Beethoven Celebrations Begin With Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Beethoven 1, 2 and 3
In 2020 the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) will celebrate 250 years since the birth of the great Ludwig van Beethoven kicking off the year with the rare opportunity to hear the first three of Beethoven’s symphonies together in full, including the magnificent ‘Eroica’.
Directed from the violin by Richard Tognetti, who simultaneously celebrates 30 years as Artistic Director of this celebrated ensemble, the core 17-piece ACO will be joined onstage by the extraordinary string students of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and wind and brass musicians from around the world to expand in size to over 50 players.
Beethoven has endured for centuries as one of the most popular and beloved composers around the world, with his music found everywhere from concert halls, to film soundtracks, to disco-era chart-toppers. He was a true musical revolutionary and is credited with paving the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras.
Beethoven’s effervescent Symphony No.1 and spirited Symphony No.2 open the program before his third, and arguably most electrifying, symphonic achievement: the ‘Eroica’. Initially dedicated to Napoleon in celebration of his heroism and grandeur, Beethoven famously scratched out the written dedication in fury upon hearing of Napoleon’s plans to declare himself emperor. Unprecedented in ambition, length and meaning, the ‘Eroica’ Symphony represents a turning point in musical history.
The performers: Richard Tognetti Director/ Australian Chamber Orchestra/ musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM)
The programme: BEETHOVEN Symphonies Nos.1, 2 and 3 ‘Eroica’
