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.