Episode 21 – Beethoven’s Family

John takes a closer look at Beethoven’s family, showing the devastating effect of alcohol on those closest to the young composer as he grew up, and playing a piece he composed as a boy which seemed to reflect the stress he was under, as he dealt with a fraught — and at times violent — relationship with his two younger brothers. John will also explain how Beethoven’s family attempted to cope with a member who possessed a genius beyond understanding, and how that led to Beethoven the musician’s essentially lonely life. Although, as he became known for that musical talent, Ludwig composed a piece that became so popular, he gave it the nickname “heard from every window in town”. 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.