Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

I had the good fortune of watching "Copying Beethoven" which is a fictional movie about the timeless composer, Ludwig von Beethoven.  I highly recommend this movie.  Ed Harris does NOT look like Ed Harris. I'm not sure how much he truly looks like Beethoven, either, but I didn't recognize him.  I guess that's a sign of transcendence, huh?

I'm fascinated by the fact that he had no children.  There's a certain tragedy about that.

Below is a particularly lovely, emotional scene whereby the deaf Beethoven is conducting his Ninth Symphony with the assistance of his young copyist who kept time for him during the performance.  So elegant, dramatic, delicate and moving....


 The final scene was particularly fascinating.  Earlier in the movie, Beethoven was certain there is no God.  The copyist, the niece of a Catholic Mother Superior at the Viennese convent where the movie takes place, talks of God throughout the movie.  Beethoven experienced a near-death experience just before this:  


~Whoosh