My fascination with and appreciation of Beethoven's work began even before my relatively formal introduction to his vast body of work and influence on Western music which came in junior high school, where I not only had Miss Bloom's music class once a week throughout the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, but also sat in her music room for homeroom period every morning before the day's classes would begin. She was not only a passionate teacher, but she allowed us to bring in and play our records—quietly—during that morning homeroom period. But once my fascination with Beethoven's music was ignited, it was inextinguishable.
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most renowned, celebrated, and revered composers in the history of Western music, and his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire spanning the transition from music's Classical period to the Romantic era. In fact, his Ninth Symphony is widely regarded by critics and musicologists as not only a masterpiece of Western classical music, but one of the supreme achievements in the history of music.
Knowing of my passion for the Maestro and his work, it should be seen as almost inevitable that when I was invited to Vienna last November to cover the launch of the new flagship Kalista Mantax DAC from France's Métronome Technologie, I would make time to visit many of the places he worked and lived during his time spent in this illustrious city, as well as stop by his final resting place.
Today, with this episode, I'm sharing the details, videos, and images of my time in Vienna, chasing the legacy of Maestro Ludwig van Beethoven.
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/fqDAxUgTdws