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spencesational's review against another edition
4.0
For the classical music lover, this book is excellent. It is not dense in references as you would expect there to be in similar books designed particularly for Intellectuals of the genre. This is how John Suchet wanted the book to be and he has done an excellent job. In other words, this book has been written for those interested in Beethoven without getting too deep.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
spencesational's review against another edition
4.0
For the classical music lover, this book is excellent. It is not dense in references as you would expect there to be in similar books designed particularly for Intellectuals of the genre. This is how John Suchet wanted the book to be and he has done an excellent job. In other words, this book has been written for those interested in Beethoven without getting too deep.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
spencesational's review
4.0
For the classical music lover, this book is excellent. It is not dense in references as you would expect there to be in similar books designed particularly for Intellectuals of the genre. This is how John Suchet wanted the book to be and he has done an excellent job. In other words, this book has been written for those interested in Beethoven without getting too deep.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
The book shows a genius in LVB but also a volatile man. It is said by many that genius and madness is finely divided and this seems to be the case with Ludwig van Beethoven, lauded by most as being the greatest composer that has ever lived. His possession and obsession made him the musical maestro he became and so great were his works that almost two centuries later people are still as enthralled by them as ever they were.
As this was my first delve into the composer biography I was fascinated at times with Beethoven’s life and the many other famous composers he knew and indeed was well-acquainted with. It really made me realise that all those famous composers that I thought lived centuries apart from each other were more tightly-knit than I had realised and I’m sure many others will feel the same. It also made me realise that how we see life today is not that much different to how people saw life centuries ago and that we are all more closely intertwined than we think.
I have ‘known’ John Suchet for decades. Back to the days when he used to read the news on ‘The News at Ten’ right up to now where I listen to him on Classic FM of a morning. The younger brother of David ‘Poirot’ Suchet clearly has the same vast talent as his sibling and can add another string to his bow. That of author and I for one shall be reading further biographies of the great composers by Mr Suchet. He is an excellent writer, factual and politely to the point. Well done.
iwb's review against another edition
4.0
This is a popular level biography written in an engaging narrative. No musical analysis, and no new facts or hypotheses about Beethoven's life or music.
I think it's the best introductory biographical book out there for Beethoven fans who are curious enough about the stormy composer to learn a little bit about who he was, but not so interested that they need concern themselves over historical debates and scholarly details.
It's an engrossing read and Suchet brings out the agonizing emotional turmoil, and mental anguish, that Beethoven experienced most of his life.
I think it's the best introductory biographical book out there for Beethoven fans who are curious enough about the stormy composer to learn a little bit about who he was, but not so interested that they need concern themselves over historical debates and scholarly details.
It's an engrossing read and Suchet brings out the agonizing emotional turmoil, and mental anguish, that Beethoven experienced most of his life.
clss97's review against another edition
5.0
This book was excellent, principily because, although I am a musician and I am comfortable with reading sheet music, the idea of reading through analysed scores is often like trudging through mud, because you don't always agree with every thing a person might think. Every musician interprets music differently. Yes there should be some analysis, but if you over analyse music then you only extract the original emotion that was the authors intent from the music, meaning you do not feel what you should when you perform it. So it was a wonderful change to pick up a book, that showed the composer as a human and not just a source of effortlessly brilliant pieces of genius. Reading this book was like growing up with Beethoven in a small German village, going with him through every thing that led to him being who he ended up being, the man he became known as and died true to. There were so many funny moments, such as piano battles where he disgraced prominent figures, where he acted rashly, where he made true friends and embarrassed himself. There were humble moments, where you could only recognize him as a human being, where you saw him cast away from love and family, in to solitude where only his music could understand him. I think that is some thing every musician including myself, finds an important feature of Beethovens music. Its taken me quite a while to finish this book, simply because I am one more accustomed to reading fiction than non fiction, and also because it is such a large book and I felt I needed to concentrate more in order to visualize Beethovens world as it was. By doing this, I preserved every page. Suchet has a way of capturing life on a page that I have never seen before. The way he describes Beethoven living through even the most trivial of things is fascinating, it makes him seem almost the human immortal. By the end of this book, which I have finished literally moments ago, I was heart broken, drained entirely. Because, you grow up with Beethoven in this book, you really get to know him and every thing about it him. It makes him seem like a person who is here now, not a person who is long gone. To find that he died the day before my birthday so many years before I was born, is some thing that shocked me. How could I have not known that? To have Suchets art of capturing every critical detail, every important facet, it made me feel there, a ghost in a room that no longer really exists as it was, the people and past behind it long faded. It felt like I was there watching him leave this world, the world through which he created so much magic. Even if you are not a musician I highly recommend this book. Just give it a real effort, force yourself through the first few chapters to the interesting adult mind and see just how similar to the rest of us even Beethoven, the great and powerful, was. See that even in the greatest and most highly acclaimed of spirits, there lies a very much human heart and soul.
booksnotcooks's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Fantastically well written biography on the greatest composer of all time.
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