Ludwig van Beethoven

Biography

Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a composer of the transitional period between the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He was born in Bonn, Germany. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or “germ-motives”, to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. Read more about Ludwig van Beethoven on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

Latest on Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony guide: Beethoven's Ninth ('Choral')

Tom Service’s symphony guide concludes with what is arguably the central artwork of Western music, the symphony to end all symphonies
Peter Donohoe review – a wonderfully direct guide to rarely heard first works

Donohoe played a fascinating selection of rarely heard Opus 1s, writes Andrew Clements
Symphony guide: Beethoven's Sixth ('Pastoral')

Beethoven's Pastoral is no musical cul-de-sac, writes Tom Service. It's a radical work, and in its final movement is music more purely spine-tingling and life-enhancingly joyful than almost anywhere else in his output
Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto performed by Emanuel Ax – live video stream

The acclaimed US pianist will perform the Emperor Piano Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday, 18 June from 8.20pm
Emperor Piano Concerto
Beethoven's 3rd and 4th performed by Emanuel Ax – live video stream

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the Sydney Opera House bring you the acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax, as he performs Beethoven piano concertos three and four. The performance begins Wednesday 18 June from 8:20 AEST
A haunting account of the Holocaust | Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown: How to believe: The transmission of fine music and literature in Auschwitz proved to Kulka that hope – and sarcasm – were present
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Opp 14 no 2 and 109; Schumann: Fantasy, etc review – satisfying and eloquent

Andrew Clements: Haedliger interleaves Beethoven and Schumann with the elements of the ancient world – earth, air, fire and water
Nelson Freire review – peerless piano playing from a master of clarity

Freire tackled a selection of Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin with dazzling technique and his trademark honesty, writes Andrew Clements
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition review – Flamboyant but contrived

The 2012 Leeds Piano Competition winner handles the big moments well but allows his sense of drama to obscure the music, writes Andrew Clements
Fazil Say: Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3; Sonatas No 32 Op 111 etc review – 'Essential listening'

This very forward-looking account of the Piano Concerto No 3 is epic in scale, writes Tim Ashley