Search - Jeremy Siepmann, Ludwig van Beethoven, Bela Drahos :: The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven

This set is a fine introduction to Beethoven for a certain class of listeners. It is much too long, detailed, and serious for children. It is not for advanced musicologists, either. Author-narrator Jeremy Siepmann avoids musical analysis altogether, concentrating instead on biographical material about Beethoven and his friends and providing historical and social background. Siepmann's text is absorbing and is frequently illustrated with substantial music examples (usually complete movements) from the Naxos catalog. Unfortunately, the first such example (from the Seventh Symphony) sounds regrettably mushy, but otherwise, the performances are consistently rewarding. If Naxos has put together this set, with its very large booklet, partly to promote its catalog of Beethoven recordings, the company may well find listeners attracted by the examples offered. The complete reproduction of the spoken text seems like a waste of space and paper, but the remaining material in the booklet is intelligently written and useful. Even people generally familiar with Beethoven are sure to find something new and interesting here. --Leslie Gerber