Softly drawing, listening to Beethoven

How can Beethoven have been so much better than all the other composers combined? Its almost as if he was the pinnacle of European culture, all by himself. His music is so beautiful it leaves all other artists in the shadows.

And yet there those who regard him with scorn!? It beggers belief. I met a Japanese girl at KIAD who was doing her MA, she was herself a pianist and had strong views on classical music. She was a bit of a snob I think, looking down on those of us who cannot play a musical instrument. She asked me who my favourite composer was and actually sneered when I said Beethoven. Apparently she thought that meant I didn't know any classical music and when I compounded my felony by stating I liked The Ninth over all other symphonies, she questioned my knowledge directly to which I replied that I also liked Penderecki and Rimsky-Korsakov (and still do). This mollified her slightly, but not for long. She tried to outfox me by asking which of Beethoven's violin concerto's did I like the best.



But of course, Beethoven only wrote the one, and thus I replied, happy to be able to show off. We were in the print making studio at the time, and Randall, who was Head of Print Making would always play Jazz Cd's by the likes of Miles Davies. That day I had put on something of my own, probably Sheherezade by Rimsky-Korsakov, which had initiated the conversation. The Japanese girls name was Seiko, pronounced 'psycho'.

I really miss that print making workshop! I'm sitting in a pool of light from my desk lamp, having spent the last few hours working on an illustration commision and about to go to bed. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day, but before I go to the land of nod, I shall just finish listening to Beethoven.