Show Notes
Andy Bush finds out about the objects of Beethoven's affections - and it turns out there were quite a few. Who was the Immortal Beloved? Who's the Elise in 'Fur Elise'? And where do llamas and bowls of urine come into all of this?
The guests in this podcast are clarinettist Julian Bliss, violinist Nicola Benedetti, conductor Karin Hendrickson, leader of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Maya Iwabuchi, conductor Mark Elder and cellist Matthew Barley.
This podcast features a clip of 'Fur Elise' played by Llyr Williams, available here: http://hyperurl.co/BeethovenUnbound. The extracts of Beethoven’s Symphonies 5 & 9 are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra; LPO Label releases are available on all major streaming platforms and at lpo.org.uk/recordings. The recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 3 & 4 are performed by Elizabeth Sombart and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Piano Concerto No.5 is performed by Alessio Bax and the Southbank Sinfonia - all are available at https://signumrecords.com/
More from Beethoven: The Basics with Andy Bush
In the final episode of the series, Andy takes a look at some of Beethoven’s later works and asks his guests to explain which 1 piece of his music best describes the great composer’s legacy and influence. References to tour merch, Wimpy and privet hedges may also feature.
In the penultimate episode, Andy Bush turns to Beethoven’s ill health and explores how it affected his music. How he was able to continue composing as he became increasingly deaf?
Andy Bush investigates Beethoven’s skills on stage, as a pianist, improviser and conductor, and finds useful parallels with Donkey Kong, dry ice and Dane Bowers.
Andy Bush takes a look at the premieres of Beethoven's works that have gone down in history and manages to include references to in-flight safety videos, good soup and premium rate phone lines.
Andy Bush finds out who kept a roof over Ludwig’s head by commissioning him to write music. Turns out there were quite a few princes, but only one of them was called a donkey…