Heiligenstadt Testament, 200 Years Old

[John Rasmussen]

Originally posted by Chaszz:
Salieri.

Probably Carl Maria von Weber, who detested Beethoven. (Professional envy? )

[This message has been edited by John Rasmussen (edited March 24, 2001).]

[Andrea]

Heiligenstadt Testament, 200 Years Old

I noticed that this topic was also missing from this board, so I have brought it back.

As I had said before in the earlier Testament topic, I plan to make a visit to this Beethoven house since it is just up the street from me. This small two room flat is where Beethoven lived when he wrote this Testament and he also composed his Sym. #2 here. I don't know if there will be some kind of commeration there on 6 Oct. but I will find out then.

The church, St. Michaels, that is the one just behind this flat that Beethoven could see from his window, but he could not hear its bells, will be having a concert in the afternoon. They will be performing Schubert's Sym.#4 and from Beethoven his Leonore Overture #3, tha Romance for violin and orch. in G major, Op.40 and the Romance for violin and orch. in F major, Op. 50. I don't know if they know that this concert is being performed on the 200th anniversary of this Testament. This church does have concerts like this on a couple of Sundays during the year. I'll be checking out here in Heiligenstadt on 6 Oct. and see if anything special is being done for this 200th date. I will let you all know later.

[Chris]

That's odd - I wonder why there are some topics missing from the forums? It's not my doing and I doubt it was Peter, so it must be a glitch of some kind. I'll see if I can track it down.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Chris:
That's odd - I wonder why there are some topics missing from the forums? It's not my doing and I doubt it was Peter, so it must be a glitch of some kind. I'll see if I can track it down.

Certainly not me - something is afoot!

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'Man know thyself'

[Andrea]

GREMLINS!!!!

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Andrea:
GREMLINS!!!!

Salieri.

[Chris]

Bump to account for time bug.

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Chris:
Bump to account for time bug.

The Heiligenstadt Testament radio play on BBC 4 will come on in a little over an hour from this posting - 2:15 PM Greenwich time, 10:15 AM NY time, 7:15 AM Pacific time. Go to google.com and type in 'BBC Radio 4' and it will come back with a good listening site, about the third one down. Once there, there are 2 live stream choices - FM and something else. I don't know which one will
have it. Also I'm sure it will go up on their listening archives board, once over.

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Chaszz:
The Heiligenstadt Testament radio play on BBC 4 will come on in a little over an hour from this posting - 2:15 PM Greenwich time, 10:15 AM NY time, 7:15 AM Pacific time. Go to google.com and type in 'BBC Radio 4' and it will come back with a good listening site, about the third one down. Once there, there are 2 live stream choices - FM and something else. I don't know which one will
have it. Also I'm sure it will go up on their listening archives board, once over.

Sorry - it's on now. 9:15 AM NY time, 6:15 Pacific time... It is weird to hear Beethoven speaking with a British accent.

[Rutradelusasa]

Originally posted by John Rasmussen:
Probably Carl Maria von Weber, who detested Beethoven. (Professional envy? )

[This message has been edited by John Rasmussen (edited March 24, 2001).]

WHERE THE HELL DID YOU HEAR WEBER HATED BEETHOVE???? As I the two of them meeted once and either both of them came out of the meeting saying to people they liked each other, B encouraged weber to continue with his operas, weber always said to people he admired B a lot...

I don't think Weber, or any composer, had anything against Beethoven, Rossini greeted him, Schubert thought he was his hero...

[Rod]

Originally posted by Rutradelusasa:
WHERE THE HELL DID YOU HEAR WEBER HATED BEETHOVE???? As I the two of them meeted once and either both of them came out of the meeting saying to people they liked each other, B encouraged weber to continue with his operas, weber always said to people he admired B a lot...

I don't think Weber, or any composer, had anything against Beethoven, Rossini greeted him, Schubert thought he was his hero...

It is true that on many occasions Weber slandered Beethoven and his music, often in print under, I think, a different name. If you read Schindler's biography he reserves a whole section for this topic alone. In later years Weber seems to have 'seen the light' and became a good friend of Beethoven's. But I doubt if B was fully aware of the extent of Weber's critisism of him.


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Joy]

Did anyone get to listen to the Heiligenstadt
Testament special on BBC 4 this week? How was it?

Joy

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Joy:
Did anyone get to listen to the Heiligenstadt
Testament special on BBC 4 this week? How was it?

Joy

I listened to it. Though the text of the little play wasn't bad, Beethoven was acted by an urbane, quietly spoken British actor with a soft voice. Try as I might, I could not imagine for an instant that I was listening to Beethoven's voice. Therefore the whole thing seemed slight.

[Andrea]

Today is 6 Oct. and I made a visit to the Heiligenstadt Testament house. They didn't have anything special to mark the 200th anniversary of this moving testament. It was so quiet there; no visitors, just me. The sky was dark gray and it was raining. I wonder what the weather was like 200 years ago today. Was it cold and rainy too? Standing in the small coutyard of this house made me feel so alone and isolated. The silence was deafening; not even the falling rain made a sound. As I left this Beethoven house there was a lone Japanese girl standing on the curb opposite the house with camera in hand. But then again this house is a popular tourist stop for the Japanese tourists.

At this very moment a concert is now playing in the St. Michael's church behind this Beethoven house. This was the church that he could see from his window but he could not hear its bells toll. I can hear these bells toll from my flat and I sometimes think how sad that he couldn't hear them. I'm sure that now he can hear them as clear as I can and that makes me happy.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Andrea:
Today is 6 Oct. and I made a visit to the Heiligenstadt Testament house. They didn't have anything special to mark the 200th anniversary of this moving testament. It was so quiet there; no visitors, just me.

At least you were there Andrea on behalf of this forum to pay our respects.

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'Man know thyself'