Beethoven

Anguish and Triumph

De: Jan Swafford

Narrado por: Michael Prichard

Jan Swafford's biographies have established him as a revered music historian, capable of bringing his subjects vibrantly to life. His magnificent new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven peels away layers of legend to get to the living, breathing human being who composed some of the world's most iconic music.

Swafford mines sources never before used in English-language biographies to reanimate the revolutionary ferment of Enlightenment-era Bonn, where Beethoven grew up and imbibed the ideas that would shape all of his future work. Swafford then tracks his subject to Vienna, capital of European music, where Beethoven built his career in the face of critical incomprehension, crippling ill health, romantic rejection, and "fate's hammer," his ever-encroaching deafness.

©2014 Jan Swafford (P)2015 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Indeed, readers will want to refer to the book often when they listen to Beethoven. A marvelous achievement." ( Booklist)

A good listen for the first 4/5 of the book.

Where does Beethoven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 30%

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beethoven?

His upbring with a an abusive alcoholic father, his musical genius and persistence in getting every note and cord perfect, sometimes taking him weeks to accomplish.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Making what could be a tedious read a good listen.

Beethoven - the man and his music

This is a sad story, but also encouraging as you see how Beethoven struggled through his many physical ailments, tortured by his unrequited loves, but yet wrote some of the most beautiful and passionate music ever heard at his time.

How it would go into the pieces themselves and what makes them work.

So overall great, the material is very interesting. It weaves a great narrative of Beethoven’s life while also breaking down his most famous pieces.

At times the reader was very dry and boring. I listened to this one on and off over a year.

Very Detailed Biography

What did you like best about this story?

The level of details available about his daily life. Letters and manuscripts (many records kept due to conversations written down because of his deafness).

Any additional comments?

I read other reviews that complained about too much musical composition details. I thought that I would still enjoy that part but found myself eventually skipping through those parts as they could only be enjoyed by another composer. I still enjoyed the book and learned much about Beethoven's life which is what I was hoping to learn.

Must read for anyone interested in Beethoven

An in depth look at the life and works of Beethoven, particularly good for the latter. Narrator is clear and the conveys the tone of the author well.

A Gift: Well Conceived, Well Written, Well Read

This is a monumental work that is beautifully written with a pace that moves right along, filling in historical context as needed and holding the reader's attention with vivid description. As always, Michael Prichard's narration is the icing on the cake. He doesn't do funny accents or mispronounce foreign words. He is as expressive as the text requires, but maintains a neutral delivery style that, at least for me, gets out of the way and lets the words' meanings come through. The author clearly sets up the project, giving the reader a sense of what is to come and signaling when he moves from fact to deduction.

Great book. Terrible narration.

Very poor choice of reader for this book. The voice and affect of the performer are really spoiling it for me. Much as I want to read this, I'm not sure I can take 39 hours of this narrator's voice.

Enjoyable, engrossing.

Would you consider the audio edition of Beethoven to be better than the print version?

This is a wonderfully in depth examination of Beethoven's life and his times. My only complaint is the occasional mispronunciation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Although impossible, yes.

Listen to Sample Prior to Purchase

Nice content, but I did not like reader's voice - sounded like an announcer on a police TV story from the 1970s.

Well worth all 27 hours!!

While I am not schooled in music this book gave me a deep appreciation of the man AND his art. Beethoven is my favorite composer now I appreciate him all the more!