Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nr. 2 in Bb Major
Beethoven's second concerto piano premiered in 1795 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer himself at the piano. One of his earlier works, it has more Classical influence than his later concertos and resembles the music of Mozart. It is performed here by Dmitri Demiashkin of Russia, who placed third in the Second International Beethoven Piano Competition in Bonn on Dec. 13, 2007.
00CE67A5-podcast-1531-3093633.mp3Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nr. 3 in C Minor
Completed in 1800, Beethoven's third piano concerto demonstrates his transition from the Classical to Romantic styles with its minor key, turbulent passages and freedom of form. It is performed here by the winner of the Second International Beethoven Piano Competition in Bonn, Yung Wook Yoo from South Korea. The winners' concert took place on Dec. 13, 2007, in the Beethovenhalle.
Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nr. 4 in G Major
In his fourth piano concerto, Beethoven began attributing a greater role to the orchestra, straying away from the Classical solo-accompaniment model. It is performed here by Keiko Hattori, who placed second in the Second International Beethoven Piano Competition in Bonn on Dec. 13, 2007.
Beethoven: Symphony Nr. 1 in C-Major, Op. 21
Beethoven (1770-1827) triggered a small revolution in the history of music with his quiet, harmonic and deceptive opening chord of the First Symphony.
When premiering his work in April 1800, in Vienna, the press wrote, "Nobody
will reprove such freedom and characteristics to a genius artist like Beethoven,
but such an onset does not fit into the opening of a grand concert."
By
tradition, the second movement is a lyrical contrast to the rhetoric-dynamical
main movement. The Andante cantabile con moto expresses strong influences by
precursors Mozart and Haydn.
The concert took place on Sept. 21, 2007, in the Beethoven Hall in Bonn, as part of the Beethovenfest. The Beethoven Orchestra played under the leadership of the Ukrainian conductor Roman Kofman.
Gundermann: "Abendland," Symphony for the Grand Orchestra, 1st Movement
When composer Karsten Gundermann (1966), born in Dresden, created his symphony Abendland (The Western World), he was concerned with cultural-philosophical questions and questions about the European criticism.
"Where does the Western World come from? Where is it going, if we continue the course of the past 1,000 years -- it is the history of Europeans fearing too strong neighbors."
No wonder then that the work is set off with warlike sounds: A continuously returning atmosphere that resolves into a nirvana-like happy ending at the end of the second movement. The course of the symphony gives away much about Gundermann's development as a composer, such as his stays in Beijing or New York, where the focus was movie music and multimedia.
Deutsche Welle is offering the first movement -- Vergangenheit (the past) -- which was first performed on Sept. 21, 2007, in the Beethoven Hall in Bonn. The Beethoven Orchestra played under the leadership of the conductor Roman Kofman.
Schubert: Trio for Violn, Violoncello and Piano, in E flat Major, Op. 100
The Trio for Violin, Violoncello and Piano, E-flat Major D 929, was composed by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) a year before his death. Within the classical-romantic, piano-trio repertoire, the piece is often referred to as the "monument." A possible reason for that is its unusual overall length of about 45 minutes.
The D 929 impresses with its masterly composition technique and wide emotional palette. In the opening movement, Robert Schumann identified both "deep rage," as well as "ebullient aspiration."
The Beaux Arts Trio payed this famous chamber oeuvre in the Beethoven House in Bonn on Sept. 20, 2007, as part of the Beethovenfest. The four movements are: Allegro, Andante con moto; Scherzando - Trio; Allegro moderato.
Beethoven: Woodwind Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 103
Beethoven composed his Woodwind Octet in E-flat Major shortly before he left his hometown of Bonn for Vienna. The work -- written for two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons -- was intended for Prince Elector Maximilian Franz's highly skilled court woodwind ensemble.
Ensemble Zefiro performed the Octet in the La Redoute villa near Bonn as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest. The Italy-based group specializes in 18th century woodwind music and plays on original instruments or replicas of period instruments.
Beethoven: Rondino for Woodwind Octet, E-flat Major, WoO 25
Beethoven's Rondino for two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons was written in the same year as the E-flat Woodwind Octet, 1792. Some suspect that the Rondino may have been intended as part of the Octet.
Listen for the horns at the end of the piece. They echo the refrain with specially made mutes modelled after originals from the period.
Ensemble Zefiro performed the Rondino in the La Redoute villa near Bonn as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest. The Italy-based group specializes in 18th century woodwind music and plays on original instruments or replicas of period instruments.
Beethoven: Symphony Nr. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
Beethoven's Second Symphony was written just before the composer's famous "Heiligenstadt Testament," an unsent letter in which he expressed suicidal thoughts due to his increasing deafness. Still, the piece is charged with vitality and humor. Upon its premiere in Vienna in 1803, critics called the symphony "eccentric." Today's listeners can decide for themselves.
The Cairo Conservatory of Music Orchestra performed Beethoven's D Major Symphony under the direction of Ivan Filev as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Beethoven: Scherzo-Allegro from D Major Symphony, Op. 36
Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Second Symphony in D Major between 1801 and 1802 in Heiligenstadt, around the time he realized he was becoming deaf. The light and capricious third movement, Scherzo - Allegro, gives no indication of the composer's personal hardship.
The Cairo Conservatory of Music Orchestra performed Beethoven's D Major Symphony under the direction of Ivan Filev as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest. The third movement, presented here, was repeated as an encore.
Bach: Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major
J.S. Bach's orchestral suites are collections of five to seven shorter dance-like compositions. The second movement of the D Major suite, the Air, gained in popularity when 19th century German violinist August Wilhelmj arranged the piece for solo violin. His version is known as Air on a G String.
The Cairo Conservatory of Music Orchestra performed Bach's Air from the D Major Suite under the direction of Ivan Filev as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Britten: Simple Symphony, Op. 4
Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony, which premiered in 1934, is based on themes the British composer wrote as a child.
The Cairo Conservatory of Music Orchestra performed the Simple Symphony under the direction of Ivan Filev as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Basha: "Entizar" -- Premiere of DW Commission
"Entizar," which is the Arabic word for "waiting," is the first work 35-year-old Egyptian composer Mohamed Saad Basha wrote following the death of his mother. The piece expresses his anticipation of meeting her again in the afterlife.
Basha's roots in the Egyptian musical tradition and his fondness for western rock music are evident in the orchestral composition, which was commissioned by Deutsche Welle for the 2007 Beethovenfest.
As part of the festival, Basha conducted the world premiere of "Entizar," performed by the Cairo Conservatory of Music Orchestra, in the Beethovenhalle in Bonn.
Beethoven: Concerto for Piano (Violin) in D Major, Op. 61
Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concert in D Major, Op. 61 is among the most popular and well known works in the genre. The version for piano and orchestra, on the other hand, is relatively unfamiliar.
Inspired by the pianist and composer Muzio Clementi, Beethoven rewrote Opus 61 for piano in 1807, adding two quite virtuosic cadences.
Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen, accompanied by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, performed Beethoven's piano concerto on Aug. 26 in the Beeethovenhalle Bonn as part of this year's Beethovenfest. Paavo Järvi conducted.
The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is available as podcast or audio-on-demand.
Beethoven: Seven Variations on "God Save the King," WoO 78
Beethoven's hugely popular variations on the British national anthem were composed as part of a cooperation with the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Art and Manufacturers in Scotland that would span nearly two decades (1803-1820). Composer, pianist and publisher Muzio Clementi printed the score to the variations, which proved to be a prosperous business venture.
Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch performed Beethoven's Variations on "God Save the King" as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest in the chamber music hall attached to the house where the composer was born.
Field: Nocturne for Piano, Nr. 10 in E Minor
British composer and pianist John Field (1782-1837) was a student of Muzio Clementi. Field toured with his mentor throughout Europe to demonstrate the pianos the elder composer and entrepreneur aimed to sell. Passing through Russia with Clementi, the young musician decided to stay behind and make Moscow his home.
Field developed the genre of the "nocturne," which consist mainly of melody and accompaniment. Free in form, nocturnes allow room for the pianist's personal expression. Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch performed Field's E Minor nocturne in the Beethovenhaus as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Clementi: Piano Sonata in B Minor, Op. 40/2
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) was born in Rome but taken to England at the age of 14 by a wealthy sponsor who wanted to invest in the boy's musical talent. By his early 20s, Clementi had not only become a celebrated pianist, conductor and composer, he was also a prosperous businessman. One of the few musicians of his time who had a hand for making money, Clementi earned a small fortune by selling pianos and printing musical scores.
He composed over 60 sonatas for piano. Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch performed Opus 40 in the Beethovenhaus as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111
Beethoven's late piano sonatas, particularly the last three, are considered to be not only the culmination of the genre but also the close of a musical époque, namely the Classical period. Opus 111, the last of the composer's 32 sonatas for piano, consists of two antithetic movements and concludes with the same C Major chord with which he'd begun his first sonata 27 years earlier in 1795.
British pianist Paul Lewis performed Opus 111, along with Opus 109 and 110, in the chamber music hall attached to the composer's birth house as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Bernstein: Dances from "West Side Story"
Trombonist and arranger Eric Crees compiled and adapted select songs and symphonic works from Leonard Bernstein's successful 1957 musical "West Side Story." The "Cool" fugue, the mambo and the song "Somewhere" are among the excerpts he focused on.
Under the direction of Thomas Clamor, the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble showed off their versatility -- even adding in song and dance -- in their performance at the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Zequinha de Abreu: Tico-Tico no Fuba
Zequinha de Abreu's composition for brass ensemble musically depicts a sassy "tico-tico" (little bird) who wants to eat up all the "fuba" (grain) in the silo. This catchy melody became the Brazilian composer's greatest hit, which enjoyed popularity throughout Latin America and beyond.
Thomas Clamor conducted the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble in an arrangement for solo trumpet and brass ensemble by John Ivenson.
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) completed his cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition" in 1874 in homage to painter Viktor Hartmann, a friend of his who'd passed away the year before. The individual pieces -- each representing a painting -- bear fanciful titles like "The Gnome," "Dispute Between Children at Play," or "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks."
Originally written for solo piano, the work has been arranged numerous times. As part of the 2007 Beethovenfest, the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble performed a virtuosic version for brass and percussion by British composer Elgar Howarth. Thomas Clamor conducted.
Beethoven: "Consecration of the House" Overture, Op. 124
Ludwig van Beethoven was commissioned to compose the "Consecration of the House" Overture, Opus 124, in honor of the reopening of the Josephstädter Theater in Vienna in October 1822.
Though the work was written late in Beethoven's career, he adopted the traditional style of the French overture, with a slow introduction followed by a vigorous fugue. Conceived for efficiency's sake as an alternative overture to his earlier work "The Ruins of Athens" (Op. 113), "Consecration of the House" is stylistically reminiscent of Baroque composers before him, particularly Handel.
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, conducted by Paavo Järvi, performed the overture in the Beethovenhalle in Bonn as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest.
Sergei Pilyutikov: "Cantus Supra Librum for Orchestra"
The Free Association for Palestrina's Music gave the impetus for the composition of "Cantus supra librum for symphony orchestra," which was written in 1998. Three years later the work received the DW Composition Prize.
Its intuitive reactions and free forms draw a connection to medieval principles of improvisation, where the theme is passed between singers and slightly varied each time.
"My form of harmonization is based on the principles of the mathematical group theory," said the composer. "This allowed me to create different ensembles within the orchestra."
Sergei Pilyutikov was born in Uzin, Ukraine in 1965. Since completing his composition studies at the Academy of Charkov he has made his home in Kiev. There he founded Ensemble Ricochet, a group of young musicians specializing in contemporary music. Pilyutikov is the director of the International Youth Music Forum in Kiev.
The performance by the Ukrainian National Music Academy's symphony orchestra was part of the Beethovenfest Bonn and took place in the Beethovenhalle.
Hans Huyssen: Proteus Variations
It is no coincidence that the protea, which has over 300 subspecies, was chosen as the national flower for a country that is characterized by diversity and has a long history of apartheid.
South African composer Hans Huyssen incorporated elements of traditional African music in his orchestral work "Proteus Variations," commissioned by the Deutsche Welle for the 2006 Beethoven Festival. Like his country, the piece is rich with variety and as colorful as a flower.
The South African National Youth Orchestra (SANYO), made of the country's most promising young musicians, were invited to the Beethoven Festival in Bonn for the world's first performance of Huyssen's "Proteus Variations."
Click on the link below to listen to a recording of the world premiere on September 9, 2006 in Bonn's Beethovenhalle.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, C Minor, Op. 67
Beethoven himself conducted the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, performed together with the Sixth Symphony ("Pastorale"), in Vienna on Dec. 22, 1808 -- which didn't arouse much interest. Since then, however, it has become one of classical music's most popular works.
Guided by its powerful opening motif, the C Minor Symphony conveys one of the fundamental elements of European culture by steering the listener "from night to light," from defeat to triumph.
The troop of 14- to 20-year-old musicians from South Africa performed Beethoven's legendary "Fate Symphony" at the Beethoven Festival and Deutsche Welle's Orchestra Campus with utmost professionalism -- and at a fierce tempo. The orchestra and its conductor, Conrad von Alphen, were met with enthusiastic applause from the predominantly youthful audience.
Listen to a live recording from the Beethoven Festival concert on Sept. 9, 2006 at the Beethovenhalle in Bonn.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, C Minor, Op. 67, "Fate":
Allegro con brio
Andante con moto
Allegro
Allegro