Beethoven Unleashed: At Home

Donald Macleod and Erica Buurman examine some of Beethoven’s personal possessions at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn.

This week, Donald Macleod takes us to Beethoven’s home town of Bonn and the Beethoven-Haus museum which now occupies the building where he was born. Donald is joined by Erica Buurman, director of the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, and together they explore some of the everyday objects and household artefacts owned by the composer to see what they can tell us about how he lived. We’ll hear about Beethoven’s hearing aids and the onset of his hearing loss. Next, with his personal cashbox, they talk about his relationship with money and the world of business. We’ll discover Beethoven’s domestic circumstances by inspecting his cut-throat razor, and his walking stick and writing desk shine a light on his everyday processes. Finally, Donald and Erica compare various samples of the composer’s hair.

Composer of the Week will be returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

Music featured: Bagatelles Op 126, Nos 1 & 6 Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano Op 38 Overture, The Consecration of the House Op 124 Wellington’s Victory (Part II) Piano Sonata No 9 in E, Op 14 No.1 Triple Concerto Cello Sonata in A, Op 69 Missa Solemnis (Agnus Dei) Sonata No 29 in Bb, Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’ Aus Goethes Faust, Op 75, No 3 Symphony No 6 String Quintet in Eb Op 4 Mailied, Op 52 No 4 String Quartet Op 59 No 2 Trauerkantate auf den Tod Kaiser Josephs II, No 3 Aria, “Da stiegen die Menschen an’s Licht” Grosse Fugue (arr. Piano, 4 hands) Op 134 Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 Symphony No 1 Mass in C (Kyrie)

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales

For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: At Home https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g3l7

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z