On June 9 1804 Ludwig Von Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a small group of musicians to give the first performance of his third symphony,the Bonaparte,to his patron Prince Lobkowitz and his guests,including hypercritical Count Dietrichstein,in Vienna. The piece provokes political arguments among players and onlookers as to whether Bonaparte is a tyrant,or,as Beethoven believes,a liberator. The composer is also rejected by former love the recently widowed Josephine Von Deym though the visiting elder statesman of composers Haydn pays him a strange compliment. Leaving the gathering Beethoven confesses to Ries that he is losing his hearing and later he reads that Bonaparte has declared himself the French emperor. As a result he will lose all respect for Napoleon and will change the symphony's title to the .

Starring:

Fenella Woolgar, Ian Hart, Ian Thompson, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Aris, Joseph Morgan, Leo Bill, Robert Glenister, Tim Pigott-Smith, Trevor Cooper, Victoria Shalet

Genre:

Drama, Music