Beethoven's 'Eroica,' A Bizarre Revelation Of Personality — npr.org

As Beethoven set about composing his Third Symphony, his hearing was failing and he felt certain his life was about to get worse. That it was born in a moment of despair may help explain why the finished work, for all its grandeur, is extremely odd — employing devices that are by turns aggressive and mundane, somber and practically danceable. The piece also called the Eroica is one of many covered in Jan Swafford's massive new biography, Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph. Swafford spoke with NPR's Arun Rath about the symphony and its composer; hear the radio version at the audio link and read an edited version of their conversation below.

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