Mazda Hall at 6pm
(Free Admittance)
In search of Beethoven – Filmed and Directed by Phil Grabsky
Narrated by Juliet Stevenson, In Search of Beethoven 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.
Phil Grabsky travelled across Europe and North America to interview historians and musicians between rehearsals and performances. He managed to film a remarkable 55 performances for the film – and has once again captured the raw energy of these world-class artists. It includes exclusive footage of Claudio Abbado’s critically-acclaimed performance of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. There are further performances from Frans Brüggen’s Orchestra of the 18th Century, the Salzburg Camerata with Sir Roger Norrington, Leipzig Gewandhaus with Riccardo Chailly, Vienna Symphony with Fabio Luisi, violinists Vadim Repin, Janine Jansen or pianists Leif Ove Andsnes, Ronald Brautigam, Jonathan Biss, Emanuel Ax, Lars Vogt, cellist Alban Gerhardt and the Endellion String Quartet.
