ONE of the most instantly recognisable paintings of Ludwig van Beethoven (by the Austrian artist Julius Schmid, 1854–1935) depicts the German composer looking deeply troubled —pained, even—as he strolls, lost in thought, through the Vienna Woods ( facing page).
Despite having created the jubilant Ninth Symphony, concluding with Ode to Joy, 200 years ago in 1823 (having planned from youth to set Schiller’s poem to music), joy was something woefully lacking in Beethoven’s world. Deafness was an almost unbearably cruel and ironic blight upon the life of someone who was, arguably, the greatest musical genius who ever lived. Although it did not prevent him creating some of the finest works in the Western cultural canon, it did, combined with his overfondness for alcohol, hinder his ability to form lasting, successful relationships. Yet there was one constant companion during his 56 years on earth (besides music) that provided Beethoven with solace, salvation and both the inspiration and environment in which to compose some of his most famous symphonies: Nature.
Esta historia es de la edición October 18, 2023 de Country Life UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 18, 2023 de Country Life UK.
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Save our family farms
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A very good dog
THE Spanish Pointer (1766–68) by Stubbs, a landmark painting in that it is the artist’s first depiction of a dog, has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted.
The great astral sneeze
Aurora Borealis, linked to celestial reindeer, firefoxes and assassinations, is one of Nature's most mesmerising, if fickle displays and has made headlines this year. Harry Pearson finds out why
'What a good boy am I'
We think of them as the stuff of childhood, but nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner tell tales of decidedly adult carryings-on, discovers Ian Morton
Forever a chorister
The music-and way of living-of the cabaret performer Kit Hesketh-Harvey was rooted in his upbringing as a cathedral chorister, as his sister, Sarah Sands, discovered after his death
Best of British
In this collection of short (5,000-6,000-word) pen portraits, writes the author, 'I wanted to present a number of \"Great British Commanders\" as individuals; not because I am a devotee of the \"great man, or woman, school of history\", but simply because the task is interesting.' It is, and so are Michael Clarke's choices.
Old habits die hard
Once an antique dealer, always an antique dealer, even well into retirement age, as a crop of interesting sales past and future proves
It takes the biscuit
Biscuit tins, with their whimsical shapes and delightful motifs, spark nostalgic memories of grandmother's sweet tea, but they are a remarkably recent invention. Matthew Dennison pays tribute to the ingenious Victorians who devised them
It's always darkest before the dawn
After witnessing a particularly lacklustre and insipid dawn on a leaden November day, John Lewis-Stempel takes solace in the fleeting appearance of a rare black fox and a kestrel in hot pursuit of a pipistrelle bat
Tarrying in the mulberry shade
On a visit to the Gainsborough Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August, I lost my husband for half an hour and began to get nervous. Fortunately, an attendant had spotted him vanishing under the cloak of the old mulberry tree in the garden.
