"I can live only completely with you, or not at all."
So I just finished watching, "Immortal Beloved," about Ludwig von Beethoven. One of my favorite movies. I've seen it so many times, and yet each time I am moved by the tortured love story behind the music. I have no idea if it is at all based in fact (Steph, can you help me out on that one?), but I still love it. At the end, when she finally reads the letter, after a lifetime of pain and suffering at his hands, and we realize it was all because of a tragic misunderstanding, I can feel the heartbreak. To have spent your whole life without your true love because of a missed letter. It's a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. I wonder if this movie was nominated for anything....
Anyway, I've spent all day as a couch potato because I haven't been feeling very well. I stayed home from work and ended up sleeping and watching an obscene amount of TV. Can I just say that I frickin' LOVE my free digital cable?? It is awesome.
Well, that's it for now. Most boring blog entry of all time!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
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5 comments:
well, i happen to own the dvd and i read the back and it said it was based on the true life of maestro ludwig van beethoven. i'm going to look into it some more, because i have some doubts, but i have to agree: fabulous film. i can say that beethoven was very proud and didn't want people to know he was losing his hearing. (not the best situation for a musician) i know that since it's a film, parts are very exaggerated, but that's hollywood for you.
when i know more, you'll know more. :)
i watched the documentary that was on the dvd and it stated that the letter was indeed real. however, the actors from the film spoke about how the film was the director's vision of the truth. hence it's not 100% accurate.
i typed in "immortal beloved" into google (love that search engine) and come up with this: http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~simonj/lvb/ib.html
i'm still looking, but it's very interesting, to say the least.
thanks for adding my LJ to your links! heehee
I don't find this entry boring. Of course, I am the only person posting on it. ha!
As far as I can tell, there were no nominations or awards given to the film. I would rent the DVD if I were you. There's SO much more on the DVD. I have the special edition, so that may be a key to finding the right DVD to rent. ah ha
That's all for now. Can't really find much else unless I want to read Beethoven's entire life history. Don't let me stop you from searching for more stuff on the net. There is more info than I can tell you. (Not that you didn't already know that.) Have at it!
Steph - thanks for the info! Somehow I knew you'd own this movie. Ever since I watched it I've been listening to my Beethoven CDs. Another question for you: do you know if his "Pathetique Sonata" is part of a larger symphony, or does it stand alone? (Is my ignorance of the way classical music is organized showing yet?? All I know is that there are symphonies, and sometimes they have movements... and, um, yeah - that's about it.)
No, the Pathetique Sonata is just a sonata. Three movements. Check out this link: http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven_piano_son08.html
It kind of explains the movements. The names, a little snip-it of the music. According to this site, it was his 8th piano sonata, opus 13 (opus being a numbering system that started after Johann Sebasian Bach - don't get me started on the different ways composer pieces have been numbered over the years. It's crazy...)
This website talks more about the dude the piece was dedicated to and shows a different year the music was composed: http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~simonj/lvb/ps1.html
As you can see, there's some uncertainty to dates and so on. And as you read in the document I emailed you yesterday, Beethoven wasn't the greatest at dates.
It's a good thing you're not inquiring about J.S. Bach. The man's works have different numbers - no opus # - and there's a flute sonata that they're not even sure if it's his or his son's or his servant's or whatever. Don't make me go there. HA!
Again, hope this helps. Sometimes there's info in CD cases (like you didn't know that), but it's not always accurate. I really like CDs from RCA Victor and Sony Classical Orchestral Works. I have Holst's PLANETS (fabulous works... I especially enjoyed playing MARS and JUPITER with MYS!). That's something to listen to when you want to be alone. Be prepared for all kinds of emotional reactions to it!
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