WTSTW 2020: Ludwig van Beethoven

Paul Kildea – musician, author and Artistic Director of Musica Viva, Australia – presents a fascinating look at iconic composer Beethoven

About this Event

In 1794 Joseph Haydn wrote a sonata for the brilliant pianist Therese Jansen, a work of astonishing depth and complexity. A year later his pupil Ludwig van Beethoven composed his first piano sonata, which owed more than a little to Mozart (who had died four years earlier) and gave no indication of the ingenuity and originality his subsequent thirty-one sonatas would exhibit. In 1795 everyone’s money would have been on Haydn as the architect of nineteenth century romantic spirit, not this gruff young man from Bonn. In this illustrated lecture Paul Kildea – musician, author and Artistic Director of Musica Viva, Australia – looks at the emergence of the genius Beethoven against a backdrop of romanticism, revolution, and fast-changing piano technology and audience tastes.

About The Series

Presented by the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Centre, Works That Shaped The World is an engaging series of talks exploring humankind's achievements and creations. The inaugural 2019 series explored the moon through topics ranging from Shakespeare and cinema, to environmental humanities and Pythagoras, marking the 50 years since the Apollo 11 landing. The 2020 series focuses on the year 1770, and the legacy 250 years later of people and objects born of that year. Find out more about the series and subscribe to the podcast at cass.anu.edu.au/wtstw