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Three Weeks in Vienna
When Ludwig van Beethoven chose singers for the first performance of his last symphony he did so for reasons other than their voices; he could not hear them. Karoline Unger, the alto soloist, is an ardent admirer of the great composer, despite his ferocious temper and lack of social graces. She begs for the opportunity to be part of the premiere. Relying on her reputation as a singer and being fond of the company of an attractive young woman, he consents. The logistics of the performance are nearly impossible. Beethoven wants an extraordinarily large number of musicians on stage. Sections from a recently written Mass are also on the program, which causes problems with the Catholic Church. Beethoven wants to direct the concert but, being unable to hear the music, it is impossible for the orchestra and chorus to follow him. The music itself is extremely difficult; the musicians all complain and some even abandon the effort. Beethoven himself has not performed for the Viennese in a dozen years and has serious doubts about their reaction to his music. Is he still their beloved adopted son? Through all of these trials and tribulations, Karoline stuggles to remain loyal to Beethoven and the lofty ideals he intended to illustrate with his final symphony. Her abilities as a musician come into question and attempts at sabotage are made against her. This is a story of love's triumph over adversity. It is Karoline's story.
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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June 24, 2014
I like Beethoven. The 9th Symphony is one that alternately makes me want to stand up and cheer or just cry tears of joy. The author is consumed by the composer, saying simply, "He speaks to me more than any other music." I have to agree about the music.
The book itself is short and a mostly speculative account of Karolyn Unger's association with the first performance of the 9th Symphony. Unless we can invent a time machine and really see that day and the weeks leading up to it, we can never really know how much truth is in the book.
That said, Haugland spent a great deal of time researching in Vienna itself and had access to many of hte conversation books that Beethoven had to used because of his deafness.
Although I already had a predisposition to like Beethoven, the book added some new insight for me as to the writing of what I consider to be one of the best musical compositions in history.
The 9th Symphony is often referred to as the Ode to Joy, and rightfully so, this brief novel is the author's own ode to the joy in the music.
The book itself is short and a mostly speculative account of Karolyn Unger's association with the first performance of the 9th Symphony. Unless we can invent a time machine and really see that day and the weeks leading up to it, we can never really know how much truth is in the book.
That said, Haugland spent a great deal of time researching in Vienna itself and had access to many of hte conversation books that Beethoven had to used because of his deafness.
Although I already had a predisposition to like Beethoven, the book added some new insight for me as to the writing of what I consider to be one of the best musical compositions in history.
The 9th Symphony is often referred to as the Ode to Joy, and rightfully so, this brief novel is the author's own ode to the joy in the music.
Displaying 1 of 1 review