This is a unique
item both at the price and generally
and will suit the Beethoven enthusiast
very well indeed. Its uniqueness does
not lie in its large format - that
has been done before. It is to be
found in the clever inclusion of facsimiles
of key documents in Beethoven's life.
These are inserted into an inventive
variety of slots and taped envelopes
all in a style seemingly consistent
with the times from which the original
item dates.
The author is the
one-time newsreader John Suchet brother
of Poirot actor David Suchet. John
has written a whole series of detailed
biographies of Beethoven and his work
as a Beethoven authority including
the Classic FM Friendly Guide to Beethoven
and a multi-volume study entitled
The Last Master.
The sections are
arranged so that each can be read
in its own fascinating right. In effect
it is rather like those admirably
earnest weekly partwork encyclopedias
(Knowledge and Finding Out)
that were so popular in the 1960s.
It's extremely colourful and tasteful.
Every page is busy with pictures,
detailed panels and narrative. Sometimes
one has to flip the envelope carrying
a facsimile out of the way to read
all the text.
The inserts are coloured
facsimiles of the originals or certainly
appear to be. For that reason, given
how indistinct and faded the handwriting
or printing is, it is to be applauded
that Deutsch have included as the
first pocket a complete transcript
in booklet-form of the full text of
each document in English. It is only
a pity that the full text was not
printed on each page on which the
insert document appears.
These documents have
some impact but it is very much cosmetic
- fascinating but more surface lustre
than substance. As for the substance
Suchet's text is arranged as a series
of double pages under titles such
as The Age of Revolution, Childhood
in Bonn, Beethoven's Women, Europe
at War, Immortal Beloved and The Final
Illness.
The full list of
sections is: Introduction; Europe
in 18th Century; Beethoven's Childhood;
Meeting Mozart; Vienna, City of Music;
A Musician and his Patrons; Deafness;
Eroica Symphony; Pathetique Piano
Sonata; Kreutzer Violin Sonata; Beethoven's
Women; Moonlight Sonata; Fifth Symphony;
The Opera; Pastoral Symphony; Emperor
Piano Concerto; Immortal Beloved;
Family Strife; The Court Case; Hammerklavier
Sonata; Last Three Piano Sonatas;
Missa Solemnis; Choral Symphony; Karl's
Revenge; The Late Quartets; The Final
Illness; A Loyal Friend; The Legacy;
In Beethoven's Footsteps. There is
an index to help you cut across the
sections.
It's a hybrid - and
rather an agreeable one - of lifetime
narrative and cross-cutting themes
in music and in history. Beethoven's
legacy is carried forward to the present
day in the works of the great conductors
and this appears as one themed section.
The pity is that this section does
not show photographs of young new
conductors of the rising or recently
risen generation such as Gustavo Dudamel.
The place of Beethoven's music in
the firmament is self-renewing rather
than having to be tied to the names
of Toscanini and Bernstein. True Barenboim
is also pictured but he is now of
the most senior generation.
The presentation
is completely and agreeably over the
top with a luxury slip-case which
is both pretty substantial and heavy.
This volume is intelligently
complemented by a single CD slipped
into the first page. The tracks are
all licensed from EMI Classics and
include single movements from Symphony
5 (RLPO/Mackerras), Symphony 3 (Philadelphia/Muti),
Fidelio overture (Rattle), Missa Solemnis
(Giulini), Moonlight sonata (Kovacevich)
and Kreutzer sonata (the Menuhins,
Yehudi and Jeremy). I had half been
expecting the usual third league German
and Slovakian names but clearly Suchet
and his collaborators at Deutsch have
sights set higher.
Because of the payload
of documents and insert envelopes
on top of high quality art paper I
have my doubts about how well the
standard paper binding will hold up
even if protected in the slip case.
After all this book is meant to be
read and it does make a good and easily
digestible continuous read as well
as a rewarding browser. Interestingly
it would also convert very aptly into
a CD-ROM of DVD; I wonder if someone
is already working on this.
The volume is of
a piece with other issues in the same
Experience the Treasures series.
These include The Napoleonic Wars,
1916 - Verdun and the Somme, The Cold
War Experience, The Civil War Experience
(USA), Shakespeare, Monet, Rembrandt
and Van Gogh. The full range and details
from www.experiencethetreasures.co.uk.
Rob Barnett
