Searching for the True Beethoven
What did Beethoven want? Many amateurs find his handwriting difficult to read and even professionals need experience to decipher his autographs. However, a significant composer such as Ludwig van Beethoven, whose 250th birthday will be celebrated all over the world in 2020, deserves that one extracts every last detail from his manuscripts and all other available sources. This is the concept of "Bärenreiter Urtext". The new film "Searching for the True Beethoven. Bärenreiter Urtext Editions" gives some insight into how Beethoven editions are created. The protagonist is Jonathan Del Mar, a Beethoven expert who has dedicated much of his life to this composer. Del Mar’s editions have gained worldwide respect and acclaim. In the film he explains how he carries out his work so that conductor Sir Simon Rattle, pianist Igor Levit and the Pierrot Quartett can interprete and play Beethoven’s music just as the ingenious composer intended. These musicians are also featured in the film and demonstrate how exciting it is to incorporate Del Mar’s work in their performances.