Beethoven's Deafness: Psychological Crisis and Artistic Triumph

Two CE credits will be available for NYS Social Workers.

May 7, 2021, 7:00PM EST

Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from a variety of psychiatric symptoms, including persecutory delusions, volatile moods, explosive rages, and suicidal ideation. But perhaps even more compelling than his symptoms was his resilience. He is a quintessential example of the human capacity to cope with adversity. Deafness, a hardship for anyone, is a catastrophe for a musician. Against all odds, Beethoven ultimately embraced the loss of his hearing as an opportunity to fulfill his artistic destiny.

Dr. Kogan will recount Beethoven's survival and heroic musical accomplishments, despite traumatic abuse. It is a genuinely telling story of a childhood replete with punishment and neglect from an alcoholic father and adulthood struggles with the onset of deafness. Ironically, many of Beethoven's most creative periods coincided with some of his lowest personal periods.

Dr. Kogan will perform early, middle and late Beethoven piano sonatas illuminating Beethoven’s creative evolutions. Lee Kramer, former TI executive director, will interview Dr. Kogan, who will explore music's role in healing and the impact of psychological forces and mental and physical illness on Beethoven's creative output.

For more information, please email Heather deCastro at hdecastro@me.com

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Richard Kogan, M.D. has a distinguished career both as a psychiatrist and as a concert pianist. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Artistic Director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program, and Co-Director of Weill Cornell’s Human Sexuality Program, Dr. Kogan has gained renown for his lecture/concerts that explore the role of music in healing and the influence of psychological factors and psychiatric and medical illness on the creative output of the great composers. He has given performances at medical conferences, music festivals and academic symposia throughout the world. Dr. Kogan has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards in both psychiatry and the arts, including the Liebert Award for Applied Psychoanalysis. Dr. Kogan is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College, Harvard College, and Harvard Medical School. He completed a psychiatry residency and academic fellowship at NYU. He has a private practice of psychiatry in New York City.