John Suchet – In Search of Beethoven: A Personal Journey

John Suchet, previously well-known TV news reporter and newscaster and now regular presenter on Classic FM, is an acknowledged authority on Ludwig van Beethoven. He has written seven books on the subject and sold over 23,000 copies of Beethoven: The Man Revealed. His latest release, In Search of Beethoven, stands apart as a deeply personal account of Suchet’s relationship with the great composer. Suchet charts a journey from Beethoven’s early years in Bonn to his life in Vienna, following in the composer’s footsteps and interweaving his story with Suchet’s own. Suchet’s witty and insightful narrative offers a candid portrayal of Beethoven. “It’s not always easy to reconcile the genius with the deeply flawed individual,” Suchet reflects. “Beethoven’s music has been my companion through the best and worst of times, yet I find it difficult to forgive him for the pain he caused those around him. This book includes some truly surprising, and not altogether welcome, discoveries.”
The book also sheds light on groundbreaking information about Beethoven’s health and ancestry. Drawing on the latest research from Cambridge University and the Max Planck Institute, Suchet offers fresh insights into Beethoven’s heritage, health struggles, and pivotal life events, such as his interactions with Mozart. “Beethoven scholarship does not stand still,” remarks Suchet, “and each new finding brings us closer to understanding the man behind the music.”

John Suchet OBE is a bestselling author, journalist, radio and TV presenter. He was the voice of morning radio on Classic FM for almost a decade and before that, he was one of the UK’s best-known television journalists and newscasters, regularly presenting ITN’s flagship News at Ten for nearly 20 years. A recognised authority on Beethoven, he is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Beethoven: The Man Revealed (2020), as well as biographies of Mozart, Strauss, Verdi and Tchaikovsky. To date John has written seven books on Beethoven. In Search of Beethoven will be his eighth.

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