Beethoven

His Tribulations & Triumphs

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This lecture explores how the creative arts—literature, poetry, and especially music—can help sustain us in times of existential despair. Drawing on his experience as a physician specializing in mental health, the speaker will explain how artistic expression can offer meaning, resilience and even healing in the face of profound loss. He will then zero in on the example of Ludwig van Beethoven, who began to lose his hearing in his late twenties and was functionally deaf by his mid-forties. Instead of succumbing to hopelessness, Beethoven deepened his musical imagination, producing some of the most powerful works in Western music, which listeners are now using to offset their instances of despair.

FEE: Free for Members

DATE:   Tuesday, October 27

TIME: 10:00 to 11:00 am

FORMAT: This is an online presentation. A meeting link will be sent to your email address after registration.)

PRESENTER: Christopher Dowrick is Emeritus Professor in the University of Liverpool UK and Professorial Research Fellow in the University of Melbourne Australia. He researches common mental health problems in primary care and leads international educational initiatives for family doctors in primary mental health care. He is now exploring ways in which engaging with the creative arts enables our wellbeing. His recent publications on this subject include: 

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