Samuel – alongside BSO Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth, percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, TV journalist and self-confessed Beethoven addict John Suchet, host Sarah Walker and presenter Jonathan Dimbleby – will be exploring the man behind the music. We asked him a few questions about what you can expect from the day…

Beethoven Now is set to be a jam-packed, what is your part to play?

I’m reading Beethoven’s letters as part of an immersive day about the composer, around the larger project of Mark Wigglesworth and the BSO playing all his symphonies.

From Kings and Prime Ministers in film to famous composers with some of the country’s other major orchestras, you’ve made a name for yourself bringing historical figures to life. What interests you in taking roles like this on?

I love working with musicians (and Mark in particular, who conducted the production of Cosi fan Tutte I directed for English National Opera). It’s fascinating to discover the man behind the music – Beethoven’s struggles in love and the terrible curse of losing his hearing.

Is Beethoven a figure you have played before?

My Beethoven will always be Gary Oldman in Immortal Beloved; a fascinating performance. I’ve since worked with Gary twice in Darkest Hour and Slow Horses, but I haven’t asked him about Beethoven yet. It was a long time ago…

Beethoven was a revolutionary musician. His music, particularly his String Quartets, changed the course of musical history – are his letters just as dramatic?

The injustice of a man losing the one sense he needs to bring his gift to life. A man of great energy and gregariousness was forced to withdraw from society. We hear the confidence of the young man alongside the relatively traditional early quartets but by the end, suicidal thoughts around his deafness are layered over the weird and extraordinary late works (written when he was completely deaf). Both the man and the music turn inwards.

Why should people join us? What significance does Beethoven hold in today’s society?

He’s a raw, intensely emotional man who forged a new, honest artistic life from a romantic sensibility. His personal resilience in the face of ill-health is legendary. His music (eg. The Ninth Symphony) is a byword for political freedom. The capacity of a CD (74 minutes) was deliberately chosen so that a full performance of the Ninth would fit on. He is a touchstone for intense feeling, artistic innovation and personal resilience; a true exemplum for our times. 

Come along to deepen your understanding of Beethoven in an immersive afternoon this autumn; Sat 31 Oct [Canford School] and Sun 1 Nov [Bristol Beacon]. These events are BSL interpreted.