# Returning to Beethoven.



## Muddy (Feb 5, 2012)

My musical education truly began with Beethoven. My hero, my God. I was called Schroeder from the Peanuts cartoon by my friends. This was not just a 5th symphony or Moonlight addiction. I worshipped his sonatas and quartets and symphonies, including the late miracles. 

But I moved on to Mozart and Bach. Mozart was perfection. Bach was...hell, how does one describe Bach. I still don't know. But recent polls have me thinking about Beethoven. 

I have heard several posters saying they loved Beethoven once, but have moved on. I have been having the opposite experience. Has anyone else found themselves crawling back to the deaf master?


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I see no reason to 'leave' him! I have my fads for different composers but LvB remains!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Muddy said:


> But I moved on to Mozart and Bach. Mozart was perfection. Bach was...hell, how does one describe Bach. I still don't know. But recent polls have me thinking about Beethoven.


Mozart? Bach? Muddy, you've been a VERY bad boy!


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## chrisco97 (May 22, 2013)

I have never left him to begin with. :lol:


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I can't say I've ever left Beethoven, but his power over me has diminished a tad lately. I think this is normal for any composer that we listen to in binges. Possibly that's the wrong approach? I don't know.

I do know I have been completely burned out on Dvorak, though when I hear his works I can't help noticing their wonders. It's still not enough for me to consciously choose a Dvorak work for listening. Maybe someday I'll return to him.


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## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

I had a several obsession with Beethoven music some months ago. Now I am on my normal state, listening to it sometimes but nothing exaggerated. I almost killed his symphonies with over-listening and obsession to listen to different cycles. After 23 cycles and some of them listened multiple times I had to stay away for some months, but I am OK now


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I've never left! In fact, if I don't listen to his music for a while and then decide to listen to something, it feels like love at first hearing.


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## Muddy (Feb 5, 2012)

Cosmos said:


> I've never left! In fact, if I don't listen to his music for a while and then decide to listen to something, it feels like love at first hearing.


When I say left, I just mean I put Beethoven's music away for awhile and listened to other composers for years and years. I found new music to love and composers to cherish. But lately I have returned to Beethoven's music and it is blowing me away. Barenboim's recording of Sonata 32 op.111 leaves me speechless. The Arietta surely stands at the pinnacle of all piano compositions.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

I have never found a reason to stop loving one of my favorite composers; never will.

Especially van Beethoven.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

My personal definition of "obsessed" (musically) is wanting to hear everything a composer wrote, from Op 1 on, in all genres. That kind of obsession has only happened a few times in my 40+ years of listening (Schumann, Brahms, Elgar, Nielsen) and almost happened with two or three more.

For some reason, I never had the urge to get to know Beethoven more than just through the symphonies and concerti - but I've listened to those works in many versions and perhaps more often than the symphonies and concerti of any other composers, including my "obssessions". Beethoven is one of the old reliables for me - never my first love, but never out of the mix either.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

^^

Try the wind octet in e-flat, Vestie


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## Forte (Jul 26, 2013)

I get away from composers now and then to listen to new stuff. But Beethoven is always a god of music in the background and every time I come back to his works I learn something new, or bring other listening experiences to the table.

Also, I never get tired of the late string quartets no matter how much I listen to them.


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## Alydon (May 16, 2012)

Muddy said:


> My musical education truly began with Beethoven. My hero, my God. I was called Schroeder from the Peanuts cartoon by my friends. This was not just a 5th symphony or Moonlight addiction. I worshipped his sonatas and quartets and symphonies, including the late miracles.
> 
> But I moved on to Mozart and Bach. Mozart was perfection. Bach was...hell, how does one describe Bach. I still don't know. But recent polls have me thinking about Beethoven.
> 
> I have heard several posters saying they loved Beethoven once, but have moved on. I have been having the opposite experience. Has anyone else found themselves crawling back to the deaf master?


I loved Beethoven to begin with and have gone on to many other composers but always come back. You go back when you realise he was and is the greatest.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

I tend to go back to Mozart.


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## Bas (Jul 24, 2012)

I need to start saving for the 10+ discs Brautigam made. 
And no, I never left Beethoven. I sometimes leave his symphonies, his smaller works have my personal preference (the violin sonatas! the string quartets, the solo piano repetoire.)


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

I sometimes return to the piano and violin sonatas and quartets, but the symphonies and piano concertos become less interesting to me each time I hear them. I could happily go without the piano concertos and his 7th and 9th symphony for the next 2-3 years.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

trazom said:


> I could happily go without the piano concertos and his 7th and 9th symphony for the next 2-3 years.


Could I have them?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Beethoven was one of the first composers that I spent my money on (CD's for all symphonies, all concertos, all sonatas, later most of his chamber music, including all string quartets, the Missa Solemnis, the songs, and Fidelio). That as around 1986-1990. Since then, my general appreciation of him has fallen considerably, and most of the time when I "check back" to Beethoven, I am disappointed. When I played his cello sonatas a few months ago, I switched off the CD because they bored me.

Disclaimer: I am an untrained listener, I do not "get" a lot of the technical aspects of the music, but I base my judgments on whether or not I like what I hear.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

I keep to SCHUBERT ,BEETHOVEN,MOZART,DVORAK & others -his music does not sound better than DVORAK,SCHUBERT & PETER.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

trazom said:


> I sometimes return to the piano and violin sonatas and quartets, but the symphonies and piano concertos become less interesting to me each time I hear them. I could happily go without the piano concertos and his 7th and 9th symphony for the next 2-3 years.


Try Vladar's interpretation of the 4th and 5th concertos - it made me come back to these works after a while.


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## Borodin (Apr 8, 2013)

To the OP, I've found that it's best not to focus on the composer himself (which composer you listen to and why) because even if you, in the rare case, absolutely love all of said composer's pieces, they still don't have enough to compare to everything else you love. Questions like "which composer is the greatest..." or "which composer should I listen to..." are too broad to answer. You don't want to get into the common habit of limiting your favor to one composer at a time, it simply doesn't make sense when you probably love the various things that hundreds of composers have done.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I think that there's something to be said for exploring new music... or rather music that is "new" to you... but then again I turn to music for the pleasure it brings and I garner a greater degree of pleasure from certain composers... like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Personally, I don't see it as an "either/or" option: Either I listen to Beethoven or Mozart; either I listen to the composers I most love or I explore other music. It is more than possible to do both.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

I love how newbies always seem to enjoy the good ol' Beethoven symphonies: 7 and 8 always put a smile on their face; and in fact, on mine too.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

...most of the time when I "check back" to Beethoven, I am disappointed. When I played his cello sonatas a few months ago, I switched off the CD because they bored me.

Personally, I find that no matter how often I return to Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th symphonies, his piano concertos, his Missa Solemnis, his piano sonatas, or his string quartets, I continue to uncover something new. On the other hand... I can certainly understand being bored with the cello sonatas. They are not his best work nor near the best work available for cello. I do rather find them disappointing considering that the cello would seem to be an instrument aptly suited to Beethoven's temperament.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I can certainly understand being bored with the cello sonatas. They are not his best work nor near the best work available for cello. I do rather find them disappointing...


The cello sonatas? Boring? Disappointing? Oh dear...


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

Beethoven was one of my very first exposures to classical music. The first classical album I ever bought was Beethoven's 7th symphony as conducted by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Even after 40 years I still find his music delightful and it helps "center" me when I feel out of order. Also I suffer from depression and he always lifts my spirit no matter how bad the depression gets. I doubt I will ever tire of his music.

Kevin


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