How Beethoven brought out Lenin's softer side

Despite his chilling ruthlessness, Lenin had a sentimental streak. According to the writer Maxim Gorky, the founder of the Russian Communist Party liked children, kittens and was particularly moved by Beethoven's 'Appassionata' Sonata. Matthew Sweet explains.

This special edition of Time Traveller features in Essential Classics on 7 November 2017 as part of the Radio 3 season Breaking Free: A Century of Russian Culture. Listen in at 10:10am every weekday morning for more fascinating slices of cultural history.

Image: Lenin pictured in "The Russian Bolshevik Revolution" (1921) via University of California Libraries on Flickr Commons.