BBC The Genius of Beethoven (2005) Part 1 The Rebel

A three-part drama-documentary series about Ludwig van Beethoven presented by conductor Charles Hazlewood. It takes eyewitness accounts of the composer's tragic life and weaves them into analysis of his groundbreaking music.

Part 1 The Rebel

Written and Directed by Ursula MacFarlane.

This first programme looks at Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and 2nd Symphony, and charts his turbulent early years as a pianist and composer in Vienna, after having rejected his abusive alcoholic father.