Gestohlen: A Story of Beethoven's Piano

About the Book

Peter, a classically trained musician, has fallen from grace due to numerous scandals during his tenure as a music teacher and concert pianist for the prestigious Berliner Hochschule Für Musik. Beethoven has been his life-long obsession and may be the reason his life has taken a dark turn.

Like Beethoven, Peter too is easily infatuated with charming, talented women, which borders on obsession. His infatuation stems from his own need to be useful and to educate the deserving on the fascinating world of classical music in the hope that they may see the world as he does, which is impossible due to a condition known as synaesthesia. During his time at the Conservatory, a replica of Beethoven’s famous Broadwood piano under restoration goes missing (Gestohlen). Although absolved of any guilt, his is nevertheless seen as the responsible party due to his gross negligence, which leaves his career in ruins. He knows a great deal more about the replica than meets the eye, but the piano is not in his possession. He is not interested in the replica; he is obsessed with the authentic Beethoven Broadwood gifted to Beethoven himself by the Broadwood Piano Manufacturers in London in 1818. He aims to use the replica to obtain the objects of his obsessions, but he must secure the imposter first before making his play. Which is which? Facts and fiction become obfuscated.

An intriguing sampling of Beethoven’s work is featured in the story, as well as other Baroque and Classical composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, Liszt, Schubert, and more, although one does not have to be a musician to enjoy the story.

About the Author

Raymond Henry recently moved back to San Diego, California, after having lived and worked in Spain for over fifteen years, where his son and daughter currently reside. In fact, he wrote most of this book while in Spain. He worked for an international company as a language consultant. He has also travelled extensively throughout Europe and has a special affinity toward Germany due to the professional and personal relationships he has established through the years. He speaks German reasonably well and dabbles in Portuguese.

Before moving to Spain all those years ago, Raymond lived in Orange County, California, teaching AP Spanish, AP Economics and International Relations. Language and culture have always been an important part of his life. Nowadays in San Diego, he currently works for a small enterprise on various projects, although writing is his obsession. He still enjoys tutoring high school and university students in his free time, as well as attending the symphony, natürlich.

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