This is the first segment of our four-part series 'Beethoven Variations: A Poet's Journey through the Music and Life of Beethoven' with renowned British poet Ruth Padel and eminent pianist Karl Lutchmayer. This series has been put together by Prateeti Punja Ballal.

In Part I of the series, Ruth and Karl take us through Beethoven's early years, his childhood in Bonn, his arrival in Vienna first as a virtuoso Pianist and then as a promising composer, and his early worries, at age 28, about deafness.

In the series, Ruth will take us on an intimate journey through Beethoven's life and music, illustrated by her poetry from her recent book. Professor of Poetry at King's College London, she has written many collections of poetry, and books of non-fiction and fiction. Her earlier book Darwin: A Life in Poems, released on Darwin's centenary, captured her great great grandfather memorably.

Concert pianist and lecturer, Karl Lutchmayer held an academic lectureship at the Trinity College of Music in London, now Trinity Laban, for 15 years. He has played at all the major London concert halls and across the world, and his London lecture-recital series, Conversational Concerts, garnered critical and public acclaim. Karl will perform Beethoven's music for us and give us his insights into its composition and context.

In future episodes, they will be joined by guest artists, soprano Nina Kanter, cellist David Waterman and the Endellion String Quartet, one of the world's leading quartets, and the South Asian Symphony Orchestra with musicians from the countries of South Asia and the diaspora.

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