John Suchet answers the Beethoven Question

16 August 2012, 16:01 | Updated: 17 August 2012, 08:42

Classic FM’s resident Beethoven expert John Suchet is speaking at The Musical Brain conference at London’s Southbank Centre in October.

How did Beethoven’s deafness affect his life and music? How can music lovers deal with hearing impediments? What does new research tell us about Beethoven’s string quartets?

John Suchet joins a panel of experts at The Musical Brain conference to answer ‘The Beethoven Question’: Can art make life worth living? It’s a two day exploration of Beethoven’s life and music, discovering the impact the arts can play in overcoming life’s struggles.

John will appear alongside other distinguished Beethoven academics, including Professors Barry Cooper and Michel Trimble. Founder of Music and the Deaf, Paul Whittaker, will also be speaking.

Between the panel discussions and talks, there will be performances of some of Beethoven’s string quartets, piano sonatas, and folk songs.

It’s not just Beethoven who wrote music in spite of his personal difficulties. Discover some of the other musicians who composed and performed against the odds.