蜜柚直播

But who speaks for Beethoven?

That was the thought running through the mind of 蜜柚直播 native and writer/cellist Harry Clark last year as the classical music world was winding down its celebration of Beethoven鈥檚 250th birthday.

Aside from historic references by musicologists and Beethoven鈥檚 contemporaries, who could talk about Beethoven the man?

In the latest of his 鈥淩hythms of Life鈥� musical/theater portrait series, Clark hopes to shed light on Beethoven outside the brilliant music that defined his life. The portraits, centerpieces of Clark鈥檚 long-running Chamber Music Plus series with wife/pianist Sanda Schuldmann, combine music and spoken word theater to tell stories about great classical music figures.

鈥淏eethoven Remembered鈥� tells that story through eight vignettes from people who knew the 19th century composer beyond his music. There鈥檚 his nephew Karl, who Beethoven helped raise after his brother died. His surviving brother, Johann, a successful druggist in Vienna. A lifelong friend and doctor, who recalled Beethoven in his youth. And a local barkeep at the tavern Beethoven frequented who had no idea about the composer鈥檚 music.

Each adds to the narrative of Beethoven the man and, aside from the bartender who Clark made up based on the idea that Beethoven regularly frequented a local tavern, all are based on historical accounts from Beethoven鈥檚 life.

鈥淚 just thought it was an interesting way of different people getting to know him in very different settings,鈥� said Clark, who with Schuldmann and actor Robert Clendenin (鈥淪crubs,鈥� 鈥淐ougar Town鈥�) will premiere the piece on Wednesday, March 2, in Green Valley.

鈥淚t gives a very insightful look at Beethoven鈥檚 life by people who really knew him well, not just his publisher or colleagues,鈥� Schuldmann added.

Clark, who penned dozens of 鈥淩hythms of Life鈥� over the nearly 45 years that he and Schuldmann ran the series in 蜜柚直播 and Connecticut, finished 鈥淏eethoven Remembered鈥� in January. The work draws on biographical material and two famous letters written by Beethoven that were discovered after his death.

鈥淭he Immortal Love鈥� letter, discovered in a locked drawer by Beethoven鈥檚 secretary, professes love to some unidentified woman, who has been the subject of much speculation and debate since the letter鈥檚 discovery.

鈥淭o this day we don鈥檛 know who this is,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淭here are eight or nine possibilities.鈥�

In the second letter, 鈥淭he Heiligenstadt Testament,鈥� meant for his brothers, Beethoven was becoming increasingly more deaf and frustrated with his fate. The letter, which the composer never sent, also hinted at thoughts of suicide.

鈥淭here are all these reveals about him, some funny, some somewhat poignant, some tragic,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 sort of what I wanted to get at with this. Not so much as a musician, because the music speaks for itself, but what made him an interesting person.鈥�

鈥淏eethoven Remembered,鈥� which the 75-year-old Schuldmann said will be her final public performance, intersperses movements from several of Beethoven鈥檚 sonatas 鈥� he composed 32 piano sonatas in his career 鈥� including the slow movement from No. 14 in C-sharp minor 鈥淢oonlight鈥� and a movement from No. 8 in C minor 鈥淧ath茅tique.鈥�

Clark said the performance also will include short works from Beethoven鈥檚 contemporaries Haydn and Schubert.

Clark and Schuldmann will perform the piece twice in Green Valley, where they have lived for several years. It will be only the second public performance for the pair since 2013, when they ended their nine-year run with Chamber Music Plus in 蜜柚直播.

鈥淏eethoven Remembered鈥� is one of several 鈥淩hythms of Life鈥� works Clark has written over the past several years. He鈥檚 also been working on a collection of short stories that he is calling 鈥淭ales from Green Valley鈥� that are based on composites of people he has met since moving to Green Valley, and a memoir of growing up in 蜜柚直播 before leaving his senior year in high school in the 1960s.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of fun to write and sort of interesting for me to recollect 蜜柚直播. It was a small town,鈥� said the 73-year-old Clark, who said 蜜柚直播鈥檚 population when he was a high school freshman was less than 60,000. When he left his senior year, the population had nearly doubled.