Beethoven at 250: Happy Birthday, Ludwig!

Beethoven, remixed:Deutsche Grammophon has digitised some of the oldest Beethoven records ever made. Electro musician Christian Löffler set them as the basis for a recomposition, creating small musical gems in their own right – fascinating and beautiful to hear.

Rediscovering a forgotten musician:The story of Black violin virtuoso George Bridgetower is not widely known, although he was the musician for whom Beethoven in 1802 composed the music that would later be famous as “Kreutzer Sonata”. Chineke! orchestra’s Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE tells this forgotten master’s story, and masterly violinist Randall Goosby pays homage with an incredible rendition of the piece itself.

Inspiring the fine arts: Beethoven and his music have inspired paintings, portraits, etchings, monuments and busts of all genres. One artwork surpasses them all: Gustav Klimt’s monumental Beethoven frieze, referring to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and located at Vienna’s Secession. Google Arts & Culture captured it with their super-high-definition robotic camera, allowing everyone to explore it to the last golden pigment. 

Odd Objects and love stories:The famous Beethoven portrait mentioned earlier is just one piece of the collection that our museum’s team showcases online – from his hearing aids, his desk and violin to autographs, letters and conversation booklets, Beethoven’s life can be discovered through the objects he was surrounded by. Another great way to start getting familiar with Beethoven is to explore  whyhis music is so fascinating, why his symphonies might remind you of some office colleagues, or how the composer, who was never lucky in love, expressed his affection. 

Beethoven’s Musical Secrets:We couldn’t perceive Beethoven as the composer he is without the musicians interpreting his compositions – a world renowned selection of artists including members of the Vienna Philharmonic, conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin or soprano Karita Mattila talk about their lives with Beethoven. 

Deaf artists and Beethoven: Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his late 20s, and went almost completely deaf by the end of his life. Yet he continued to create music, inspiring artists to this very day. One powerful example is the deaf hip hop dance champion Kassandra Wedel, who delivered a moving interpretation of the Fifth Symphony on the occasion of this year’s World Hearing Day.

I am inviting everyone to explore and discover all the content on “Beethoven Everywhere” on Google Arts & Culture – and join me in wishing him all the best for the next 250 years!