Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

In Search of Beethoven
Directed by Phil Grabsky
Seventh Art 09/09 Documentary
Not Rated

This impressive and engrossing documentary on the life and musical genius of Ludwig van Beethoven has been flawlessly filmed, written, and directed by Phil Grabsky. Some of the world's most prestigious and talented performers, historians, and musicologists, including Jonathan Bliss, Gianandrea Noseda, Claudio Abbado, Fabio Luisi, Ronald Brautigam, Helene Grimaud, and Vadim Repin, offer thought-provoking and enthusiastic commentary on this prolific composer. The film is narrated by Juliet Stevenson and the Royal Shakespeare Company's David Dawson. Various letters are read in which Beethoven describes about his romantic entanglements, his financial difficulties, his poor health, his interest in the ideals of the French Revolution, his depression and suicidal moments, his exhausting struggle for custody of his nephew, and the burdens of deafness at the height of his musical career.

Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn where his father was a court musician. He gave his first concert at age 7 and wrote his first piano concerto at 13. By the age of 24, Beethoven was a star pianist in Vienna where he was briefly tutored by Hayden who, along with Mozart, was one of the most famous composers of the time.

Many of the experts interviewed for the documentary comment on Beethoven's immense creativity as he changed the face of instrumental music and came up with new techniques and sounds. It is fascinating to watch pianists and others interpret musical passages by Beethoven and take note of the large role of emotions in his creative output. The performances of this composer's works in the film are uniformly excellent, and it is exciting to hear the variety in them.

In Search of Beethoven ends on a high note with an affirmation of the composer's belief in joy and hope as two noble characteristics of humanity at its best.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat