Episode 23 – Beethoven’s Friends

Beethoven could count the number of close friends he had on one hand. How and why did he alienate so many who tried to get close to him? John takes a look at the small handful of musicians and friends who looked after this wayward genius, knowing that his deafness, coupled with a complete disregard for convention and normal behaviour, could swiftly put an end to his career in a city at war. He plays pieces Beethoven dedicated to those who did manage to get close to him, including an oratorio that demanded a friend find a trombone section hours before the first performance, a piece the composer wrote for a short-sighted friend entitled Duet for Two Pairs of Spectacles, and music he composed for a piano-maker that forever changed the way the keyboard was played. All the Beethoven pieces featured in this podcast are taken from the 90-disc Naxos box set, the Complete Beethoven Edition. You can buy yours by heading to Presto Classical and Europadisc.