Beethoven

Anguish and Triumph

De: Jan Swafford

Narrado por: Michael Prichard

Duración: 39 h y 7 m

Resumen del Editor

Jan Swafford's biographies have established him as a revered music historian, capable of bringing his subjects vibrantly to life. His magnificent new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven peels away layers of legend to get to the living, breathing human being who composed some of the world's most iconic music.

Swafford mines sources never before used in English-language biographies to reanimate the revolutionary ferment of Enlightenment-era Bonn, where Beethoven grew up and imbibed the ideas that would shape all of his future work. Swafford then tracks his subject to Vienna, capital of European music, where Beethoven built his career in the face of critical incomprehension, crippling ill health, romantic rejection, and "fate's hammer," his ever-encroaching deafness.

©2014 Jan Swafford (P)2015 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Indeed, readers will want to refer to the book often when they listen to Beethoven. A marvelous achievement." ( Booklist)

Beethoven - the man and his music

This is a sad story, but also encouraging as you see how Beethoven struggled through his many physical ailments, tortured by his unrequited loves, but yet wrote some of the most beautiful and passionate music ever heard at his time.

A good listen for the first 4/5 of the book.

Where does Beethoven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 30%

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beethoven?

His upbring with a an abusive alcoholic father, his musical genius and persistence in getting every note and cord perfect, sometimes taking him weeks to accomplish.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Making what could be a tedious read a good listen.

Great book. Terrible narration.

Very poor choice of reader for this book. The voice and affect of the performer are really spoiling it for me. Much as I want to read this, I'm not sure I can take 39 hours of this narrator's voice.

Enjoyable, engrossing.

Would you consider the audio edition of Beethoven to be better than the print version?

This is a wonderfully in depth examination of Beethoven's life and his times. My only complaint is the occasional mispronunciation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Although impossible, yes.

Wonderful Biography of A Supreme Artist

Would you listen to Beethoven again? Why?

Yes. You cannot separate the music from the person. The author told the story of Beethoven and wove in the analysis of his music synchronized with his life.

What other book might you compare Beethoven to and why?

There are other masterpiece books about Beethoven, but this one gave the most expert analysis of the music.

Which scene was your favorite?

Beethoven's writing the Heiligenstadt Testament and his death bed.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No film could do justice to such a person.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Pritchard is an experienced and excellent narrator. His narration was wonderful, except he mispronounced "Pianoforte" 100s of times.

Informative look at the life of a remarkable man whose fate it was to enlarge the scope of musical expression.

I really loved Swafford's portrait of Brahms, hence the reason I bought this book. Having read Thayer's tome on Beethoven since the age of 12, I was hungry for new insights into the life of Beethoven.
I was delighted to read newer information about Beethoven the man, and felt gratified as Mr. Stafford dispelled all of the silly gossip and rumors (especially the movie "Immortal Beloved) surrounding his loves and his death.
I was a little disappointed when Mr. Stafford would analyse various works throughout the composer's life; although he does point out the turning points in Beethoven's composition styles, his analysis become largely subjective where he could have stuck to the point.
I don't know if it is a Kindle problem, but many of the paintings of Beethoven were not included. Also, links to YouTube performances of his sited compositions would have been a blessing. My Kindle edition was also missing the music scores of the pieces being analysed, with notations regarding the specific uses of harmony and rhythm being described by Swafford.
Overall, I do recommend this work. It is missing some of the objective, detailed analysis that is present in Swafford's Brahms biography, but it does clarify Beethoven's idiosyncratic personality, and the events that changed his life and music. I was able to derive that Beethoven, from an early age, was bent on enlarging the scope of musical expression, and through hard work and self-discipline, he achieved his goal! Lucky for us!

Narrator Only Strange At First

The narrator is a little strange, fast talking at first but quickly converts to normal speed and is great to listen to. Hang in there for a bit then enjoy this fantastic book.

very good,

too detailed for an audio book sometimes hard to follow but enjoyable. i would recommend it for someone who is classically trained musician.

Listen to Sample Prior to Purchase

Nice content, but I did not like reader's voice - sounded like an announcer on a police TV story from the 1970s.

Well worth all 27 hours!!

While I am not schooled in music this book gave me a deep appreciation of the man AND his art. Beethoven is my favorite composer now I appreciate him all the more!