Ep. 50 - Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Immortal Beloved'
Based on a True Story • Biography, Drama, Music, 29-Mar-2021
The 1994 biographical film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman) is one of our favorites. Directed by Bernard Rose, the music was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti. This section features a masterful excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Op 125: Ode to Joy. We find that historical films like this play perfectly with what you see on-screen, and in this montage, the 'Ode to Joy' represents Beethoven's flashback to an abusive father, which ironically forces him to run away and find peace within himself. What we did here is also mix a short sequence of sound design from the film which represents Beethoven's deafness (02:43), where we can share his experience. When he walks on stage, he can't even hear his own work, but you instantly recognize that he is re-living the entire symphony in his head. If you haven't seen this film, do so immediately! Gary Oldman's performance is so great, and we absolutely love the soundtrack.
Where to watch: https://letterboxd.com/film/immortal-beloved/
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Every Monday and Wednesday, SCORE CUE SNAPSHOTS brings you iconic scenes married to the corresponding score cue without dialogue and SFX, thus allowing anyone to appreciate how the score works with what you see unfold on-screen.
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