in search of beethoven.

on monday night i went and saw the documenary, in search of beethoven. for all you beethoven lovers or classical music lovers or anything music lovers, you should definitely check it out. the director, phil grabsky, who also directed in search of mozart, does an amazing job of illustrating beethoven's life. it features incredible live performances as well as commentary by musicians, conductors, musicologists and historians.
i've always been infatuated with beethoven, and one of the reasons why (besides his music) was how much of a hopeless romantic he was. the film talks about some of the women he had fell in love with (mostly his students), and how unlucky and tormented his love life was. however, his love for these women influenced some of beethoven's greatest work, including "moonlight sonata." the film also talks about how arrogant, rude, and sarcastic beethoven was; he was even suicidal. but despite these characteristics, he was a true optimist. he was seen as a man with "a large brain and an equally large heart"... which is evident in his music. no matter how bad things got or how unhappy he might have been, he kept pushing forward, all for the love of his art.
overall, the film gave me a better appreciation for his work, the man that he was, and how he became one of the greatest composers of all time.
... i love 'em.