BBC Arts has announced Beethoven: Rise of a Genius, a new three-part series exploring the extraordinary life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven, as the broadcaster prepares to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death in spring 2027. Coming to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, the series will combine documentary storytelling with dramatic reconstructions, Beethoven’s own written accounts and immersive sound design to explore his life, including the progressive hearing loss that began when he was just 27 years old. By the time of his death in Vienna on 26 March 1827, Beethoven had become deaf, yet continued to produce some of the most celebrated music ever written.

Produced by 72 Films, the documentary is the latest instalment in BBC Arts’ Rise of a Genius collection, following previous series exploring the lives of Mozart, William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. This time, the focus turns to one of classical music’s most influential figures, whose compositions continue to be recognised and performed around the world almost two centuries after his death.

What Will Beethoven: Rise of a Genius Explore?

The three-part series will follow Beethoven’s journey from an ambitious young musician to one of history’s greatest composers, exploring his musical achievements alongside the personal difficulties he faced throughout his life. As his hearing deteriorated, Beethoven became desperate to find a cure, struggling with his condition while continuing to compose. The documentary will also examine his difficult relationships, including his feelings for a mysterious aristocratic woman he called his “Immortal Beloved”, his troubled relationship with his nephew Karl and his complicated dealings with the wealthy Viennese families who supported his career.

His volatile temper, relentless perfectionism and search for love will form part of the story, with the series exploring how these experiences influenced his work. Some of his most famous compositions, including the Moonlight Sonata, Fifth Symphony and Ninth Symphony, featuring the celebrated “Ode to Joy”, will be revisited as the documentary examines the man behind the music.

One of the most interesting aspects of the series is its approach to Beethoven’s hearing loss. Working with Deaf contributors and organisations including LumoTV and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), the production will use sound design to explore how his experience of the world changed over time.

Beethoven’s own letters and conversation books, which he used to communicate in writing during the final years of his life, will also help tell his story, offering viewers an insight into his thoughts and relationships.

Jon Batiste, Evelyn Glennie and More Join BBC Documentary

The series will feature contributions from an impressive group of musicians, performers and experts, including Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, actor Sir Simon Russell Beale, percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and composer and conductor Sir George Benjamin.

Musicians Jeremy Denk, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Jonathan Biss and Nicky Spence will also perform Beethoven’s music throughout the documentary, bringing some of his best-known compositions into the story.

Speaking about the new series, Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts and Classical Music TV, explained that the production aims to explore Beethoven’s creativity alongside his experience of hearing loss. “Our intention in this series was to shed new light on Beethoven’s astonishing creativity alongside the loss of his hearing, in an era where deafness was little understood.”

Klein also thanked the organisations, musicians and contributors involved in the production, whose knowledge and experiences have helped shape the documentary’s portrayal of Beethoven’s life.

BBC Announces More Programmes for Beethoven’s 200th Anniversary

Alongside Beethoven: Rise of a Genius, the BBC has confirmed additional television and radio programmes to commemorate the anniversary. A special edition of the history podcast You’re Dead to Me will explore Beethoven’s life and legacy, with presenter Greg Jenner joined by comedian Mike Wozniak, musicologist Laura Tunbridge and conductor Levon Parikian. The programme will be recorded at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre, with broadcasts planned across BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3, BBC Sounds, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer.

Younger audiences will also get their own introduction to the composer with Horrible Histories: Banging Beethoven Special, a new CBBC programme starring James McNicholas and featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra. The special will bring the usual Horrible Histories humour to Beethoven’s story, exploring some of the stranger facts about his life alongside performances of his music. Further programming to mark the anniversary will be announced by the BBC in due course.

For CultureCues, Beethoven’s story is a fascinating one, and we’re looking forward to learning more about his extraordinary achievements and the difficulties he faced throughout his life. You don’t need to be a classical music fan to know some of his greatest compositions, although we’d probably struggle to name them all in a pub quiz! There’s also so much about the man himself that many of us probably don’t know. We’re especially interested in how the series will use sound design and contributions from Deaf people to explore his hearing loss and how it affected his life and music. It sounds like a really interesting documentary, and hopefully one that will introduce Beethoven’s story to a whole new audience.

Beethoven: Rise of a Genius will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in 2027, marking the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.