Beethoven’s other famous letter...

The letter written to his “Immortal Beloved” was so fascinating that it even inspired a movie about it. I saw it like a million times…

But there is another fascinating document, another important letter that expresses not love, but angst and the constant theme of the struggle between desperation or tragedy and the will to overcome them.

It is called the Heilingstadt Testament. It´s a letter addressed to his brothers Carl and Johann.

After writing it, he sealed it in an envelope and kept it secret for the rest of his life. It was discovered only after his death and published shortly afterward as a document of immense value.

In it, he expresses his rising concern over his increased deafness (yes, in case you haven´t heard, Beethoven was deaf…). He also writes about his suicidal thoughts, and his will to overcome all these struggles in order to fulfill his artistic destiny.

In Beethoven, who was known to have a strong temper, I find one of the most profound souls that have ever lived. Just his music is a testament to this.

But this letter, along with other writings and what history told us, suggests that he was an extraordinary human being.

The Heilingstadt Testament is easily available to read online in case you´re curious about it.

What I want to share with you now is a performance by the great Claudio Arrau, who was also the teacher of my teacher. Here he is performing one of the most monumental works ever written, the Sonata op.111 by Beethoven, his last out of 32 piano sonatas.

It is in two movements. The first one is the struggle, the fight, challenging destiny with a clenched fist. The second one is the sublimation, the return to eternity, the “fulfillment of the artistic journey.” Music is much more than just sound. Music is a depiction of life itself… perhaps the most real of them all?

Listen to Beethoven´s last piano sonata by clicking here.

Have a great day.

Claudio.

P.D. Fun fact: My teacher, Aquiles Delle Vigne was a pupil of Arrau (who performs the sonata in the link). Arrau was a pupil of Martin Krause, Krause was a pupil of Franz Liszt (!), Liszt was a pupil of Carl Czerny, and Czerny was a pupil of… Beethoven. I feel blessed to inherit a tiny part of this artistic and pedagogic legacy dating back to one of the greatest geniuses that ever lived.