Never have global gigs paying tribute to a musician been planned with as much grandeur and gusto. If anyone deserves a birthday bash stretching strong over two years, it is Ludwig van Beethoven, believe his worshippers.

A celebratory series of concerts, exhibitions and artistic reappraisals struck up from January, until the pandemic scuppered them. Instead of being trimmed, they have already reaped fine adaptations—innovative digital versions, reinterpreted rooftop performances, online Hope at Home shows and even World Environment Day greeted with fresh versions of the Pastoral Symphony. The Beethoven-Haus in his birthplace Bonn, Germany, reopened in compliance with social distancing and the city's self-guided "On the trail of Ludwig van Beethoven" walking tour marks halts at 11 key stops.