By Angela Zanders
The Petersfield Beethoven Festival is a series of 10 lecture recitals, concerts and talks taking place in St Peter’s Church, Petersfield between January and November 2027 to celebrate the bicentenary of Beethoven’s death in 1827. We have some wonderful musicians and speakers taking part, including the author, journalist and Classic FM presenter, John Suchet, and the final orchestral concert will feature Beethoven’s exciting Triple Concerto, along with Mozart’s ever-popular Symphony no. 40 in G minor, with the South Downs Camerata Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Willcocks.
Why Beethoven?
When a young lady whom Ludwig van Beethoven had proposed marriage to was asked why she turned him down, she replied, “Because he was so ugly and half-crazy!” Beethoven had a reputation among his contemporaries for being a difficult and temperamental man to deal with, but underneath the gruff and often unkempt exterior was a man of intense self-belief, determination and genius who fought through deafness, illness and tragedy to create some of the most triumphant, heartfelt and life-affirming music in all classical music.
I have loved Beethoven’s music since I was a child and I was fortunate to study music in Vienna, where Beethoven lived for over half his life and where he created his greatest compositions. The Covid pandemic of 2020 severely restricted the worldwide celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 1770, so I was determined that we would commemorate the bicentenary of his death in 1827 with concerts, talks and lecture recitals in the locality of Petersfield, where I live.
So, why Beethoven? His story and his music are pivotal in their potential in providing a strong message of hope in the goodness of humanity and its triumph over adversity in today’s uncertain and dangerous world. I believe that each one of us deserves to be uplifted by the inspiring story of his life, the countless amusing anecdotes about him by his contemporaries and, above all, by the sublime and captivating greatness of his music.
