Beethoven

Fascinating exhibition at the British Library looking at the life and work of Beethoven through his manuscripts.

I must admit to not knowing a lot about Beethoven but this show made you feel very close to him and gave you are real sense of him as a person not just a musical genius. The commentary states that they saw handwriting as “a visual representation of creative imagination” and I thought this was an innovative premise for an exhibition.

The show was chronological but there was also a theme running though of the growth of ideas for what would become the Ninth Symphony starting with initial plans when he was in Bonn

I found it very moving to see his musical sketchbooks for recording and working out ideas as well as manuscripts in his own hand. However more intimate were the account books and kitchen account. I loved some from his time in Vienna which record payments to Haydn for lessons as well as for dancing lessons.

There was a good section on his relationship with London. Although he never came he had relationships with musicians and publishers here. The Ninth Symphony was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society and the show included the receipt of payment for it. In the end it was premiered in Vienna.

The show ended by looking at his funeral and legacy. I loved the list of donations to his servants after her died by his friends as they knew he had been difficult to work for.

Closes 24 April 2022

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