Beethoven's Revolution

Beethoven could have made a nice living as a travelling virtuoso pianist to the nobility of Vienna, but his genius didn’t allow for that. Instead, he changed the course of Western art music through his radical re-envisioning of what the symphony, concerto and sonata could be.

In this insightful and entertaining talk, Jonathan James looks at how Beethoven tore up the rule book and what composers even today, 250 years after his birth, owe to that legacy.

The Classical Music Roadmap is our series of illustrated, introductory talks, exploring the music of great composers. Led by musicologist and presenter, Jonathan James, they feature state-of-the-art sound, courtesy of Nottingham Hi-Fi Centre, and a live musical interlude in the Royal Concert Hall. Accessible and informal, they’re suitable for both beginners and seasoned concert-goers.