Ludwig van Beethoven 250th anniversary

17 December marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Although born and raised in Germany, Ludwig van Beethoven spent most of his life in Vienna, arriving in his early twenties in 1792 and remaining there until his death in 1827. The city is peppered with Beethoven landmarks, including the Beethoven Museum and his grave. A composer and pianist whose music ranks amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire, he remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music.

The Beethoven-Haus Bonn features a number of online exhibitions https://www.beethoven.de/en/museum

Due to the pandemic, the extension of Beethoven’s anniversary year is to be formally marked with a concert conducted by Daniel Barenboim in the Bonn opera house on December 17, the date of Beethoven’s birth in 1770. The concert had been intended to close the year-long festivities; now it will signal the beginning of a second phase, an extension into the middle of September 2021.