Follow Us Newsletter

Visit the Exhibition

THE MAN
THE GENIUS
THE MYTH
Intro
Moonlight Sonata
Appassionata
Fifth Symphony
Sixth Symphony
Missa Solemnis
Appassionata The fiery sonata that conquered the hearts of men of iron Defined by Rolland as “a torrent of fire on a granite stream bed”, for over two centuries, this sublime Sonata has influenced musicians, painters, writers, poets and even intransigent historical figures: from Lenin to Otto von Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor”, who loved to say that, had he listened to this Sonata more often, he would have become “much more courageous”. Start zoom_in Sonata in F minor op. 57 Appassionata, dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick, 1804-1805.
Facsimile of the first handwritten page, Paris, 1926. zoom_in A work rich in symbolism. The eagle, the winged equivalent of the lion, often dubbed the king of birds, is linked to the sun and is the embodiment of cosmic power. The lower field of this elegant bookplate shows the opening bars of the Appassionata sonata, Ebner’s favourite piece of music. MARY ANN VON DER MEDEN, bookplate for lawyer and Beethoven enthusiast, Hermann Ebner, lithograph 1905. A portfolio of seven original colour lithographs, 120 numbered copies printed [no. 60]. Paris, Martin Kaelin, 1930. An unknown bibliographical rarity that is now impossible to find. Unique and of exceptional artistic and historical importance. “What an extraordinary interpreter, what a wonderful illustrator! A magnificent work that strikes a chord in the heart and elicits admiration” (Clément Janin, preface) BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in zoom_in zoom_in Poised emotion and artistic emotion merge in Naudin’s work. With profound pictorial sensitivity, he conveys the tempestuous atmosphere and expressive might of this famous sonata. BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in zoom_in In a tormented, visionary atmosphere, we discern figures that are rapt, ecstatic, forlorn. BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in zoom_in One senses a dark force in an atmosphere of gloom and unrelenting tension. An “auditory hallucination” elicited by an adoration that takes us out of reality. BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in Also of great interest is the first portrait of a standing Beethoven. Naudin may have been inspired by Ries’s account (Notizen, 1838, p. 99) of a walk with the Maestro in Döbling: “(...) all the while, he had been whining, and sometimes howling, back and forth between high notes and low notes. When I asked what it was about, he replied, ‘A theme for the last allegro in the sonata has come to me’”. BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in The hallucinated gaze captures the Maestro’s proverbial focus as recalled by Ries: “When we got back, he ran to the piano without even taking off his hat. I sat in a corner and he soon forgot I was there. For at least an hour, he stormed with the new beautiful finale of this sonata. Eventually he got up, was amazed to find I was still there, and said, ‘I cannot give you a lesson today, I have more work to do’”. BERNARD NAUDIN, French illustrator, engraver, painter and musician, *Chateauroux (France), 11 November 1876 - †Paris, 7 March 1946.
La Sonate en fa mineur op. 57 dite“Appassionata”. zoom_in Original page of Franz Grillparzer’s poem, composed immediately after hearing Clara Schumann play Beethoven’s Appassionata. Clara Schuman, née Wieck, performed the Sonata admirably on 7 January in Vienna’s Musikverein concert hall, delighting the poet.
From the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, 9 January 1838.








10. Franz Grillparzer, silver medal by Anton Scharf, 1889. zoom_in zoom_in zoom_in Franz Grillparzer, silver medal by Anton Scharf, 1889. zoom_in Clara Schumann, née Wieck. “Carte de visite”, albumen silver print, c. 1870. zoom_in H. P. SVITLITSKY,*1872 - †1948, oil on canvas, late 1930s.
Lenin listening to his favourite composition: Sonata op. 57, “Appassionata” The image of Lenin stands out against a red sky reminiscent of the heat of revolution. The statesman was a great admirer of Beethoven’s music. The Lenin Museum in Moscow even has a record he owned of the Appassionata, his favourite Beethoven sonata, whose notes are often played in the halls: “If I keep listening to the Appassionata, I may not be able to finish the revolution”. zoom_in GUSTAV SCHMIDT, German painter and sculptor, *Peine, 12 February 1888 - †Dresden, 8 November 1972.
A painting that expresses a highly personal realism, dedicated to a performance of “Appassionata”, 1920s. In a large, sumptuous hall, a man is playing Beethoven’s piano sonata for a woman who seems illuminated by the beauty of this piece. A storm is raging outside the large window. zoom_in Monument dedicated to the “Appassionata”
Stone statue with partial rough finish. Early 2000s, Tao Dan Park, Ho Chi Minh City. A long-distance passion can play tricks on the mind. The monument is dedicated to “BETTHOVEN”.

NAVIGATION GUIDE

This section is a legacy of the online exhibition “The Man. The Genius. The Myth” presented in 2021, preserved here in its essential content. The narrative unfolds in three main themes: 

  • THE MAN  dedicated to the most important events and themes in the composer’s life; 
  • THE GENIUS  dedicated to his works and how they are interpreted in the figurative arts;  
  • THE MYTH  dedicated to the worldwide spread of the Beethoven Myth, the exploitation of the composer’s image for commercial and political purposes, his veneration and desecration. 

Several sub-itineraries are proposed within each of the three. 

For example: 
when the “GENIUS” itinerary is selected, the “SIXTH SYMPHONY” sub-itinerary becomes available. 
Each sub-itinerary consists of a Gallery of works and/or documents on the theme with a short introduction.
Each image is accompanied by a description and can be enlarged and viewed in a different resolution. 
The “INTRO” feature is a short audiovisual introduction to the specific section. 

CREDITS: all works and documents are from the Carrino Collection
© Collezione Carrino – Casa Museo Biblioteca Beethoveniana 
Any use of these images is prohibited without the express permission of Casa Museo Biblioteca Beethoveniana.  

Nel rispetto della Direttiva 2009/136/CE, ti informiamo che il nostro sito o gli strumenti terzi da esso utilizzati si avvalgono di cookie necessari al funzionamento ed utili alle finalità descritte nella cookie policy. Se non si modificano le impostazioni del browser, si considera accettato l’uso dei cookie. Read more OK