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"This biography of a musician, written by a musician, becomes music itself. It literally resonates. And it is enjoyable and moving to listen to—as informative as it is entertaining."—Gerhard Stadelmaier, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"In a pleasantly analytical way, Caeyers questions many of the clichés of the commercial literature on Beethoven."—Wolfram Goertz, Die Zeit
"An extremely readable study, composed in the present for the present . . . . It is amazing how in a much-grazed field like Beethoven, a biography can come along and bring completely new insights into its topic through clarity, lack of prejudice, and rigor."—Kai Luehrs-Kaiser, Die Welt
"Jan Caeyers has written a major book on Beethoven . . . that doesn't require any specialist historical or musical knowledge. In addition, the author, a highly regarded performer of Beethoven, is able to create a particular closeness with his subject. He achieves a vibrant portrait of the composer, his contemporaries, and society in provincial Bonn and the metropolis of Vienna."—Tobias Schwartz, Märkische Allgemeine
"With both profound knowledge and a lively narrative, Caeyers has achieved a comprehensive biography that captivates emotionally."—A. Gerth, Operapoint
"Caeyers’s command of the vast scholarship on this iconic composer is impressive."––Stephen Hinton, Stanford University
About the author
Jan Caeyers is a conductor and musicologist. One of Europe’s preeminent experts on Beethoven, he is the music director of the Beethoven orchestra Le Concert Olympique and a member of the Department of Musicology at KU Leuven.
