Episode 51 – The Truly Difficult Decision

In the penultimate episode of the series, we find Beethoven coming to terms with his nephew Karl’s suicide attempt, by accepting an invitation for them both to stay at the countryside retreat belonging to Beethoven’s younger brother. Ludwig and his brother Johann didn’t get on, and as passers-by witnessed Beethoven’s increasingly eccentric appearance and behaviour whilst on his daily walks, it soon became clear that the family were heading for a huge row. John describes the argument which finally lead to the composer making the long journey back to Vienna, in freezing conditions, in an open-top milk cart. He also unveils Beethoven’s rare arrangement of the Grosse Fuge for piano duet; the manuscript of which was thought lost until only fifteen years ago, and then John plays Beethoven’s final late String Quartet, No. 16. At the top of the final movement, the composer had scribbled a sentence for reasons we still don’t fully understand; “the truly difficult decision”. 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.