Beethoven: The Man Revealed

The Sunday Times bestseller You know the music... but do you know the man? Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the world's best loved and most influential composers. His life - its dramas, conflicts, loves and losses - is played out in his music. Now John Suchet shows us the man behind the music in this compelling biography of a musical genius. He reveals a difficult and complex character, struggling to continue his profession as musician despite increasing deafness, alienating friends with unprovoked outbursts of anger one moment, overwhelming them with excessive kindness and generosity the next, living in a city in almost constant disarray because of war with France. This is the real Beethoven, and Suchet brings him faithfully and vividly to life.

Table of Contents:
1. The Spaniard: In which a momentous life begins 2. The Right Teacher: This boy could become 'a second Mozart' 3. Meeting Mozart: Watch out for that boy 4. Word Spreads: Young Beethoven as kitchen scullion 5. Impressing The Viennese: But Haydn feels the wrath of an angry young man 6. My Poor Hearing Haunts Me: But there is 'a dear charming girl who loves me' 7. Only My Art Held Me Back: In which Beethoven considers suicide 8. Egyptian Hieroglyphics: Napoleon is no more than 'a common tyrant' 9. O, Beloved J!: Musical failure, but will Beethoven succeed in love? 10. A Deeply Immoral Woman: Beethoven holds the most important concert of his life, and is offered a job 11. Under Cannon Fire: In which Beethoven once again tries his luck at love 12. Immortal Beloved: 'My angel, my all, my very self ' 13. An Utterly Untamed Personality: Beethoven turns again to his 'poor shipwrecked opera' 14. Into The Witness Box: How the single letter 'o' ruined Beethoven's life 15. A Musical Gift: How Rossini found Beethoven 'disorderly and dirty' 16. 'I Want To Be A Soldier': In which Beethoven gets drunk with friends 17. Two Pistols And Gunpowder: An invitation to get away from it all 18. Frightening The Oxen: 'The greatest composer of the century, and you treated him like a servant!' 19. Terminally Ill: 'His face was damp, he spat blood' 20. The Last Master: 'He was an artist, but a man as well'

About the Author :
John Suchet presents Classic FM's flagship morning programme, from 9am every weekday. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK's best-known television journalists. As a reporter for ITN he covered world events, including the Iran revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Philippines revolution. He then became a newscaster, regularly presenting ITN's flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly twenty years. John has been honoured for both roles. In 1986 he was voted Television Journalist of the Year, in 1996 Television Newscaster of the Year, and in 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded him its highest accolade, a Lifetime Achievement Award. John has been given an honorary degree by his old university, the University of Dundee, and in 2001 the Royal Academy of Music awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his work on Beethoven. He has published six books on the composer, including the highly acclaimed Beethoven: The Man Revealed (2012). He is also the author of The Last Waltz (2015), Mozart: The Man Revealed (2016) and Verdi: The Man Revealed (2017).

Review :
"I have loved and performed Beethoven since I was very young and have read a good deal about the life and times of this giant among composers, but John Suchet's infectious enthusiasm and fascination, probing the details behind every step of his life, and turning sensitive sleuth when the facts are less clear, opens new vistas and makes for a gripping and thought-provoking read." -- Howard Shelley, Pianist and Conductor; "John Suchet offers us a fascinating and touchingly human insight into a great figure who has consumed him for decades. By exercising a genuine authority in identifying how Beethoven, the man, manifests himself in our appreciation of the music, Suchet brings an incisive freshness to an extraordinary life. The results in his 'Beethovenia' are always rigorously researched and accompanied by a child-like passion to communicate the composer's true essence." -- Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music; "Beethoven's music continues to form one of the cornerstones of the concert repertoire some 200 years after it was written, and its sheer ingenuity and inventiveness never cease to amaze the perceptive listener. Knowing the context in which it was written can aid our understanding of the music, and every biography of Beethoven's unusual life has something new to say. Although some aspects of his life, such as his deafness, and his great love for his only nephew, are well known, this book also includes many details that are less familiar. John Suchet writes with infectious enthusiasm, and his avoidance of technical detail makes this a biography that can be read and understood by anyone interested in the composer." -- Professor Barry Cooper, University of Manchester; "John Suchet's wonderfully readable biography of Beethoven will give a fresh insight for many people into the happenings behind the music. Beautifully illustrated, it will appeal to the music lover who wants to enhance the experience of listening to some of the greatest music ever written." -- Angela Hewitt, Pianist; "I found myself reading and enjoying it almost as a story rather than a factual account. The lives and relationships of the Strauss family were certainly fascinating ... John Suchet skilfully mixes the family dramas with informative details of history and place and no great knowledge of music is needed to enjoy this book" -- Nudge-Book.com; "Suchet ... very knowledgeable music presenter on Classic FM radio station, tells the story clearly, logically and with entertaining language" -- Army Rumour Service