Free downloads from the Beethovenfest
October 12, 2012
Deutsche Welle presents a new series of free downloads from the Beethovenfest. Whether excerpt or complete work, each piece has a brief text introduction.
The motto of the 2012 Beethovenfest, "Eigensinn“ (Strong-Mindedness), points to the strong-minded artist Ludwig van Beethoven himself and to interesting artists of our time that set standards, explore frontiers and go their own way.
The centerpiece of our series is a cycle of Beethoven's symphonies with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen. Also included are two concerts from another cycle, in which the famous Borodin Quartet from Russia juxtaposes Beethoven's string quartets with works of the genre by Dmitry Shostakovich.
Star conductors included
The selections feature world-class maestros like the American Kent Nagano, who conducts performances with music by Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler, and Herbert Blomstedt, whose art you can hear in an excerpt from Beethoven's "Missa solemnis." The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) has a new, young principal conductor: Tugan Sokhiev from Ossetia, performing in Bonn only days after his premiere in Berlin.
Homage to John Cage
September 5, 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Cage, perhaps the most strong-minded composer in the 20th century. Marking the event, the "Cage Night" on Bonn's Museum Mile includes performances by two remarkable young piano duos, Duo d’Accord and Duo Amal. About a century ago, another strong-minded composer, Arnold Schönberg, confidently changed the course of music history. An excerpt from Schönberg's monumental "Gurrelieder“ is included in our listings.
Young musicians at the Beethovenfest
A special treat is served up by the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, whose concert at the Beethovenfest Orchestral Campus includes the world premiere of "The Traffic," commissioned from composer Mehmet Erhan by Deutsche Welle.
Prize-winning young musicians round out the series. Jingge Yan, born in 1986, won the 2011 International Telekom Beethoven Competition. The Chinese pianist performs a recital revolving around Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. The 2011 "New Voices" competition in Gütersloh had 1,400 applicants. The winner was 28-year-old Olga Bezsmertna, from Ukraine, whom we'll hear in a colorful program of Lieder and arias. And French oboist Philippe Tondre, a winner of the 2011 ARD International Music Competition performs at a recital titled "Inspired Oboe."
The podcasts from the Beethovenfest 2012 are published weekly from mid-September until late October.