Last Master: Passion and Pain - Volume 2

The Last Master #2

by John Suchet

The second volume of John Suchet's compelling trilogy about the life of Ludwig van Beethoven depicts the composer at the height of his powers, famous throughout Europe, championed by wealthy patrons, sought out by other musicians, yet all the time beset by the great tragedy of his life—his deafness—and struggling to come to terms with it. Beethoven unveils the towering works of the so-called heroic period—including the Eroica Symphony, the Fifth, the Pastoral Symphony, the Emperor Concerto, the Appassionata Sonata, the Kreutzer Sonata—as he receives the adulation of the audience and struggles alone in the middle of the night to hear the great music he is creating.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Music

624 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 1997

About the author

John Suchet presents Classic FM's flagship morning programme. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK's best known television newscasters, regularly presenting ITN's flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly 20 years. John has been honoured for both roles. He is the author of several bestselling composer biographies, including Beethoven: The Man Revealed.

Reviews

[ThymeOperator · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was soooooo sad. I'm so glad I didn't live during the Napoleonic Wars.

Although this biography is fictionalised, it does such a good job of bringing the man to life. So often, we see these historical figures out of context, not entirely as real people. This trilogy forces you to see the human behind the name.

[Graham Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting fictional account of Beethoven's life and work during the " middle period" with a certain emphasis on his Romantic yearnings.
There is a postscript that discussed the mystery of the "Immortal Beloved's identity.

[Mandy Holzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining. Suchet skillfully depicts how the great composer grew acquire his reputation and personality due to his hearing impairment. A must read for dyed in the wool Beethoven fans.
I only wish Suchet had spent more time on the development of the Seventh Symphony being as how it was one of the most monumental works of the composer's career. It was almost glossed over.

[Dick Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following review contains what some would consider to be spoilers (although not so much to those who are already familiar with the facts and chronology of the life of Beethoven (LVB)), so do not read on if you plan to read the book and want to be surprised. This trilogy keeps getting better! We are now in the period 1803-1812, when LVB composed some of his best works. We see the mixed public reaction to his Eroica Symphony, arguably the most important piece of music ever composed. I was surprised to find out that the Kreutzer Sonata (my favorite of the 9 that he wrote) should have been named after George Bridgetower, who first performed it with LVB at the keyboard. The reason that LVB took it back from Bridgetower and arbitrarily sent it to Kreutzer (who, according to Suchet, was not as good a violinist as Bridgetower) was that Bridgetower angered LVB by trying to seduce a female acquaintance of LVB. So it was Bridgetower’s libido that prevented him from achieving immortality by having that gorgeous Sonata named after him! Mr. Suchet decides that LVB’s Immortal Beloved was Antonie Brentano, already married to Franz Brentano when she met LVB. Suchet prefers the title translated as “Eternally Beloved,” and has two scenes in the book during which LVB makes love to Antonie. This thesis makes much more sense that the one in the movie with Gary Oldman, in which the Immortal Beloved is posited as being his brother Carl’s widow, Johanna, a woman that LVB loathed and despised. Once again we are treated to the history of the period, during which Napoleon defeats the Austrians and Russians at the Battle of Austerlitz. Also, the French begin drafting young men from Germany and Austria to fight in the French army. During the period of this book, LVB is incredibly creative, composing the 3rd through the 8th Symphonies, the 5th Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Waldstein and Appassionato piano sonatas, his opera Leonore (which he renamed Fidelio), as well as many other works. All this time he is tormented by his growing deafness, as well as a digestive disorder which Suchet identifies as colic. I was captivated by this book, which I think blends history with fiction in a most pleasing manner. I give this book a rating of 10 out of 10!

[Diane Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictionalized idea of who Beethoven was, written by someone who has spent much time researching the composer's life. I find that the fictionalized account really follows the events in his life well, as well as makes the reading more engaging that your average text on the long-dead genius.Beethoven comes across more so as a real person with feelings, love,anger,family problems,and the whole range of human-ness that we often forget about when we are in awe of his amazing music Kudos for Mr.Suchet for taking on such a tough job! That said, there are times in this series where the characters are a bit too contrived and soap-opera like.. But I suppose that is necessary to add the human emotional element. I have quickly gone through the 3 books in this series. I do recommend this for people who are beginning to learn about Beethoven's life who also find biographies tedious to read. This series brings a bit of life from the past.