A Great Loss

We at The Unheard Beethoven regret to be the bearers of bad news. Our good friend Professor Theodore Albrecht, who has been translating and editing the Conversation Books of Beethoven, which form the basis of our daily column of Beethoven 200 Years Ago Today, has died following a lengthy illness.

Prof. Albrecht was an eminent Beethoven scholar and wrote many articles on Beethoven, and a number of books including the essential Letters to Beethoven set and his recent book on the first performances of the Ninth Symphony. Not only was he one of the foremost researchers in the field, but he was extraordinarily generous with his research and his time, allowing us at The Unheard Beethoven to use his as-yet-unpublished translations of the conversation books once we caught up to the published volumes.

Ted’s widow, Carol Padgham Albrecht, has kindly shared his work on the remaining conversation books, and we will continue to produce this column so long as is feasible with the invaluable assistance of Birthe Kibsgaard.