5/21 Ustinov's Immortal Beethoven

Sir Peter Ustinov is no stranger to Beethoven. In fact he wrote and starred in a play called "Beethoven's Tenth".  From a 1984 New York Times review:
"With his soiled 19th-century costume, wild thicket of hair and vast dyspeptic face, Mr. Ustinov is a spectacular sight. Forever muttering and cackling, he's not averse to lunging gluttonously at any available wine bottle or female derriere. And, at first, we delight in watching this portly anachronism bump heedlessly into the indignities of the modern world. Mr. Ustinov is the soul of mischievousness as he confronts an ear doctor dressed in jogging clothes or bounces on a chrome-and-leather chair or copes with the mysteries of a stereo system. Learning that his host is automatically sent free copies of new records, Mr. Ustinov slyly inquires, ''Critics get presents these days as well as bribes?''

So perhaps it doesn't seem so odd that Sir Peter hosted a 2 hour documentary called "The Immortal Beethoven with Sir Peter Ustinov" back in 1987.
Music Excerpts:
Variations In G Major On 'Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento'
String Quartet In C Minor Opus 18 No 4--Allegro Ma Non Tanto
Sonata No 9 In A Major For Violin And Piano Op 47
Sonata No 29 In B Flat Major Op 106--Scherzo
Symphony No 9 In D Minor Op 125

Featuring:
Neville Marriner (Conductor)
Hans Zender (Conductor)
Thomas Zehetmair (Violinist)
Mischa Meisky (Cellist)
Vladimir Ashkenazy Pianist)
Israela Margalit (Pianist)
Valerij Afanassiev (Pianist)

The Immortal Beethoven with Sir Peter Ustinov