Violinist Daniel Hope on playing Beethoven's epic violin concerto: "It's like climbing Everest!"
Daniel Hope joined Simon Mayo on Scala Radio to talk about Beethoven's music and single-mindedness
Last updated 14th Mar 2021
British violinist Daniel Hope joined Simon Mayo on Scala Radio to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.
During the conversation with Simon, Hope talked about his role as President of the Beethoven Haus in Bonn in 2019 - the cultural heart of Beethoven history in Germany, the experience of playing Beethoven's epic violin concerto, and the composer's politics and personality.
Would you say you've been obsessed with Beethoven?
Yes, I think I would. It started with the violin concerto. And then later on, when I started to study and play the violin, it became the sonatas.
This obsession with Beethoven has grown over the years. And so now to find myself associated with this institution as President of the Beethoven house, and the place in which he was born.
It's kind of gone a little bit full circle for me. And it's very humbling and very inspiring to look at the letters look at the manuscripts to play on his instruments.
There's a quartet of his instruments. There are two violins there that belonged to him, one of which has a great big B, engraved into it. To play Beethoven's music on that instrument is an amazing experience.
Is it possible to put into words what it's like to play something like the Beethoven violin concerto?
It really is like climbing Everest, you have this feeling of trepidation that you want to really do your very, very best to get to the summit. Along the way, there will be obstacles. And yet if you make it past a certain point of view up there is absolutely glorious. And it's like having a conversation with an old friend. You feel like you know them so well.
And yet, some days you get on better than than others, and yet, there's total and utter inspiration. It's one of the most simply constructed pieces, and I say that with huge respect, but it does have a simple element to it, which makes it so stunning. It's so incredibly hard. Beethoven manages to amalgamate every possible emotion in that piece.
It also triggers memories for me, whether it's the three year-old in me or whether it's the performance I did half a year ago. Everything comes flooding back the minute you play it and so you're absolutely enraptured in the melodies. Every time you go out there, it's always different. But at the end, it's always like a huge rush of adrenaline.
Beethoven was a deeply political character, wasn't he? It's the themes that he addresses, which make it sound as contemporary now as it did back in the day.
Absolutely. Beethoven was so far ahead of his time in so many different ways. He pushed against the establishment. There's a story of him out with Goethe the writer. They're walking through the park and the Imperial family arrives and goes to step aside, to let them go past, and Beethoven buttons down his jacket, holds on to his hat and walks straight through the procession - he just walks charges through them! He laughs about it. That was practically treason. Beethoven was he was unbelievably single-minded.