[2] The film moves back and forth between Beethoven's final year and his early life in Bonn.
He also comes in contact with Tobias Pfeiffer [de] (Sabin Tambrea), a local actor who rooms with the family.
To recreate the atmosphere of Beethoven's era, it was decided to use a few replicas of period instruments made by a modern piano maker Paul McNulty.
[4] Neely Swanson, writing for the Los Angeles Times, stated that the movie "honors the struggles that gnawed at brilliance but is itself little more than an elegantly tailored time-filler", and feels like a "three-part miniseries crammed into one brisk viewing".
[2] The blogger Roger Moore praised the movie, calling the actors and setting "first rate, across the board".