Customer Reviews

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first of the music CDs for the kids - we have two boys aged 6 and 8 now. We've had this (and other in the series) for over a year now. At first, the kids loved the stories which provide a sense of history and place and keep them interested in the entire CD. Then, they started to listen more to the musical portions. More recently, it's been really interesting to see what they've picked up as we've listed to music on the radio. Time and again, they perk up when listening to a piece of music and surprise us by saying "That's Beethoven". Sure enough - they've picked up something about the style of music that's characteristic of Beethoven. Sometimes it's the snippet of music from the CD and other times it's just the rhythms that are characteristic of that piece. As a family, we all recommend this.

I initially heard "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" over the campus radio station 9 years ago when I was in college. It was being played around Christmas time. This is a marvellous production centered around a young boy whose mother rents the upstairs room to the composer Beethoven for a short period of time. The story, if it is true, is apparently based on a series of letters the young boy had written to one of his uncles, detailling the daily events of life with Beethoven upstairs. As such, it is narrated in parts as a flashback mainly with the voices of the uncle and the nephew. The storyline is often amusing, and the background ambience has a rich fullness to the sound, which only enhances our appreciation of the music and time period. It is quite obvious that a lot of care and love went into the production of this hour-long audioplay. We also hear quite a lot of excerpts from Beethoven's works, which are masterfully performed.

This is the perfect introduction to Beethoven and his music for those unfamiliar with this great composer. Even for those who already know his music, this production is so delightful and enjoyable that they will listen to it repetitively, as I have done. The whole family will enjoy this audio CD.

I bought this CD and the others in the series - Mr. Bach Comes to Call and Mozart's Magical Adventure and my oldest son, who is 4, will put this CD in first thing in the morning and listen to it and all the others 2-3 times a day. They all are charming and intelligent enough that I don't mind listening to it over and over again with him. All of the CDs in the series have well told stories that integrate the music beautifully and give you a brief but complete history of these musicians and what life was like for them. Enjoy!

My two kids (ages 1 and 3 years) HATE being in the car. We put this tape in, and we all loved it. My 3 year old thinks it's funny that Beethoven writes on walls (so she's really listening to the story!), and my 1 year old is enthralled by the music. Quiet car ride, wonderful classical music introduction, interesting story...get the whole series.

The riveting story combined with beautifully selected music enable us to know Beethoven and appreciate his genius. Wonderful production. Our entire family enjoys it and we never tire of listening to it. Exciting storyline told through the point-of-view of a little boy. Definitely a must-have for families who want to expose their children to classical music. My daughter also enjoys the Classical Music for Kids CD on based on Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

This is another favourite CD of mine...I missed it from when I was three and four years old so much that I bought it again at fourteen. Perfectly synchronized with Beethoven's music, the story of the composer is told by a fictional but believeable character named Christoph, whom Mr. Beethoven comes to live with for a few months. Very well thought out and nicely arranged with the music.

Great introduction to Beethoven's major works and the general facts of his life presented in a creative, and smart, way for children. But, don't be fooled...the other volumes in this set are not nearly as good.

I bought this delightful album (in cassette form) 9 years ago when my wife was pregnent with my daughter. After listening to it, I could not wait until my daughter knew enough to enjoy this music!

My daughter has been enjoying this album since then. It is both informative, touching and brautiful. The Canadian producer managed to seamlessly fit the music with great story telling.

I have bought the whole set with Bach, Vivaldi and Handel since then, they are OK but not quite up to the standard of the original Beethoven disk.

Highly recommended.

This CD is not to be mistaken for a soundtrack or recording of the given Beethoven pieces, but rather it is the tale of a mere boy whose neighbor is none other than herr Beethoven. Delightful.

I am not greatly into classical music. My first introduction to this magnificent audio film was as a student of Film. We were having a lecture on Sound and our lecturer made us listen to the first 5 minutes of this film. I'd never heard it before, but never had I been so transfixed by anything. As the sound reverberated through our lecture hall, I was sold on it! I bought the casette of this film soon after. Yes, it is about Beethoven, and he certainly was some man....but equal praise goes to he narrators of this film, Stephen Ouimette and Nathaniel Moreau who(if I'm not mistaken), played the Uncle and Christoph respectively. The starting of this film is its piece de resistance! The sound of church bells, thunder claps, horse carriages, the tune of one of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, all blend together and create a rich atmosphere which is enhanced further by Stephen Ouimette's beautiful voice as he says, "Monday, March 26th, 1827. The North wind blows and snow billows through the air, thunder claps on empty streets. It is a day that will go down in history." It truly manages to make us feel the gravity of that moment, the day that Ludwig Van Beethoven died.
Nathaniel Moreau has given a really impressive performance as Christoph. The changes in his tone, his diction is perfect. It really conveys Christoph's plight, with its humour and sadness very well. All through the film Vienna, the city that the film is based in becomes a part of it, adding an atmosphere to it...Of course the film is replete with some of Beethoven's best pieces, 'Fur Elise', 'Moonlight Sonata', his 5th Symphony, to name just a few. The director has managed well to choose just the right pieces for the corresponding situations.
Eventhough this film is ostensibly made for kids, anyone who ignores it for that reason is completely daft! To conclude, I have only to say that this audio film is a must-hear! It's amazing all that it can manage to convey...it's as good as "watching" a really good film.