captioned d by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> euromaxx lifestyle europe highlights. in today's show -- beethoven revolution. ed slowing down the great german composer. why it is elite national acquires a taste for fine ales. and fur play. fur fashion as you can wear with a good conscience. here is your host. >> hello, from berlin and

welcome. all those stories coming up, but we begin with youtube's most celebrated animal, simon's cap. these wonderful stories were animated back in 2007. after posted on the internet, they drew millions of hits in no time. the film, and now a simple book of simon's life with his tax and there is no doubt who is boss in this relationship. >> this is simon's cat, and simon who is trying to watch tv. [unintelligible]

it is a battle that only one can win. simon's cat. this is the cat in reality. and this is simon. a 39-year-old british animator. he invented his cat cartoon as he was learning to use new animation software. >> that morning, here was this tiny kitten who had been jumping all over me. from breakfast, he had been trying to get me to give him breakfast. finally i got up. i was like ok, ok, i will feed you. i fed it. then i sat down to think of an idea for a film to do, and i thought it would be perfect to do a man in bed with the cat trying to wake him up. >> the video has been watched

almost 19 million tons so far on youtube. at first, the artist did not want to uploaded to the internet. -- upload it to the internet. >> at first, i thought it was terrible. >> the stories are all about the loving, an erotic relationship between cat and human. simon's cat is interested in one thing and one thing only -- food. >> i think people trained dogs, but cats train people. you are feeding them when they want to be fed. you become their slave in a wide. it is quite funny. >> his stories are inspired by the real life adventures of our

regular kind of cat. this is what happened when our camera team came to visit. hugh also likes to go prowling through the neighborhood. there are so many stories to tell, that simon is now making a book. two have already appeared, and the first has been published in 24 countries. >> the good thing about a comic strip about a cat is the cats are the same no matter what country you live on land. they will always act the same, really. the at the same. that at the same. they have the same facial expressions, body language. so all of my illustrations can be read world wide. >> the first book has sold almost 400,000 copies. simon has founded a company asimon's cat limited -- the

first merchandise is also available, for his followers. four people work for simon's cat limited. he draws pictures one by one and his computer, working from sketches on paper. >> you have to have very good timing, because the drawing is so simple, it is about the timing of the gags, basic old- fashioned slapstick comedy. >> these sounds are also part of the secret of simon's cat's success . he dubbed the cat himself. >> meow, meow.

>> people run the world see their own animals in my animations. they see their cat on screen. they relate to that. the immediately liked it. it is as if watching their own animal. people say, oh, my cat does that. just like my cap. -- cat. [meowing] [groans] [purrs] >> and this is how the game between cat and human runs. there is no question him wednesday in the end. -- who wins in the end. >> they are wonderfully done. time now to meet the dutch conductor who believes we have

been playing beethoven's symphonies at the wrong speed for 200 years. he says metronome instructions are misleading and he has conducted the second symphony in what he believes are the original tympani, to show what he means. >> it seems straightforward. the timpani are written up, accompanied by metronome marks. musicians always struggled with beethoven's symphonies. and now, it is all more complicated. the traditional interpretation of beethoven has been appended. here, and in the small town, this is where this dutch conductor lives. ♪ >> all of these metronome marks

our mistakes. they might be deliberate mistakes. some of the more noticed before. but people always assumed beethoven in a mistake. it was a bit of an insult to beethoven's honor as a musician. >> he has taken the music world by storm with his new theory. most of the metronome marks for the liberal puzzle on beethoven's part, he says. but why should beethoven have done such a thing? >> it is a test for the musician to see if they understand the classical rules. are they observant? are they paying attention? it is music in good hands? he went to demonstrate he was not the one who was deaf, but the musicians playing the piece. >> in fact, the metronome was invented during beethoven's lifetime. and in many cases, he added the

metronome marked years after he had composed the symphony. >> this is 66. ♪ this is the correct tempo. this is the tempo of beethoven speeded up. quite a bit faster. it is a puzzle. and this is what it sounds like. >> if followed as written, some passengers are unplayable. as many musicians will immense, he also believes that beethoven was making ironic fun of the metronome, which was still a primitive instrument of the time. here in vienna, we are finally able to fulfill a longstanding dream.

together with the vienna symphony orchestra, he performs beethoven's using the timpani that he believes is the original one. >> i have never played any think so differently -- anything so differently. the orchestra use the original. but this way, we can hear things we have never been able to appear before, things that were hidden until now. >> the last decision a musician has to make when rehearsing a piece is about the tempo, and that involves understanding what it actually is about. dynamics. how it fits together. then comes the last question -- which tempo best captures all of these things is the million- dollar question? >> interpreting things we

creating something for yourself in a personal way -- recreating something for yourself in a personal way. it is not insulting beethoven. good lord, it is just interpretation. >> he had ambitious plans. with support from a foundation, he would like to record all of beethoven's symphonies, and thereby, rescue his honor. >> there is no real dearer tradition in italy like there is in -- beer tradition in italy like there is in germany. so that means battalion's can be rather bolder with their brews. they supplemented with everything up to and including chocolate. we went to a brewery to find out more. >> the italians call it artisan

be your -- beer. it comes in hundreds of varieties. this is flavored with cocoa beans. the amber elixir is refreshing. he has been selling his home brew beer for 15 years. his most popular it has 8% alcohol content, so it is not for lightweights. >> yes, it is strong. that is true. but in a subtle way. >> he enjoys serving his 20 varieties of beer to his guests. his beers appealed to discerning taste. >> for wine drinkers who want to drinkersbeer -- who want to give

beer a try. for anyone who wants to try something different than the clear bruce -- brews. >> this was -- people across northern italy come to pay a visit. his pub is packed to the rafters every evening. his guest have their own beer at the table from a two-liter dispenser he designed himself. >> we, all the time. the beer is exquisite. >> if you want something different, this is where you will find it. >> here and in the mountain village, at the micro brewery is hidden away in a former monastery. he uses only local products.

the top-fermented beer is brewed between 21 degrees celsius in 24 degrees celsius. and it is eight and a bottle for 24 months. -- aged in the bottle for 24 months. >> the flavor is really develop to the full. the aroma of just not, bitter orange -- chestnut, bitter or ange. >> 100 kilometers to the north, another tiny -- tiny brewery. the owner is a fan of british and belgian beers and enjoys experimenting with spices such as meant and cinnamon. he wrote some barley along with chocolate for one of his eight varieties. this one is called "black rebel." >> it is the spice is that give the beer its flavor.

it binds to the east during fermentation and creates an aroma that would not otherwise be available. >> it costs are around 4 euro 50. bruce are coming from tuscany -- brews are coming from tuscany. some of the beers also have labels in german. 9% of the beers are sold in bottles. >> beer these days is not only mean the usual light-colored varieties. that is only one way to brew beer. there are countless different ways for brewers to interpret their art. >> he is breaking new ground.

his restaurant is the only gourmet restaurant in italy to serve only beer, but no wine. >> well, what ever the flavor, you cannot fake a beer, but you can fake a fur. with fake fur improving in quality, seen as the real thing is out. even karl lagerfeld says, "you cannot fake chic, but you can be chic in fake fur." >> boots, coats, pants all made in fake fur. in his current collection for chanel, karl lagerfeld has

worked only in fake fur. >> karl lagerfeld is someone who takes a modern approach. he has been doing this collection for decades. he insisted that part of the collection use fake fur. at the time he justified his decision by arguing it was modern. you have to go with the times, and now was the time for fake fur. >> since the 1990's, massive protests by animal rights organizations have made it wearing real fur and attractive, increasing the demand for fake fur, which is created by synthetic fibers. it was already fashionable in the 1950's, but the quality was poor. now new manufacturing techniques makes it harder to tell the fake fur from the real thing.

fake fur has become acceptable in fashion circles. more and more stars for it in public. >> the ordinary person can no longer tell the difference between fake fur and real fur, at least not from a distance. the way you can tell the difference is in the way it feels. fake fur feels different. it does not have the under code or the skin. fake fur is supported underneath by textiles. that is what it is built on. >> imitation fur has made its way into designer boutiques. everywhere you look there is chinchilla, sable, fox -- all fake. fake fur also has advantages over real fur. it is cheaper and you can wear it with a clear conscience. >> fake fur has the same characteristics as real for.

it conveys the feeling of warmth, a coziness. when you are wearing of fur coat and nestle into it, and you are enfolded by it, cocooned. and naturally, that gives you an unbelievably pleasant warm feeling. i would say a very homey one. >> fake fur can be used in coast, bats, boots, in countless variations. and no animals are killed to make them. >> today's consumer is environmentally conscious, is concerned about how animals are kept in was to know how and where things are made.

the shopper is better informed. that is behind the toward fake fur. >> but fake fur is not just for women. karl lagerfeld sends men down the catwalk wearing it. in fake fur, both genders can face the winter and in style. >> scandinavian artists challenge the way art is typically presented. they think big, and in their first solo exhibition in germany, they have made one of the largest installations in recent art history. they have created a kind of housing estates in an art gallery, and it sounds intriguing. let's take a look. >> the huge installations wow

visitors. all fullscale, four-story mock block, and next to it, and in the ballroom. at one end of the ballroom, you can see and hear people in an adjacent room that visitors are not allowed to enter. >> there is a vip party going on. we are not invited. it is also the role of an artist in a way. you get a peek in two different worlds, but you are not really a part of it. >> at the other end of the room, a boy since cowering in the fireplace. the exhibition takes a critical view of society's relationship

with celebrities, something that has changed over the years. >> the otherness, like something that was different from your life. today, they have become bigger. celebrities have to be well- behaved. they have to be liked. they've always been very one dimensional figures. >> the artists' show were the stars of today are made -- in talent and reality shows. all of the fictional residents of the blog have different tastes. some watch soccer. somewhat karaoke videos. it helps them dream of a world outside of their own four walls.

>> it is like the celebrity culture. we all have our allusions. it is what keeps us going. like that we believe in something could be different. >> they often juxtapose everyday life and luxury. sculptures like mannequins' clothes by french designers. a mock prada boutique and in the middle of a desert. a campaign trail in the middle of an exclusive shopping mall. the artists were selected for the danish and norrish pavilions in 2009. there exhibition was well received internationally. the show is their first

exclusive exhibition in germany. cracks -- >> they are in a very special position, not just nationally, but internationally. the connect things onion and unique way. on one hand, they have the spaces and architecture. there's also the performance space displayed on in these rooms. >> a graffiti artist was invited to add to their work. and visitors are likewise encouraged to become directly involved. >> and here, they are allowed to spy on their neighbors. >> there is underlying humor and irony in the art. [unintelligible] >> there is just as much mellon collie. >> the artists are a perfect

team and have also been a couple in private for 15 years. does that help with their creativity? >> it is good for the working relationship at some point. >> they have become stars in their own right in the art world. >> just before we go, a reminder of our website -- www.dw- world.de/english/euromaxx. that is all for now then. goodbye.

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