BEETHOVEN A Life in Nine Pieces

Using nine well-known compositions from various periods of Beethoven's life, Oxford music professor Laura Tunbridge offers a fascinating look at the practical and often gritty side of being a professional musician in early-nineteenth-century Europe. While she narrates with clarity and a vocal tone that is easy to absorb, a performance with more flair would have been a better vehicle for the author's snappy writing and impressive scholarship. She takes us inside the surprising challenges Beethoven faced in publishing his music, getting it performed, earning a living, and managing his helter-skelter personal life. The details of Beethoven's routines and relationships are stunningly revealing and not part of the iconography most of us are familiar with. These tidbits juxtaposed with Tunbridge's exquisite musical insights make this a riveting audio. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2021]