Ludwig

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The glower. Beethoven is so often depicted this way. It's hard to read that stone visage. He could be grouchy, determined, tired or just annoyed at a hapless student. He does not look like he's working out the Ode To Joy in his mind.

This bust is in Tower Grove Park, an urban oasis that has a very 19th Century feel. There is a circle of these granite busts on marble columns surrounding an ornate gazebo. Beethoven is joined by other faves of the era, including Wagner, Verdi (those two don't get along very well), Mozart, Gounod, Tchaikovsky and Brahms. They don't get a lot of attention from most of the park's patrons but they do from me.

Mrs. C and I are getting away for a few days - there is a desperate need to clean out the closets of my brain. I apologize in advance for a lack of comments over the next few days. Need to pack tonight and tomorrow is a travel day. We get in pretty late Thursday so there may or may not be a post on Friday. But the destination has fabulous photo ops. All will be revealed soon.