It is an irony that so little of Beethoven’s music is being played this year. Coronavirus restrictions mean that there is almost certainly less Beethoven being heard live in concert during the 250th anniversary of his birth than in any year since he died in 1827.
Unlike some composers, even including Bach and Handel, Beethoven never suffered a dip in popularity after his death. His music was already highly regarded throughout Europe, and there was to be no let-up in performances through the 19th century, or indeed to the present day.
Born of struggle and strife, his music has proved that it can renew its intellectual and emotional power for every generation. The Ninth Symphony stands out today as an uplifting affirmation of brotherly love at a time of racial discord, and its finale has been adopted as the anthem of the European Union. His only opera, Fidelio, in which a woman rescues her husband from internment as a political prisoner, could equally be a contemporary rallying cry.