Book Review
Jun. 29th, 2014 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariBeethoven
by Maynard Solomon
This thorough and probing biography of Beethoven was fascinating from beginning to end. Solomon takes on both the facts of Beethoven's life and a deep, thoughtful analysis of the composer's psyche, artistic life, and socio-political context. he takes on both the inner and outer forces in Beethoven's life and thus succeeds in presenting a complex and finely nuanced portrait of the composer as a full person rather than the great, misunderstood artist of myth and legend. Solomon definitely does not back away from Beethoven's less attractive attributes or even from his mental and emotional problems. Luckily, it's all discussed with great sympathy and no sensationalism. I could have wished for a little more analysis of the music and a little less analysis of the man and his psychology, but it was all so illuminating and interesting that I still found this book immensely satisfying.
by Maynard Solomon
This thorough and probing biography of Beethoven was fascinating from beginning to end. Solomon takes on both the facts of Beethoven's life and a deep, thoughtful analysis of the composer's psyche, artistic life, and socio-political context. he takes on both the inner and outer forces in Beethoven's life and thus succeeds in presenting a complex and finely nuanced portrait of the composer as a full person rather than the great, misunderstood artist of myth and legend. Solomon definitely does not back away from Beethoven's less attractive attributes or even from his mental and emotional problems. Luckily, it's all discussed with great sympathy and no sensationalism. I could have wished for a little more analysis of the music and a little less analysis of the man and his psychology, but it was all so illuminating and interesting that I still found this book immensely satisfying.
