Why Beethoven

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

Without Beethoven, music as we know it wouldn't exist.

There'd be no Wagner, Verdi, Mahler, Nina Simone, Michael Jackson, down to cello-playing Ed Sheeran. Norman Lebrecht asks: why? Who was this titan of world culture? In 100 recordings, freely available on Idagio and YouTube, Lebrecht brings to life the composer as we've never seen him before. Unruly, offensive and hopeless in his housekeeping, yes, but driven to a fault and devoted to his art: conquering deafness to pen the Missa Solemnis.

Along the way, we encounter Beethoven's performers across the centuries, in their glories and in their foibles. In this salacious and salutary biography, Beethoven emerges as the cornerstone of the world as we know it.

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Hardback
ISBN13: 9780861544530
Published: February 2023

Number of pages: 352
Width: 153 mm
Height: 234 mm
Depth: 30 mm

Publisher: Oneworld Publications