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King George's Hall
John Suchet is a regular presenter on Classic FM. He first presented the flagship morning show, then the Classic FM evening concert, and now presents special series.
John has twice been honoured for his radio programmes on Classic FM, at the New York Festivals International Radio Programme Awards in 2014, and the Association for International Broadcasting Awards in 2013.
Before joining Classic FM, John was best known as one of the country’s most popular television reporters and newscasters. As a reporter for ITN, he covered major events around the world, including the Iran Revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Philippines Revolution. He then became a newscaster for ITN, presenting all major bulletins including News at Ten.
Ludwig van Beethoven, born — well, that is the first problem we have, we cannot be entirely sure what day Beethoven was born on. That is the first of many surprises that John Suchet will bring you, as he presents ‘Beethoven — The Man Revealed’, an intimate portrait of the man he believes to be the greatest composer of them all.
Three years ago, 2020, was to be the year Beethoven’s music was celebrated around the world, in the 250th anniversary year of his birth. Complete cycles of his symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets, piano sonatas and more, were scheduled to be performed throughout the UK and beyond. The pandemic put paid to that. John suspects Beethoven, with his contrary personality, would have been wryly amused.
But what of the man behind the music? Ah yes, he’s the one who went deaf. If there is one fact about Beethoven that most people will know, it is that. But John will delve behind the public image of the permanently angry man struggling to hear his own music. John will reveal a Beethoven you did not know before — a complex character who could burst into a fit of anger one moment, and reveal a tender soul the next. And that is true of his music — some of the most turbulent music ever written, but also some of the gentlest.