JAMES LAST - New World Symphony --- His music and his life

The James Last story commences on April 17th, 1929. He was born in Bremen, the third son for Louis and Martha Last, and christened Hans. His father, a post-office worker, was a keen amateur musician, competent on both drums and bandoneon.

The brothers Last, Robert, Werner and young Hans, enjoyed their game of street football and so father Louis was pleased when all three expressed more than just an passing interest in music.

By the age of nine, young Hans could play "Hanschen Klein", a German folk song in the piano, but his first music teacher, a lady, claimed at the age of ten he was totally unmusical. A year or so later with tutor number two, a gentleman, things started to happen. At the age of fourteen Hans was off to military school in Frankfurt where he studied brass, piano and tuba.

Hans' parents were pleased with the appointment. It was hoped that he would emerge from the school as classically trained conductor. After passing his first exam, the school was bombed and the students were evacuated to Buckenburg, just outside Hanover, to continue their training.

Later, Buckenburg was also lost in the war. Hans claims that if he had stayed at Buckenburg, he would have been a conductor of serious music by the time he was twenty three.

After the war, Hans-Gunter Oesterreich, who organised entertainment for the American clubs, signed Hans Last for his first professional engagements. Later, Oesterreich secured a major post with Radio Bremen, and soon, the Last brothers were all working together.

In 1948, they joined forces with Karl-Heinz Becker, and became known as the Last-Becker Ensemble.

Hans was sold on jazz, Woody Herman and Stephan Grapelli being among his favorites. In 1959 Hans Last was voted Germany's Top Jazz Bassist, a title held until 1953. In 1955 the Last-Becker Ensemble was on the verge of breaking up. At this stage Hansi considered forming his own band, but lack of funds halted this project. Instead they joined the North German Radio Dance Orchestra in Hamburg.

Soon Hans was arranging music for the NDR, he stayed with the NDR until 1964 when he signed a contract for Polydor. He became a much sought after arranger and was soon scoring hits for Caterina Valente, Freddy Quinn, Helmut Zacharias in Hamburg, he even flew to Nashville to record Brenda Lee singing in German.

It was in 1955 that Hans married the attractive Waltraud Wiese from Bremen and by 1958, the Last household had become four, with the birth of a son Ronald and a daughter Caterina.

So to 1964 and a contract with Polydor. Soon a couple of albums hit the market. Hans Last and his Orchestra had arrived, but suddenly the next release on the Polydor label featured James Last and his Orchestra. Somebody somewhere within the record company felt that James had more international appeal than Hans.

Now James Last wanted to unleash upon the Germans his new party sound. His idea was to record the top hits of the day, and them hold a party in the studio to build up the atmosphere. In 1965 the Non Stop Dancing sound of James Last was launched.

In 1967, with seven or eight of his early albums making the German charts, and the launch of the Non Stop Dancing series, Polydor produced a budget price sampler album "This is James Last" and suddenly the Last sound was launched worldwide.

In the United Kingdom, this sampler sold for twelve shillings and sixpence. "This is James Last" entered the British album charts on April 15th, 1967, it stayed for forty-eight weeks and reached the number six position. In the U.K. sales topped 400,000. James Last had arrived.

James Last albums were selling by the thousands in Germany, Holland, Belgium, and here in the United Kingdom. Album after album reached the national charts. Whilst on a crest of the wave in Europe, it is reported that in Canada in 1967, five percent of the total record sales were by James Last.

By 1969, the success in the record sales was phenomenal, but the Last band was a studio band, and yet to appear live. During 1969 Hans Last was persuaded to take the James Last Orchestra on tour. A four week tour of Germany had been lined up.

Many artists throughout the music business are great on disc, and terrible on stage, and vice-versa. Hansi wanted to recreate on stage the stereo sound which had been so succesful in the studio.

First the services of Peter Klemt were secured, he had succesfully mastered and mixed the early recordings. Peter immediately went out and purchased two mixers, one for the Hanover strings, whom Hansi had hired for the tour, and one for the brass section. The rhythm quartet was in front flanked by the English choir.

By the end of the tour, Last was well and truly established. Soon plans were in hand to take the Orchestra to Canada for Expo 69 in Montreal.

1969 was a big year for the James Last Orchestra. In Cannes they received the International Midem Prize, the music industry's Oscar. In Germany they were voted the number one Orchestra. The Germans gave Hansi the title of "Arranger of the Year".

In 1970 the Last Orchestra were on the road in Germany again, a tour which had to be lengthened because of the demand for tickets. They toured Denmark and the gold discs were arriving thick and fast.

Now Hansi wanted to conquer the British. The entourage finally arrived in October, 1971. The New Victoria Theatre in London, housed the first concert.

Whilst records came at the rate of around six a year, 1972, must have been the most productive year on the road. Another tour of Germany was followed by visits to Russia, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. 10,000 fans attended a James Last Voodoo Party in the Hamburg woods.

Last returned to Britain in 1973. The tour included three sell out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. By the time the 1973, UK tour was under way, twenty seven Last albums have entered the British album charts. After Britain, another tour of Canada and in December 1973, Hansi received his 100th Gold Record.

During 1973, we saw the composition of a leissure centre Hansi built for the band at Fintel on Lumberg Heath. Here the band coudl relax and take a few days break, the complex had half a dozen or so bedrooms, kitchen, lounge, sports equipment. All the members in the band were given a key, and the centre was frequently used by many Last musicians to get away and relax after weeks on the road and in the recording studio.

By the mid-seventies Hansi and the James Last Orchestra were established as a top recording artist and sell out concerts attraction around the world.

Hansi, was also scoring as a composer. Most Last albums have included a Last composition. In March 1969 Andy Williams entered the U.S. charts with Hansi's composition "Happy Heart", it stayed for 22 weeks and reached number seven. Here in May, it reached number nineteen, appearing in the charts for nine weeks.

Elvis Presley recorded Hansi's composition called "No Words", words were added and "No Words" became "Fool". "Fool" reached number 23 in the U.K. charts in August 1973 and stayed for seven weeks.

Without any chart success, probably the most famous Last composition is "Games That Lovers Play". Over 100 recordings available worldwide including versions by Freddy Quinn, Connie Francis and Eddie Fisher.

Although Andy Williams scored with "Happy Heart" the number has been recorded by Petula Clark, Roger Williams, The Gunter Kaftan Choir, The Anita Kerr Singers, Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra and Peggy March.

Television has played a major part in the James Last success story. In 1968 ZDF Television launched a new music spectacular entitled Star Parade. The James Last Orchestra were residents for the 50 shows produced. The biggest names in music all guested on the show; Abba, Barry Manilow, Cliff Richard, Boney M, Roger Whitaker.

Many television specials had been produced here in the United Kingdom. In 1971 on their first British tour the BBC took Hansi and the Orchestra along to the Dorchester Hotel, to record a fifty minute special before an invited audience. Dance Night at the Royal Albert Hall was captured by the Beeb, and in 1976 was recorded a the Shepherd Bush studios.

By 1978, the James Last Orchestra, had achieved virtually what they set out to do. Hansi had noticed that at concerts in Great Britain, the audience would get up and dance when he played his non stop dancing titles. The German audiences loved him too, and so later that year Hansi persuaded ZDF Television to come to London, to record a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The show was put together over two nights, each of those two nights some 5000 fans attended and had a ball.

The British fans were on their feet long before the interval, dancing and prancing around the Royal Albert Hall arena to their favourite James Last polkas. The second half was a riot, the fans had invaded the stage, they danced, they sang, and when Hansi asked them to sit on the floor, they sat on the floor and listened to "Don't Cry For Me Argentina".

Whilst seated, they sang "Cockless and Mussels", "Daisy, Daisy", and "Abide With Me". Back on their feet James Last struck up the band and introduced his version of "Dancing Party", and what a Dancing Party it was, all taking place at a James Last concert and being captured on film.

The show entitled "Live in London" became available on a single album in Germany, a double album in Great Britain. In Germany on television, ZDF presented a ninety minute special, whilst here the BBC gave us two thirty minute shows. On top of that a year or so later, Polydor released the official video, which they sold by the case load. In fact, sales were so good that several dealers listed this video in their top sellers chart.

On April 23rd, 1978 Hansi received the highest award that can be won in Germany. He was awarded the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" by the President of West Germany, for his services to his country.

April 1979, Hansi celebrated his fiftieth birthday in London and the fans presented him with a special birthday cake. In fact, seven cakes shaped into letters and numbers spelling out H-A-N-S-I-5-0.

Two days earlier, Hansi's most successful recording released in Great Britain's "Last The Whole Night Long" entered the British charts. It reached number two and stayed in the charts for forty five weeks.

The demand for live concerts was as high as ever. Late October 1979, the entourage left Hamburg for a month long tour of Japan. For this special occcasion, Hansi recorded a new album specially for the Japanese market entitled "Paintings".

Last was succesful now almost throughout the whole world. Although Hansi has a home in Florida, success in the U.S. has been limited to one album making eighty in the Billboard Top 100.

In April 1980, "The Seduction" hit the Billboard singles charts. It received air play across the United States, achieved position twenty eight and stayed for six weeks. A month later it made the British charts for four weeks reaching position number forty-eight.

In June 1980, the ZDF Television series "Star Parade" came to a close after 50 minute shows. In September 1980, ZDF launched the "Show Express", another ninety minute production featuring James Last, but his came to a halt after ten shows.

James Last worldwide album sales cannot be counted - only estimated. However, in Germany, the trade paper Musicmart claimed Last has sold 1,800,000 in Germany in 1979, and an American publication called "They Have Sold A Million" claim estimated worldwide sales in excess of 40 billion.

Throughout the sixties and seventies, the Last sound was dominant, hearing a track on the radio, the fans would reply "that is James Last".

In the eighties, Hansi experimented with some new sounds. His album "Biscaya" strongly featured bandoneon and synthesizer, "Bluebird" featured pan flute and synthesizer, "Deutsche Vita" was mainly electronic. Many fans welcomed the new sounds, sound were disappointed that the Old James Last sound was missing. However, tracks from these albums, became firm favourites and concert show pieces.

Last still continues to record around six albums per year. He does not spend so much time on the road these days, but in recent years has consistently toured the United Kingdom, Belgium and Holland.

In 1987, Last took the Orchestra to East Berlin for four sell out concerts, the East Berliners had a ball. From those four sell out concerts, Polydor released an album "Live in Berlin", followed by a video. In 1990, James Last joined forces with Richard Clayderman to produce a new album, "Golden Hearts".

His triumphant career has remained so over the years, also after he moved home from Hamburg to the sunny beaches of Florida. His son Ronny has followed his father and helps him as producer. Golf is

James's compensating exercise, almost his second profession. A hobby that the members of his band join him in.

Most James Last fans these days are renewing their collections with compact discs. James Last, the most prolific recording artist Europe has ever seen, has currently over 100 different titles available on compact disc. The avid record collector of the sixties is now the compact disc collector of the nineties. Many James Last fans are disappointed that only one hundred CD's are currently available. They want more. They want the entire James Last reportoire issued on compact disc. I dare say, as time goes by they will achieve their goal.

Dmitri Shostakovich - his music and his life

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) was a Russian composer and pianist and was one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century.

Life and Music 

Despite Shostakovich's exceptional talent, it was not until he was nine that he received his first formal piano lessons from his mother, a professional pianist. 

In 1919, composer Alexander Glazunov considered the young Shostakovich ready to begin his studies at the Petrograd Conservatory, where he was director. 

The 19-year-old Shostakovich produced a First Symphony that is an astonishing act of creative prodigy. 

In 1936, Stalin attended a performance of Shostakovich's operatic grotesquerie, Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District. Dismayed by its lack of positivist flag-saving, the state newspaper, Pravda, slated this "bedlam of noise". 

With the gun of the Soviet regime pointed at his head - and Stalin's finger effectively on the trigger - Shostakovich knew he had to produce a surefire winner. 

The Fifth Symphony, with its universal message of triumph achieved out of adversity, was exactly what the State wanted, and it made him a public hero. 

In 1948, several composers, including Shostakovich and Prokofiev, were hauled over the coals by Pravda for "decadent formalism". 

In 1953 Shostakovich also composed his masterly Tenth Symphony, written - although no one was aware of it at the time - as a reaction against the Stalinist regime, and in the case of the vitriolic Scherzo, a sardonic portrait of Stalin. 

The constant psychological torture had taken its toll, and it seems that in 1960, following the completion of his Eighth String Quartet, Shostakovich contemplated suicide. In 1966 he suffered a heart attack from which he never fully recovered, and which hastened a preoccupation with death which is tangibly realised in his angst-ridden Fourteenth Symphony. 

Shostakovich died a broken man. 

Did you know? 

One of Shostakovich's songs was sung by the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin over the radio from his spacecraft to Mission Control down on earth.

(C) ClassicFM London

Beethoven at 250

 Famous figures share what his music means to them, in 250 words

Exclusive by ClassicFM London (C) 2020

Beethoven in 250 words. Picture: Getty / PA / DG

Beethoven fans and aficionados give us 250 words – no more, no fewer – on the great composer, as the world marks the 250th anniversary of his birth.

16 December 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of great composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth.

We’ve invited music lovers and Beethoven devotees to give us 250 well-chosen words of their own to sum up what the great composer means to them.

Here’s to you, LVB...

Read more: Join us for Classic FM’s Big Beethoven Celebration, on the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth >

1. ‘Our Prometheus’ – Stephen Fry, actor and writer

   

   Stephen Fry on Beethoven. Picture: Getty

   You can have the sunniness of Mozart, but very often he seems to be painting a world that is only sunny and ordered and loveable. With Beethoven, however, even though he’s nearly always optimistic, there’s often a lot of pain to be got through on the way. So in that sense he’s realistic.

   In the music of Beethoven you feel the agony, and the pain, and the effort; and the stretching, and the yearning; and the desire for things to be right; the storms that get in the way. And then, very often, like in the famous last final movement of the Fifth Symphony, the sun bursts through – but he’s taken us on a journey through lots of pain and melancholy before we get there.

   I think if you listen to symphonic music written by a composer like Beethoven, there is a real sense of a human individual struggling to be happy, struggling to connect, struggling to belong. You get a sense – and you can call it over-reading, if you don’t like this way of talking about music – of someone who feels outside of the run of common humanity and wants desperately to be a party, who wants to join in the dance, but can’t. And then he’s brought in by the forces of the orchestra, by the forces of a kind of belief and hope.

   Beethoven, I do think, in particular is our champion, our humanitarian kind of figure, our Prometheus. He’s just there for us.

   This interview originally appeared on Moira Stuart Meets...

   This December, Stephen Fry narrates Beethoven’s Prometheus with Classic FM's Orchestra on Tour, The Philharmonia. Click here to find out more and watch on demand.

2. ‘I love the purity’ – Sir Keir Starmer, politician

   

   Sir Keir Starmer on Beethoven. Picture: PA

   My favourite piece of music by Beethoven is the second movement of his Piano Concerto No. 5. It’s always been my favourite. As well as it being an incredibly beautiful piece of music, I love the simplicity of the piano part. In particular, I love the purity of the solo passage about a third of the way in.

   It’s the piece of music my wife walked in to on our wedding, so as well as being a wonderful piece, it evokes all these memories of my wife looking beautiful on our wedding day.

   I love classical music. I went to Guildhall School of Music & Drama when I was younger and therefore learnt lots about music. Sticking with Beethoven, another piece I really love is the ‘Pastoral’ Symphony No. 6. It was one of my dad’s very favourite pieces of music, so again is particularly special to me. Towards the end of the symphony, when we come out of the storm and feel the sunlight breaking through again, it always feels like an inspiring moment for me.

   I listen to classical music to relax at the end of a busy day – Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, you name it. There’s a bit of a battle in our house because we’ve got a 10-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, and they’re not as into classical music as I am. So there’s often a battle between whose music gets put on – when I win, I choose classical music because I find it really relaxing.

   Sir Keir Starmer is the leader of the UK Labour Party.  Prior to his time in law and politics, Sir Keir played the flute, piano, recorder and violin, and was a young scholar at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.

3. ‘We can draw inspiration from his continued faith in humankind’ – Marin Alsop, conductor

   

   Conductor Marin Alsop on Beethoven. Picture: Getty

   From my vantage point as a conductor, I naively thought 2020 would be remembered as the year the world celebrated the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. No one could have anticipated the unbelievable upheaval that 2020 would bring or how inconsequential a composer anniversary – even an iconic one – would seem. But the more I thought about Beethoven, the more I realised what a perfect symbol he was for everything we have experienced this year.

   Beethoven’s life was filled with physical and personal challenges, capped by his profound and devastating hearing loss. He longed to connect with people, yet became inevitably more isolated. Now that we all have a deeper understanding of isolation, we can relate to his frustration. We can also draw inspiration from his continued faith in humankind. Despite everything, he believed we were empowered by sharing joy. When he incorporated Friedrich Schiller’s poem ‘Ode to Joy’ into his Ninth Symphony, it was a radical call for equality, freedom and brotherhood.

   I originally collaborated with Carnegie Hall on plans to honour Beethoven’s anniversary by reimagining the Ninth Symphony for 21st-century audiences, with orchestras on six continents. When these live events were cancelled, I partnered with YouTube, Google Arts & Culture, BTHVN2020 and the world’s leading arts organisations, inviting the international community to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday with joy-filled videos tagged #GlobalOdeToJoy. After sharing such a difficult year, this was our chance to come together and amplify his message by flooding the digital sphere with unity, solidarity and hope.

   Marin Alsop conducts #GlobalOdeToJoy in 2020. Click here to find out more.

4. ‘Beethoven broke the rules, simple as that’ – John Suchet, author and broadcaster

   

   Classic FM presenter John Suchet on Beethoven. Picture: Classic FM

   Beethoven broke the rules, simple as that.

   You don’t begin a piano sonata with a resounding chord, like Beethoven did in the ‘Pathétique’.

   Nobody had begun a piano concerto with solo piano, as Beethoven did in Piano Concerto No. 4.

   You can’t possibly begin a symphony with two huge chords, as if to say ‘Pay attention!’. Beethoven did in the mighty ‘Eroica’.

   In a good performance of Mozart, his music should wash over you, cause you to smile, convince you all is well with the world. A good Beethoven performance should turn your knuckles white from gripping the arms of your seat, your nerves shredded, but leaving you imbued with a feeling of exhilaration and triumph — as well as deep love and admiration for a man who suffered the worst fate that can befall a musician, yet overcame it.

   Beethoven was difficult, irascible, hot-tempered, cruel to his friends, withering about other musicians. How nice would you be if you were a musician, and you knew that was all you could be, and you realised you were slowly, inexorably, losing your hearing?

   Beethoven’s music is evidence of his iron will and determination, his resolve not to give in to deafness, but to triumph over it. His music instils the same spirit in us — “Look at me. I refused to give in to my deafness, and by doing so I overcame it. Listen to my music. Through my music you can face whatever hardship confronts you — and overcome it.”

   Subscribe to John Suchet’s new podcast, Beethoven: The Man Revealed, via Global Player, the official Classic FM app.

5. ‘Beyond my comprehension’ – Lang Lang, pianist

   

   Pianist Lang Lang on Beethoven. Picture: Deutsche Grammophon

   To me, Beethoven was the beating heart of the Romantic era – not only through his music but the spirit of his soul. Over my career I have been lucky to play many of his piano concertos to audiences around the world, but I didn’t actually begin performing his works until I was 20. Perhaps I felt that the emotional challenge, rather than the technical, was beyond my comprehension before then.

   Beethoven’s short Bagatelle ‘Für Elise’ was not published until forty years after his death, and this, coupled with the identity of the lady in the title, gives is a deeply personal and intriguing context shrouded in mystery. For a pianist, ‘Für Elise’ requires a lightness of touch – almost featherlike – for the delicate melodies and left hand arpeggiated chords. The home key of A minor suggests lamentation, and the rondo form mirrors the emotions that move through storms clouds of sadness to moments of happiness and back to uncertainty – much like the early stages of falling in love!

   I recorded this piece for my Piano Book release on Deutsche Grammophon last year to inspire young piano players. I had neither performed nor recorded the piece before, but my motivation was to move the listener. It would be disingenuous to describe this piece as simple background music. The dynamics and phrasing are so important, and really bring out the depth of the emotions concealed within. This work demands to be treated like the great masterpiece it truly is.

   Click here to watch Lang Lang & Friends’ 2020 Virtual Concert on demand now.

6. ‘Ageless, timeless, immortal’ – Debbie Wiseman, composer and pianist

   

   Classic FM’s Composer in Residence Debbie Wiseman on Beethoven. Picture: Debbie Wiseman

   Beethoven's music is unmistakable – it’s full of vitality, humour and drama. He was a complex genius. To me, he is to music what Shakespeare is to literature. It's hard to imagine a world without Beethoven's music.

   As a pianist, his piano sonatas have always been stationed within easy reach of my music stand. And I even have a portrait of him above my piano which looks down on me every day as I compose. It inspires me to respond to any musical challenge!

   Beethoven's music sounds as fresh today as it did when it was first published; as with all great works of art, it is ageless, timeless; immortal. Music, to Beethoven, was “a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy” offering an entrance to a spiritual universe. He was a father of modern music - linking the classical and romantic. I agree with Stravinsky who called him “supreme among musicians”.

   The overriding feature in all of his music is vitality. Even his gentle music is more profound and more affecting than that of other composers. Goethe said of Beethoven that he never knew a more energetic artist. Beethoven is always surprising us – every passage of his music is utterly convincing. In 1823, Beethoven wrote to his friend the Archduke Rudolph, to whom he dedicated the Missa Solemnis: “There is no loftier mission than to come nearer than other men to the Divinity, and to disseminate the divine rays among mankind”. Beethoven, without a doubt, fulfilled that mission.

   Debbie Wiseman is Classic FM’s Composer in Residence. Her new work for cellist Steven Isserlis is out in 2021.

7. ‘A composer of light and life’ – Boris Giltburg, pianist

   

   Pianist Boris Giltburg on Beethoven. Picture: Oliver Binns

   Beethoven the brilliant virtuoso. Beethoven the bigger-than-life hero. Beethoven the transcendent visionary. Three epithets to cover the three creative periods of one of humanity’s greatest geniuses. I hadn’t really, viscerally, understood how amazing he was until this year, when I decided to tackle the complete cycle of 32 sonatas.

   As I made my way through this incredible treasure trove, my biggest discovery was Beethoven’s character as it shone through his music. He wasn’t the angry, grouchy man with a stormy brow I previously imagined, but a composer of light and life. His music radiates life energy, so present in every note we sometimes don’t notice it – so obvious it seems. But in this most difficult year, oh did I notice it.

   Learning and recording his sonatas, following him on this journey that took nearly 30 years to complete, I was constantly uplifted by the warmth and life glowing from every page. I was energised by the unstoppable fast movements. I was entranced by the poetic beauty in his melodies. I felt privileged to have access to magnificent, awe-inspiring sound worlds – particularly in the late sonatas – which he had explored, captured in music and shared with us.

   This year Beethoven became a composer I passionately love and turn to for comfort and support; a composer I passionately want to share with others. I couldn’t have asked for a better musical companion for this year, and I so look forward to exploring his musical worlds for years to come.

   Boris Giltburg performed all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in 2020. Volume 6 is out now on Naxos.

8. ‘Unquenchable joy’ – Jessica Duchen, author

   

   Author Jessica Duchen on Beethoven. Picture: Corinna Desch

   Beethoven has been part of my world for as long as I can remember. Writing Immortal, my novel about the composer’s “immortal beloved”, was a chance to try instead to immerse myself in his. I’ve emerged with his music meaning more to me than ever before. Now I experience Beethoven not as an intellectual mountain-range or an unapproachable Goliath, but as a total human being, complete with all his fortitude, self-delusion and personal demons.

   During lockdown I began practising the piano again regularly for the first time in years and decided to learn some Beethoven sonatas that I hadn’t tried before. With live music all but wiped out these past months, I’ve never been so glad that I can play some myself, and trying to get to grips with the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata and the E flat major Sonata Op. 31 No. 3 has brought home the extraordinary generosity of Beethoven’s musical spirit. However much effort you put in, he rewards you threefold. Having conquered his own despair through his art - and sometimes I think that’s what he was doing - he helps us with ours, giving us more and more energy, filling our hearts with his own unquenchable joy.

   “Oh, how beautiful it is to live,” he wrote to Franz Wegeler, “to live a thousand times!”

   We often think of Beethoven as the music of struggle - but its overriding drive is transcendental joy, filled with wonder at the marvels of nature and an elemental passion for life itself.