For the exhibition Beethoven. World. Citizen. Music. currently on view at the Kunsthalle in Bonn, needs no further promotion on Klassiek Centraal. We've already said enough about thatOur unanimous advice remains unchanged: go see it! This exhibition is not only a must for Beethoven enthusiasts, but for anyone who truly loves music.
Besides, the exhibition catalog itself is in a class of its own. I rarely see a catalog that gives such a complete picture of an exhibition—unless it's the catalog for Music and Painting in the Golden Age, an exhibition held in 1994 at the Hessenhuis Museum in Antwerp. That was also one of those books that transcended the exhibition through its extensive documentation and beautiful production. I remember people went to that exhibition just to buy the catalog.
This catalog falls into the same category and deserves special attention. Like any good catalog, you can use it as a reference work to revisit the exhibition at home in your own time. All the paintings, documents, and objects on display are pictured in it. Well, almost all of them: I searched in vain for an image of that magnificent contrabassoon by Viennese bassoon maker Koch, but that's hardly a concern for the average visitor.
The curators of Beethoven. World. Citizen. Music. Agnieszka Łuńska and Julia Ronge have chosen to challenge the traditional image of Beethoven. Instead of offering the usual overview of how Beethoven has been perceived, they boldly reach for the duster—for modernization.
They present the composer as an artist inextricably bound to the lived experience and socio-historical conditions of his time.
Goodbye to the myth of Beethoven the revolutionary, the Titan, or the suffering, struggling genius!
Beethoven as pure as can be
We see Beethoven as a human being with feelings and needs, with both his good and less admirable sides. As a professional musician who occasionally had to be shamelessly opportunistic, simply to make ends meet, connected through a fine-meshed network with his contemporaries. A network that enabled him to go far and ultimately transcend all established musical boundaries. Everything placed in the historical context of endless wars, politically turbulent times. The damaging effects of the French Revolution in Bonn. Economic crisis, the peace of 1814/1815. The horrors of war that were also visible in Vienna. All of this must have profoundly influenced Beethoven.
The added value of this catalog lies in how Łuńska and Ronge have used it to deepen and reinforce their innovative vision of Beethoven. To this end, they invited a number of leading specialists, including our own Jan Caeyers to write an essay on one of the facets of Beethoven's life, work, and times.
Thus, the catalog has simultaneously become a collection of scholarly essays.
In contrast to the usual three-part division of Beethoven's life, they distinguish five periods: The budding professional musician, youth and formative years in Bonn; Vienna, new horizons; the road to success; fame and its price; the boundless Beethoven. The titles speak for themselves.
Each period is examined from different angles. The reader thus gains a very thorough and complete picture of Beethoven's life, work, and times. No aspect is left in the shadows. Everything you might not yet know about Beethoven can be found here.
This is no longer an exhibition catalog in the classical sense of the word, but a brilliantly illustrated and very comprehensive book about Beethoven, which complements the already richly documented exhibition.
With its clear, well-organized content, timelines, short lucid and highly readable essays, this is a jewel of a book. Beautifully designed as well.
The love for Beethoven practically leaps off every page!
If you have the opportunity to visit the exhibition, you'd be making a big mistake not to buy this catalog. You're guaranteed to regret it! Price shouldn't be an issue: at thirty-five euros, this is a steal!
Of course, not everyone can make the trip to Bonn. For those unfortunates, this catalog is a perfect opportunity to experience the exhibition from home and immerse yourself thoroughly in Beethoven's life, nestled comfortably in an armchair by the central heating, leafing through this very attractively designed volume. That's what the Germans call schmökern.
Highly recommended!
- WHAT: Catalog World. Citizen. Music.
- DESIGN: Studio Pandan, Berlin – 264 pages with approximately 282 color and 8 black-and-white images, hardcover, 30.5 x 24.0 cmMUSEUM EDITION: € 35
- BOOKSTORE EDITION: published by Wienand, Cologne for € 39.80Klassiek-Centraal.be » Schmökern with Ludwig comments feed
- As for the exhibition Beethoven. World. Citizen. Music, currently on view at the Kunsthalle in Bonn, there's no need for Klassiek Centraal to do any more advertising. That's been done quite enough already. Our unanimous advice remains unchanged: go see it! This exhibition is not only a must for Beethoven fanatics, but…: published by Wienand, Cologne for €39.80
