Maria João Pires is the most unpretentious virtuoso I've ever seen!

I found this interesting piece on the subject...

THE TEMPEST

IN 1800-1802 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN EXPERIENCED DEVASTATING INTERNAL TURMOIL IN TRYING TO COME TO TERMS WITH HIS HEARING LOSS. TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, HIS LIFE SEEMED TO BE IDEAL, WITH HIS SUCCESS AS A VIRTUOSO PIANIST AND AS A SUCCESSFUL, SOUGHT AFTER COMPOSER IN VIENNA. HE GRADUALLY BEGAN TO WITHDRAW FROM SOCIETY AND FRIENDS, HOWEVER, AS HE FELT IT WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO HIS SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A MUSICIAN IF PEOPLE FOUND OUT HE WAS GOING DEAF. PEOPLE FELT HE WAS BEING MISANTHROPIC, YET IT WAS QUITE THE OPPOSITE. BEETHOVEN LIVED IN A GREAT DEAL OF SOLITUDE AND LONELINESS DUE TO HIS IMPENDING AND EVENTUAL COMPLETE DEAFNESS, WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY HAVE A PROFOUND EFFECT ON HIS SPIRITUAL AND CREATIVE GROWTH AS A COMPOSER AND A MUSICIAN. THE YEARS OF 1800-1802 WERE A TRANSFORMATIVE PERIOD IN BEETHOVEN’S LIFE, AND MARKED THE BEGINNING OF HIS SECOND STYLISTIC PERIOD. AS BEETHOVEN’S OUTER HEARING DETERIORATED, HIS INNER HEARING CONTINUED TO GROW.
BEETHOVEN SOUGHT TREATMENT IN THE VILLAGE OF HEILGENSTADT IN THE LATE SPRING OF 1802 UNTIL OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR. FULL OF DESPAIR OVER THE UNSUCCESSFUL TREATMENT, HE CONSIDERED ENDING HIS LIFE. IN A FAMOUS LETTER KNOWN AS THE HEILGENSTADT TESTAMENT WRITTEN TO HIS BROTHERS, HE WROTE “THANKS…TO MY ART I DID NOT END MY LIFE BY SUICIDE.”  >>>

JAMILA SAHAR