Donald Macleod looks at Beethoven’s humble beginnings as a child born into a family of court musicians, working for the Archbishop-Elector’s retinue in Bonn, Germany. He showed musical talent early and followed his father and grandfather into the Elector’s employ as soon as he reached his teens. Would he continue to follow the family pattern and retire there too?

This week, Donald Macleod’s focus is on Beethoven’s childhood and teenage years, as he looks for clues in the composer’s early life that point towards the great man he would become.

All through 2020, Donald Macleod takes an unprecedented deep dive into the compelling story and extraordinary music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In this uniquely ambitious series, told across 125 episodes of Composer of the Week, Donald puts us inside Beethoven’s world and explores his hopes, struggles and perseverance in all the colourful detail this amazing narrative deserves. Alongside this in-depth biography, Donald will also be meeting and talking to Beethoven enthusiasts and experts from across the world to discover how his music continues to speak to us in the 21st century. Through story and sound, the series builds into a vivid new portrait of this composer, born 250 years ago this year, who made art that changed how people saw themselves and understood the world.

Piano Sonata No 24 in F# major, Op 78 (2nd movement)

Zhang Zuo, piano

Fugue in D for organ, WoO 31

David Briggs, organ

Symphony No 6 (movts. IV & V)

BBC Philharmonic

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Violin Sonata Op 30 No 2 (2nd movement)

Jennifer Pike, violin,

Daniel Tong, piano

String Quartet Op 18 No 4 (1st and 3rd movements)

Elias Quartet

Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales