John Suchet has spent a large chunk of his working life – more than 30 years, in fact – researching and broadcasting the latest events from around the globe.
Now, though, he is more interested in what was happening around 250 years ago – in particular, what was happening in the life of a certain Ludwig van Beethoven.
His latest book, Beethoven: The Man Revealed, is his sixth book about the composer, and focuses on the stories often ignored by other biographers and musicologists.
Did you know, for instance, that when Beethoven was 19 he travelled up the Rhine with members of the court orchestra, and because he was the youngest he was made kitchen scullion?
Or that he originally dedicated the Eroica Symphony to Napoleon, but was so angry when he declared himself Emperor that he scratched his name off the page, creating a huge hole in the paper that can still be seen today?
These are the stories that John likes to capture, so that readers get a real insight into what shaped his music.
“There are thousands of books about Beethoven, but almost without exception they concentrate on the music more than the man,” John says. “And I’ve always been fascinated by Beethoven the man.
“You won’t find musical examples in this book, because I know there are a lot of people who absolutely adore his music but can’t read music. Obviously I’m not saying the music’s not in there, but I believe it’s essential that you know the man, because then you listen to his music differently.”
John’s passion for Beethoven goes back to his childhood, and sustained him throughout his years as an ITN journalist. When working in war zones, he kept his sanity by listening to Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony on his Walkman.
“I’m actually a failed musician,” he admits, with cheerful candour. “I was quite good when I was at school, but I was nowhere near good enough to turn professional, so I became a journalist. But it’s always in the background of my life.”
In fact, music has come very much to the foreground of his life in recent years. After retiring from ITN, he was both surprised and delighted when he was invited to present the flagship morning show on Classic FM.
“I was thinking maybe I’d never work again, when the managing director of Classic FM picked up the phone and gave me a new career. And to be talking about the subject I’ve always loved is beautiful for me. It’s a perfect fit, because it’s my subject, my hobby, and now I’m talking about my hobby.”
Does he find it hard to resist the temptation to play non-stop Beethoven? “When Darren Henley, the boss at Classic FM, rang up, he said. ‘Okay, I know you’re a Beethoven specialist, but I’m hiring you for your broad musical knowledge and there are other composers!’ “In fact the music is chosen very carefully to satisfy everybody, so there’s no more of Beethoven than there is of any other extremely popular composer. I think there’s probably less Beethoven than there is Mozart.”
Happily, John’s new career also tied in very nicely with his new book. When Darren Henley found out John was writing the book, he wanted it to be a Classic FM publication, and gave him nine months to complete it. Somewhat to his astonishment, John completed it in five.
“I’m a bit shocked when I say that, but I’ve absorbed so much knowledge over the years, because I’ve been reading and writing about Beethoven for 30 years, and I suddenly realised it was all the things I’ve always wanted to say about him. It just went straight from my head on to the paper. I had to check things like dates and facts, but it was actually very simple to write.”
A lot of fun, too, I suggest to him. “Oh, I loved it, absolutely loved it. I think working at Classic FM put my head into the right mode for it. After being a newscaster, suddenly I’m talking music all day long. I think psychologically it was the right moment.”
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