In Search of Beethoven

Aroview: Dir. Grabsky's scrupulous follow-up to his IN SEARCH OF MOZART examines classical music's other pre-eminent composer, Beethoven, in obsessive detail.

Documenting each piece of music by chronologically marrying it to Beethoven's biography and letters, this addresses the romantic myth that Beethoven was a heroic, tormented figure battling to overcome his tragic fate, struck down by deafness, who searched for his 'immortal beloved' but remained unmarried. It delves beyond the image of the tortured, cantankerous, unhinged personality, to reveal someone quite different and far more interesting. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson and young RSC actor David Dawson.

"…starring many of the leading exponents of Beethoven's music, this expansive treatment avoids drama-doc clichés, and, through copious close-ups of fingers on strings and hands on keyboards, gives intimate insights into the art itself." - BBC Music Magazine

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