A Tale of Two Generations
The Great Failure of The Enlightenment
Beethoven
Rarely had the air crackled with nervous excitement at the venerable old Kärntnertor Theater as it did on the evening of May the 7th, 1824. The Viennese audience packing the house were living out their entire lives before sound had ever been recorded or played back. To them, the rare experience of hearing even a single instrument meant that it …