and Chopin, a Ukrainian composer called Silvestrov, and closing on the Ukrainian national anthem. There was also an extract from Beethoven's Fidelio, as soprano Ludmilla Monosterska played Leonora. Keri-Lyn Wilson conducted.

BBC Proms '22: Chineke! Plays Walker and Beethoven
The Chineke! Orchestra played a premiere from George Walker, in his centenary year (he having died in 2018), and then the famous 9th Symphony from ol' Luswig, including the Chineke! Voices.

BBC Proms '23: Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Pekka Kuusisto conducted the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen through works by Torrodi and of course Vivaldi (for which Kuusisto also played the violin), but they also did Beethoven's 1st Symphony.

BBC Proms '23: Romantic Revolutions
Tadeski Otaka conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales through works by Rachmaninov and Coleridge-Taylor, with a main event of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, for which Tom Service also did a piece on its usage during WW2.

BBC Proms '23: Beethoven's Ninth
Ryan Wigglesworth conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra through a single piece show, for which Tom Service again did a piece on its endurance.

Classica - Orchestra National de Lyon
Leonard Slatkin conducted the above in 2014, through works by Bokom and Mussorgsky, plus the Triple Concerto by Beethoven, with encores from Rubinstein and Fred Slatkin.

Classica: Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt conducted this time, with Beethoven's 1st Piano Concerto and 2nd Symphony, either side of a Robert Schumann piece.

misery guts wrote:BBC Proms '22: Chineke! Plays Walker and Beethoven
The Chineke! Orchestra played a premiere from George Walker, in his centenary year (he having died in 2018), and then the famous 9th Symphony from ol' Luswig, including the Chineke! Voices.

BBC Proms '23: Chineke!
Back again, conducted here by Anthony Parnther. They did works by Coleridge-Taylor and a debut from Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (not only the debut for his work, but for him altogether). They also did a Haydn piece in terms of his effect on Beethoven, before finishing off with his 4th Symphony.

BBC Proms '12: Beethoven's 9th Symphony
A welcome repeat in a night of tribute to conductor Daniel Barenboim. Here he was conducting his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra through a version of this last symphony. Apparently, this was performed on the same night as the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics too.

Da Da Da Daaa
Rachel Parris uses this 2020 radio documentary to look into the impact of Beethoven's 5th symphony, with contributions from conductor John Eliot Gardener, composer Lloyd Coleman, archive of Leonard Bernstein, film director and fan Ken Loach, and many others.

Music, Sense and Nonsense - Alfred Brendel
Pianist gives lectures and essays on many composers, but maybe gives most space to Beethoven, even in discussions of other composers (the Diabelli Variations crop up a lot, Alf being a big fan).