One does not simply “ cancel ” Beethoven’s birthday. When Beethoven’s actual (read: estimated) birthday came and went in mid-December, the global classical community tried its hardest to make it up to the birthday boy. Elliott even hosted the station’s last “Beethoven Orgy” back in 1989 — “Beethoven rolls over for no one,” he growls in a promo spot. Thus, the “Orgy” felt like an opportunity to fill in some gaps and pay Beethoven’s music the attention it demands — and routinely rewards. I took notes: He’s experimenting, he’s paying bills, he’s heartbroken, he’s breaking through, he’s distracted, he’s ecstatic, he’s mourning, he’s joking, he can see the heavens, he can’t hear the audience.

Source: Washington Post December 24, 2020 12:00 UTC