In 1970, conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim and his close friend, filmmaker Christopher Nupen, collaborated on a thirteen-part series about Ludwig van Beethoven's music - marking the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. Lost to the British public for half a century, this series of films has never been shown together on national television in the UK. Now, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary in 2020, the episodes have been resurrected in their original form.
In Episode 5, Barenboim elaborates on Beethoven's creative working process as a composer and turns his attention to "Fidelio" (which was originally called "Leonore"), Beethoven’s only opera. Barenboim points out that Beethoven almost never rewrote his work, but his opera went through many modifications before finding the form in which it is most commonly performed today.
Music piece excerpts performed:
04:05 Ludwig van Beethoven - Leonora Ouverture No. 2, Op. 72a
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