Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 - 1827
No-one is going to pretend that Beethoven himself is off on the byways and backwaters of classical music.
His symphonies, especially the 5th and 9th and his piano sonatas, such as the Moonlight, Appassionato and Pathétique, or his violin concerto are the staples of popular classics.
These will not detain us here.
But his lesser known, at least less played works such as his chamber music and piano concertos are pieces that we will attend to on these pages.
His first string quartet is a surprise. Published in 1801 it sounds as if it is straight out of the mid 19th century. No light hearted Baroque tunes here. Full on melancholy and introspection are the order of the day.
Said to have taken inspiration from Haydn, Mozart and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet it is perhaps no surprise that this work is as complex as it is!
An old LvB favourite. Thank you Andrew.
Always interesting to see not only where a piece fits into the wider timescale, but also the composer's life, aged 31, and by now definitely showing his mettle. Also nice to see a picture of him that isn't the usual one!