-
Great Masters: Beethoven - His Life and Music
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Series: The Great Courses: Fine Arts & Music
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Lecture
- Release date: 08-07-13
- Language: English
- Publisher: The Great Courses
Regular price: £14.09
People who bought this also bought...
-
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
- By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bill Messenger
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation.
Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A nice introduction but needs more content
- By Chris on 03-07-17
-
Great Music of the 20th Century
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Robert Greenberg PhD
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
The 20th century was a hotbed of musical exploration, innovation, and transformation unlike any other epoch in history. Ranging across the century in its entirety, these 24 lectures present a musical cornucopia of astounding dimensions - a major presentation and exploration of the incredible brilliance and diversity of musical art across a turbulent century. Far more than simply a series of lectures, the program comprises a huge and many-sided resource for discovering the endless riches of 20th-century concert music across the globe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Wonderful Piece of Work
- By ColonelJames on 20-03-18
-
The Celtic World
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton PhD
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
-
Capitalism vs. Socialism: Comparing Economic Systems
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Edward F. Stuart PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
Ever since we produced our course Thinking About Capitalism, customers have expressed interest in a follow-up course that could help them understand socialism in the same way. After much consideration, we determined that it actually would be more beneficial to create a course that compares and contrasts the two major global economic theories, examining them in ways that move past the polemics many of us are used to and looking at these systems as they relate to one another and the world at large.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant!
- By The Blue Reviewer on 04-05-18
-
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior
- By: Mark Leary, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Leary
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 167
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 144
Every day of your life is spent surrounded by mysteries that involve what appear to be rather ordinary human behaviors. What makes you happy? Where did your personality come from? Why do you have trouble controlling certain behaviors? Why do you behave differently as an adult than you did as an adolescent?Since the start of recorded history, and probably even before, people have been interested in answering questions about why we behave the way we do.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good start
- By Johnny on 03-10-16
-
Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- By: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 118
Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Oh, dear, poor America!
- By Amazon Customer on 19-11-16
-
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
- By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bill Messenger
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation.
Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A nice introduction but needs more content
- By Chris on 03-07-17
-
Great Music of the 20th Century
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Robert Greenberg PhD
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
The 20th century was a hotbed of musical exploration, innovation, and transformation unlike any other epoch in history. Ranging across the century in its entirety, these 24 lectures present a musical cornucopia of astounding dimensions - a major presentation and exploration of the incredible brilliance and diversity of musical art across a turbulent century. Far more than simply a series of lectures, the program comprises a huge and many-sided resource for discovering the endless riches of 20th-century concert music across the globe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Wonderful Piece of Work
- By ColonelJames on 20-03-18
-
The Celtic World
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton PhD
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
-
Capitalism vs. Socialism: Comparing Economic Systems
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Edward F. Stuart PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
Ever since we produced our course Thinking About Capitalism, customers have expressed interest in a follow-up course that could help them understand socialism in the same way. After much consideration, we determined that it actually would be more beneficial to create a course that compares and contrasts the two major global economic theories, examining them in ways that move past the polemics many of us are used to and looking at these systems as they relate to one another and the world at large.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant!
- By The Blue Reviewer on 04-05-18
-
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior
- By: Mark Leary, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Leary
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 167
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 144
Every day of your life is spent surrounded by mysteries that involve what appear to be rather ordinary human behaviors. What makes you happy? Where did your personality come from? Why do you have trouble controlling certain behaviors? Why do you behave differently as an adult than you did as an adolescent?Since the start of recorded history, and probably even before, people have been interested in answering questions about why we behave the way we do.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good start
- By Johnny on 03-10-16
-
Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- By: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 118
Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Oh, dear, poor America!
- By Amazon Customer on 19-11-16
-
Writing Creative Nonfiction
- By: Tilar J J. Mazzeo, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Tilar J J. Mazzeo
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Bringing together the imaginative strategies of fiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true, real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping how we write (and read) everything from biographies and memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to personal essays and magazine articles.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely outstanding resource!
- By Cynthia Reed on 11-12-13
-
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 238
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nearest thing to time travel available
- By JL on 09-10-13
-
Ancient Mesopotamia
- Life in the Cradle of Civilization
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Amanda H. Podany PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Mesopotamia is the ancient name for the region that is now Iraq, a remarkably advanced civilization that flourished for two-thirds of the time that civilization has existed on Earth. Mesopotamians mastered irrigation agriculture; built the first complex urban societies; developed writing, literature, and law; and united vast regions through warfare and diplomacy. While civilizations like Greece and Rome have an unbroken tradition of written histories, the rich history of Mesopotamia has only been recently rediscovered, thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamia's cuneiform writing less than 200 years ago.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent - I've learnt so much
- By Happy Shopper on 04-08-18
-
No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
- By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 118
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 93
What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom, life has continued to exert a profound attraction.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent overview
- By The Kinsella Bunch on 03-03-16
-
The Foundations of Western Civilization
- By: Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Thomas F. X. Noble
- Length: 24 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it - I'll be ordering more
- By First Impressions on 21-09-16
-
The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
- By: Louis Markos, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Louis Markos
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people.Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well read and informative
- By rbooler on 25-07-18
-
A Day's Read
- By: The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, and others
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 10
Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish-and engage with-in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
-
The Rise of Rome
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
The Roman Republic is one of the most breathtaking civilizations in world history. Between roughly 500 BCE to the turn of the millennium, a modest city-state developed an innovative system of government and expanded into far-flung territories across Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. This powerful civilization inspired America's founding fathers, gifted us a blueprint for amazing engineering innovations, left a vital trove of myths, and has inspired the human imagination for 2,000 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lecture Titles
- By Lord Peridot on 11-07-18
-
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition
- By: Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Richard Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 313
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 280
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 274
"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics. After that, you'll follow along as Professor Wolfson outlines the logic that led to Einstein's profound theory of special relativity and the simple yet far-reaching insight on which it rests. With that insight in mind, you'll move on to consider Einstein's theory of general relativity and its interpretation of gravitation in terms of the curvature of space and time.From there, you'll embark on a dazzling exploration of how inquiry into matter at the atomic and subatomic scales led to quandaries that are resolved-or at least clarified-by quantum mechanics, a vision of physical reality so profound and so at odds with our experience that it nearly defies language.By bringing relativity and quantum mechanics into the same picture, you'll chart the development of fascinating hypotheses about the origin, development, and possible futures of the entire universe, as well as the possibility that physics can produce a "theory of everything" to account for all aspects of the physical world. But the goal throughout these lectures remains the same: to present the key ideas of modern physics in a way that makes them clear to the interested layperson.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Pitched at just the right level, very engaging.
- By C. Mccartney on 07-08-13
-
Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
- By: Pamela Bedore, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Pamela Bedore
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I have been challenged to rethink.
- By Mr on 27-06-17
-
The American Civil War
- By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 128
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 129
Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spectacularly great history.
- By Johnny Midnight on 19-06-14
Summary
Have you ever wondered how the lives of great composers - especially when set against the social, political, and cultural context of their world - influenced their music?
After listening to this perceptive series of eight lectures on the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven, you will likely find that you hear his work in an entirely different way, with your insight informed by new knowledge of how Beethoven was able to create masterpieces from the crises of his life.
You'll learn about the years of progressive hearing loss - ultimately to produce total deafness - and the understandable agony and rage such a fate would bring upon a composer. About his deep depression over the end of his relationship with the woman he calls his Immortal Beloved. About his pathological hatred of authority, his persecution complex, even delusional behaviors.
But you'll also learn how each of these crises, and many others, served to drive Beethoven inward, to reinvent himself and redeem his suffering through art, creating disruptive works of profound passion and beauty that reinvented the nature of musical expression in the Western world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What members say
Average customer ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars11
-
4 Stars5
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars9
-
4 Stars3
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars1
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars9
-
4 Stars4
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- hfffoman
- Surrey
- 29-03-17
The most annoying speaker I have ever heard
Any additional comments?
I do not think I have ever listened to a speaker as annoying as this one. He talks like a clown, his entire manner is supercilious, he puts a ridiculous emphasis on unnecessary words and he throws in inappropriate jokes (I mean that not in the PC sense) that made me want to scream. I fear that the sound of him shouting "AND I QUOTE... ...UNQUOTE" will haunt me for many weeks.
The content is interesting. Of course, Beethoven's life was just so fascinating, I would put it in the category of things everyone ought to study. The material isn't novel. Any decent biography of Beethoven will give you the same stories and the same interpretation of them, probably in more depth - though a book won't give you the musical extracts.
My recommendation would be to read a book about Beethoven's life and then listen to the lectures by Jonathan Biss available free on coursera. They are incomparably superior to this buffoon.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- JaneN
- 02-12-14
The strangest rabbit hole yet!
What did you love best about Great Masters: Beethoven - His Life and Music?
I have been journeying with Dr. G for several months now. Whenever I feel at a loss, I grab a supplemental lecture and jump down the rabbit hole. So I have learned about the lives of Bach and Mozart, and about the concerto and look forward to learning about the symphony—while using “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” as my foundation. I just got back from the life of Beethoven—amazing music, amazing but wild gent—not at all what I expected--his life was more difficult, more sad. But I am stunned by how he changed the course of music despite the struggles of his own life. I will listen to his music with a different ear.
25 of 25 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carla Littleton
- 14-11-14
Comprehensive and entertaining
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This audiobook covers Beethoven thoroughly and with humorous asides that are interesting.
What did you like best about this story?
I really like the inclusion of first hand materials such as excerpts from letters and legal documents that give Beethoven and his contemporaries voice in the lectures.
What does Professor Robert Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Professor Greenberg is spectacular at using voice and tone to express emotion. This further brings to life the readings of first hand sources in a way I wouldn't necessarily experience by simply reading the material myself.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I found myself laughing at several points in the lecture due to the turn of phrase or exuberant interjection of emotion in the lecture. i also found that the professor was as good at expressing the sad portions of the lectures as well, such as Beethoven's frustration over his hearing loss.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Russell Bernard
- 29-07-14
Great lecture about a very onery guy
Robert Greenberg does a wonderful job. If you are into music his lectures are not to be missed. This is the seventh lecture I have enjoyed from the composer great courses.Two more to go Mahler and Shostakovich. Get them all you will love them and learn all the good stuff about how music is written and the lives of these amazing dysfunctional men.
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 23-12-14
Could not stop listening.
Normally, a Great Courses audible course is a treat I indulge in when I am on the treadmill. Today I was on the treadmill and started this course. Although I've been listening to or watching Great Courses for years - many dozens of them - It is the first Great Masters course I've tried. I became so thoroughly engaged that I couldn't stop listening. For the rest of my day off, while I went to the market, folded laundry, finished Christmas gift wrapping and did some holiday baking I listened. While I made our dinner I listened. When I normally would sit down in the afternoon and read for a couple of hours, I listened instead. I finished it in one day.
This is a fascinating. engaging, amazing story. I have always rather like Beethoven's music, but I had no idea about his life. What an amazing character! And Professor Greenburg really brought him to life and brought him into MY life. He made the man seem as real to me as John Lennon or Annie Lennox.
The Professor is passionate about music and I learned a fair amount about how Beethoven impacted the history of western music. I will seek out some of Beethoven's work and listen with more interest and appreciation thanks to this course.
Highly recommend.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 28-09-13
Ahh... Beethoven
Would you consider the audio edition of Great Masters: Beethoven - His Life and Music to be better than the print version?
n/a
What other book might you compare Great Masters: Beethoven - His Life and Music to and why?
Mozart, his life and music. Excellent overview
What about Professor Robert Greenberg’s performance did you like?
That he didn't edit the ugly with the good.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Laugh, and think deeply about the man who wrote the music I love to play and listen to.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kathy
- 03-05-15
He Certainly Brings Beethoven to Life!
I don't think you can be disappointed with a Robert Greenberg lecture unless you are a terrible stuffed shirt. He is so full of enthusiasm and knowledgeable about his subject you can't help but be drawn in. Just knowing these interesting tidbits of information about Beethoven makes listening to his amazing music that Greenberg samples for us so much more enjoyable.
I listened to the lectures with my daughter while on a recent working vacation helping her out with her new business in Hawaii. So many times we caught each others eyes and smiled or outright laughed at Greenberg's enthusiastic descriptions of the composer's life. This is educational entertainment at its best. I came to purchase this current offering after listening to Greenberg's much longer course, How To Listen To And Understand Great Music, a spectacular experience of a much bigger scope, of 36 plus hours.
So, of course, I am recommending this audio lecture.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ANDRÉ
- 30-12-14
Excellent Biography!
This Great Master: Beethoven-- His Life and Music is a great find. The biography is non linear, told by a prizewinner professor, Robert Greenberg. The professor is a great enthusiast of Beethoven, and that shows in his lectures. He accompanies the biography with Beethoven music, and points out why that sonata is good, or not so good, and what was happening to him in that time. Great listening!
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carol
- 02-01-15
Superlative "lecture:"
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Excellent. Not exactly irreverent, but not worshipful, down-to-earth telling of the story of the greatest composer so far. The book is entertaining, no, very entertaining, and informative. It had me laughing aloud, to my surprise. I expect to do something I haven't done before -- when it ends, immediately start it over. Then I'll look for others by the same author/reader.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Delivery occasionally over the top, forgivable.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ruth Ann
- 14-01-15
Educational AND a rip roaring good time!
This biography is not only educational but FUN! What a genius! What a life and the professor/lecturer is great, nary a dull moment. Sure, Beethoven was cranky but he had his reasons and after listening to this book, I have one of the greatest critic rebuff quotes of all time from the lips of maestro Beethoven himself !I could sit in this guy's class all day long and be enlightened. I plan on listening to more books in the series. Hoping others are as knowledgable and enthusiastic as this prof!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Douglas
- 20-12-14
Great Course
Would you consider the audio edition of Great Masters: Beethoven - His Life and Music to be better than the print version?
Yes
What did you like best about this story?
How Beethovan did his best works following devastating trials in his life.
Have you listened to any of Professor Robert Greenberg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes. Greenberg is great. He has passion and his use of language is awesome and refreshing. He is a good as many professional narrators.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The ending of the 9th Symphony when the singer turned him around so he could see the reaction of the audience.
Any additional comments?
I like this professor. He is inspiring because he knows so much about the subject of his courses. I can't imagine how long it must take him to write these lectures. He is passionate and funny/entertaining.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful