John Suchet joins SIC for new Beethoven lecture series

John Suchet will present new Around Sound lecture series on Beethoven for The Self-Isolation Choir

Disclaimer: Older news articles may refer to Choir of the Earth by our former name, ‘The Self-Isolation Choir’ or ‘SIC’.

The Self-Isolation Choir (SIC) has announced that award-winning radio presenter, classical music expert and former newscaster, John Suchet, will be the guest lecturer for a new Beethoven course in its popular lecture series, Around Sound.

SIC has made a name for itself over the last year or so with its huge choral performances, ranging from the hits of ABBA to Mendelssohn’s Elijah. However the first of its new lecture series, Around Sound, has also received its fair share of praise for its fresh perspective on well-known classical works.

The first set of lectures, led by Ben England BEM, focused on Handel’s Messiah and took members beyond the music on an intriguing exploration of the composer himself and how the work reflects the man, his life and his influences.

This new series, taught by Beethoven aficionado John Suchet, will delve into the fascinating life and music of the prolific German composer, and promises to be just as revealing. John, tweeting about the course, tells us to expect,

Six talks in which I’ll cover aspects of Beethoven’s life you didn’t know. Immerse yourself in Beethoven - and be prepared for a surprise or two!

The lectures will be streamed live on Saturday and Sunday mornings over three consecutive weekends in July and August, where John will give a 60-minute lecture, followed by a 15-minute opportunity for question and answers.

The first talk will take place at 11:00 BST on Saturday 31st July 2021, on the subject of Beethoven - The Bonn Years: the making of a revolutionary - and how he served as a teenage kitchen scullion.

Other topics John will cover in the remaining five lectures include:

1. Beethoven and Vienna: successor to Mozart in Europe’s capital city of music - and coffee.

2. Beethoven’s Deafness: the single affliction that coloured every aspect of his life - and gave us the Late Quartets

3. Beethoven’s Women: the many proposals of marriage - but who was his Immortal Beloved?

4. Beethoven - The Music: only 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 opera - but he broke the rules in every musical form

5. Beethoven and his nephew Karl: the five year court case that stunted his creativity and broke his health - and it was all his doing.

Mark Strachan and Ben England BEM, founders of SIC, are delighted to offer a course that offers such insight from an expert of such high calibre, saying,

We are honoured to have John with us on Around Sound. His knowledge of Beethoven is unsurpassed and it is a real privilege to have the opportunity to learn from a true authority on the subject. We greatly look forward to his lectures and would encourage everyone to join us for this unique opportunity.

John currently presents The Classic FM Concert every weekday evening from 8pm-10pm and previously presented the Classic FM morning show, for which he won two international radio awards. Before joining Classic FM, he was best known as one of the country’s most popular television newscasters, working for ITN for 17 years until 2004, then again for Channel Five in 2006.

Classical music is a lifelong passion of John’s. He is particularly fascinated by the life and works of Ludwig van Beethoven and has published six books on the great composer. His latest book, Beethoven - The Man Revealed, was published to wide acclaim in 2012, and republished last year - the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth - with an added section featuring his most celebrated compositions. John has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music for his work on Beethoven.

Further information about this project and sign-up is available on The Self-Isolation Choir’s website at https://theselfisolationchoir.com/around-sound-beethoven.

Notes to editors:

1. This course of six lectures will be delivered via unlisted live streams on YouTube, accessible only to participants who have signed up for the course. Attendees will be able to interact with one another throughout the sessions via the live chat, and will have the opportunity to ask John questions at the end of each session. The fee for the full course is £50.

2. The Self-Isolation Choir (SIC) was founded in March 2020 as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic, aiming to provide comfort and support to people worldwide who were feeling disconnected from family, friends and society by bringing them together to sing glorious choral works. SIC has since attracted more than 10,000 international singers and received special commendation in the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Inspiration Award 2020. SIC’s performances have been regularly featured across the UK media, including on BBC Newsnight and Desert Island Discs.

3. Further information about The Self-Isolation Choir’s current, future and previous projects is available at www.theselfisolationchoir.com.

4. All media queries should be directed to The Self-Isolation Choir Communications Manager at communications@theselfisolationchoir.com.

5. Follow The Self-Isolation Choir on social media: The Self-Isolation Choir on YouTube | @IsolationChoir on Twitter | @SelfIsolationChoir on Facebook | selfisolationchoir on Instagram.