Author: Suchet, John
Western classical" music
Published on 21 August 2025 by Elliott & Thompson Limited in the United Kingdom.
Paperback | 272 pages
129 x 198 x 23 | 232g
A PRESTO BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024?‘From palaces to warzones John Suchet goes on a Beethoven odyssey’ The Daily Telegraph‘This personal account of his life-long passion has an appealing light touch’ Financial Times Best Books of the Year‘This is a wonderful tale of self-realisation of what we can gain from turning to genius in life's many crises.’ Norman Lebrecht author of Why Beethoven From the bestselling author of Beethoven: The Man Revealed In Search of Beethoven is John Suchet’s latest and most personal book dedicated to the life of this extraordinary composer. Part biography part memoir part travelogue Suchet draws on his own life and career as a foreign correspondent and news anchor to show how Beethoven’s music has accompanied him through the best and worst of times. It was with him as a music-loving and adventurous teenager as a journalist entering Beirut in the grip of civil war and as he has continued to explore the old cities of Bonn and Vienna in search of the man behind the music.
In this novel and compelling book we see Beethoven brought vividly – and sometimes painfully – to life. Suchet traces Beethoven’s footsteps from his early years in Bonn to his dying days in Vienna taking us on a journey both literal and symbolic as he uses his own experience as a Beethoven aficionado to demonstrate the life-changing power of great music.
‘This is a comprehensive yet accessible history of Beethoven wrapped up in an inviting immersive tale of adventure and discovery delivered in an inviting engaging and endearing way typical of this master storyteller.’ Debbie Wiseman OBE composer and conductor
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