ALICE SARA OTT, EZINMA & MAX RICHTER
FEATURE IN NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL CELEBRATING
BEETHOVEN’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
AVAILABLE FROM 15 DECEMBER 2020
THROUGH Z2 COMICS AND DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
| Alice Sara OttExcerpt from the chapter ‘Inspiration’Artwork by Creees Lee | EzinmaExcerpt from the chapter ‘Tour De Force’Artwork by Jarrett Williams |
DOWNLOAD A SELECTION OF PAGES HERE
Three internationally-renowned musicians appear in a new original graphic novel celebrating the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven. Pianist Alice Sara Ott, violinist Ezinma and composer Max Richter all feature in their own chapters as part of The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology, which is released on 15 December via Z2 Comics and Deutsche Grammophon.
Told across 208 pages, the graphic novel is written by Brandon Montclare and Frank Marraffino. It is an anthology of comics inspired by the composer’s life and music, created by more than a dozen visual artists with a striking cover from David Mack.
Drawn by Creees Lee, the chapter with Alice Sara Ott – who is also a talented illustrator herself – sees the pianist invite the composer to hearone of his works played in a modern concert hall. Ezinma has beendrawn by Jarrett Williams for a chapter which celebrates Beethoven’s ground-breaking musical personality. Max Richter has been transformed thanks to artist Dave Chisholm, who also wrote the chapter. Each of the three chapters offers a captivating story and stunning visuals to complement the anthology.
Beethoven’s influence on pop-culture has been immeasurable and his compositions have sound tracked and inspired some of the most iconic moments of the last quarter of a millennium. His music has been featured in over 1500 films and TV shows including: A Clockwork Orange, Die Hard, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Breakfast Club, Dead Poet’s Society, Django Unchained, Disney’s Fantasia, The King’s Speech, Columbo, Sherlock, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Simpsons; it’s been sampled by Alicia Keys, Nas, Ennio Morricone, Giorgio Moroder, ELO, Kiss, Busta Rhymes and the Beatles; it’s been sent into orbit on the Voyager spacecraft; it’s influenced literary works like TS Eliot’s Four Quartets; and the comic strip Peanuts even featured a Beethoven storyline! Beethoven’s legacy has also been recognized in the cosmos, with an asteroid belt and a crater named after him on the planet Mercury.
The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology is available to order now directly from Z2 Comics webstore: www.z2comics.com/beethoven. The Deluxe Edition is accompanied by a new compilation album from Deutsche Grammophon. It is released on 15 December – a day before Max Richter’s new Beethoven-inspired composition “OPUS 2020” is premiered in Bonn.
Beethoven fans can also enjoy a full collection of the composer’s works with The New Complete Edition, a remarkable 123-disc box set and digital series featuring over 250 artists and 175 hours of music, created in partnership with the Beethoven-Haus Bonn.
© David Mack
The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology features artists Patricio Delpeche, Rodrigo Luján, Liana Kangas, Luisa Russo, Alice Meichi Li, Shane White, Ryan Kelly, Tom Williams, Miki Tsujii, Andres Szymanowicz, Jamaica Dyer, Dave Chisholm, Creees Lee and Jarrett Williams, with additional colours by Aladdin Collar and lettering by Justin Birch. The cover is by David Mack and the story is by Brandon Montclare and Frank Marraffino (except the Max Richter chapter which has story and art by Dave Chisholm).