On Wednesday, Ludwig van Beethovenâs birthday was celebrated for the 250th time. I assume his abusive, alcoholic father wasnât too plastered to have had baby Beethoven parties, and the composer is one who has never gone out of fashion. Indeed, Beethoven has remained such a dominant, adversity-overcoming ode-to-joy-ster that even a pandemic hasnât been able to blow out 250 brightly burning birthday candles lighting up a darkened world. The German city of Bonn, Beethovenâs birthplace, has faddishly branded the year BTHVN2020 and provided an online storehouse for events and t...