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The Life & Times of Beethoven
- The First Angry Man
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
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The Life & Times of Beethoven
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Summary
In The Life & Times of Beethoven, celebrated composer and music historian Professor Robert Greenberg of San Francisco Performances gives you a unique perspective on a musical genius the likes of which the world had never seen before - or since.
Blending biography, history, and music appreciation, these 10 lectures portray Beethoven’s extraordinary (and still modern-sounding) music as a direct outgrowth of his life, environment, and interior emotional landscape. What makes Beethoven’s anger so special is that he was the first composer to portray his own raw (sometimes even violent) emotions directly in his music. As a result, for more than 200 years, works like his later quartets, his Hammerklavier sonata, and his Symphony No. 9, have moved, touched, and sometimes even frightened listeners in a manner almost primal.
Professor Greenberg lays bare the links between Beethoven’s life and his incredible output of music. Listeners will learn:
- How the crisis involving Beethoven’s hearing became a catalyst for his musical creativity and originality,
- How Beethoven’s infatuation with Napoleon helped him change the language of Western music,
- How Beethoven’s “Heroic Music” helped the composer symbolically overcome his pain and unhappiness,
- How six factors contributed to Beethoven’s crushing fall from popular grace in 1815,
- How Beethoven revolutionized the genre of string quartets during the last two years of his compositional life, and much more!
These lectures give an unforgettable perspective of an angry, alienated composer, who, nevertheless, translated personal defeats into musical triumphs.
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What listeners say about The Life & Times of Beethoven
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Criticaldad
- 06-06-20
interesting but no music
I enjoyed this once I'd got over the disappointment that it was not accompanied by any illustrative music.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- pa
- 11-01-22
Entertaining and Informative
Packed with detail but the story flows very well. Clearly written by someone at the top of their game. Well worth a listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 02-03-24
Brilliant from beginning to end
I enjoyed every moment of this book. The story is incredible, the narrator was exceptional.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tenzing
- 17-10-21
Enjoyable and informative
Interesting, informative and thorough. Well read by the very erudite author. Plenty to like
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- Jason
- 28-04-22
Fantastic
This is the perfect package! Not only is it informative it is wildly fun and joyful. A celebration and real look into the tortured and pretty messed up world of Beethoven. I love the style of the lectures. You’re always hooked and never spoken down to or bored by formality because there is none!
Very mind opening and essential.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 09-11-22
A story you must hear about the greatest composer
I enjoyed each and every lecture.
Thank you for bringing the story of Ludwig Van Beethoven to life, I enjoyed it deeply.
A must hear for anyone that wants to know more about Beethoven, this is truly a special story and life that lets you reflect about his qualities and why he is truly one of the goats and the first metalhead ever.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rob Sedgwick
- 30-04-23
Shame no music
I like Robert Greenberg's recordings but they are always better with music. He does have other lecture series on Beethoven with music, but this is purely biographical.
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