Not Just One Way of Reading Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven in a «conversation» with Tatjana Mehner
The music world celebrates your 250th birthday. How do all these homages feel to you?
Mind you, this is not my first experience of such anniversaries: the conferences, the concert series, the Fidelio productions, books, souvenirs… These things repeat themselves, and they were not that different in 1870, 1920, 1970 than they are today. And compared to many of my colleagues, I am fortunate in that my music is also played on other occasions. It is merely a question of adding some unusual items to the usual fare. In Luxembourg, for example, they are playing my oratorio Christus am Ölberg, my take on the events in the Garden of Gethsemane, on questions of faith and betrayal. But that is not the main point; what makes all these celebrations interesting to a composer like me is the fact that the musical world will once again revise its image of me.
I am intrigued to see which aspects of my life and of course my work are most in tune with your current «zeitgeist».
You mentioned Fidelio. Your only opera will also be performed in concert in Luxembourg. But do you even approve of concert performances of operas?
I am truly tired of this discussion. Concert … staged … there are so many productions so keen to point out that my work is supposedly a concert piece, that it lacks drama, and there have been so many concert performances with no lack of drama whatsoever. I am far more bothered by the political utilization and abuse my Fidelio has had to endure. You cannot imagine all the occasions for which this work has been performed!!! Dictators have appropriated my C-major finale just as much as the artist-rebels protesting against them. As if the key signature itself should not have warned them…
As a composer, you are generally considered a political activist…
Yes, yes… as I said, that’s the thing with the Beethoven image. The reason is that old story of how I dedicated my «Eroica» to Napoleon.
Of course I distanced myself from the self-crowned emperor whom I had previously admired as a free spirit. But heaven knows I was not the only one at the time. I am surprised that no one has thought to declare me an environmentally conscious artist because of my «Pastoral».
What do you expect of the 2020 anniversary, in concrete terms?
To be honest: diversity! Never has a Beethoven jubilee taken place in a world in which the media, and therefore the arts, were so interconnected. Never have so many outstanding performers been able to set standards simultaneously, so they are also comparable. That is true for chamber music and the interpretation of my symphonies as well. There is not just one way of reading my music, but many, and they all stand for themselves, but they stand side-by-side.
This enables the audience to build a much broader perspective of me and my music!
A delicate question: what is your relationship with Luxembourg?
Unlike my colleague Franz Liszt, I was never in Luxembourg myself, even though it is not that far from my native city of Bonn. It’s a shame, really, that I didn’t know the legend of fair Melusine; otherwise I might have written a second opera after all.
Concerts
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04.11.2019 20:00Buchbinder / Harding / Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Has already taken placeREMARQUE: Nous avons le regret de vous annoncer que Mariss Jansons a dû annuler sa prestation avec le Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks ce lundi 4 novembre pour des raisons de santé. Nous tenons à remercier Daniel Harding, Artiste en résidence pour la saison 2019/20, d’avoir accepté de le remplacer dans un programme en partie modifié.
Concert en hommage à Son Altesse Royale La Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte
Ce concert fait l'objet d'une captation live par Takt1 et Mezzo -
16.12.2019 19:00Théo Fouchenneret – Winner of the Concours de Genève 2018
Has already taken placeKulturpass, bienvenue!
En collaboration avec Steinway & Sons
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12.01.2020 16:00Jean-François Zygel «Mon Beethoven à moi»
Has already taken placeAfter Jean-François Zygel revealed his profound musical relationship with Mozart last season, he now turns to Beethoven. His analysis will be aided by a singer, a virtuoso mandolin player and members of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.
Kulturpass bienvenue!
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23.02.2020 19:00Sir Simon Rattle / Lisa Batiashvili / London Symphony Orchestra
Has already taken placeThe oratorio Christus am Ölberge is one of Beethoven’s masterpieces that is rarely performed. For this year’s Beethoven jubilee, Sir Simon Rattle has taken on this work with his London Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Chorus as well as a group of outstanding soloists to present a musical portrayal of the events in the garden of Gethsemane, a discovery he brings to Luxembourg on February 23. The evening opens with a milestone of 20th-century music: Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto «Dem Andenken des Engels», featuring soloist Lisa Batiashvili. At 6:15 pm Christoph Gaiser devotes himself to the programme in a lecture in German in the Salle de Musique de Chambre.
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03.03.2020 20:00Daniel Harding / Matthias Goerne / Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Has already taken placeOn March 3, the Philharmonie’s current Artist in residence, Daniel Harding, returns to the Grand Auditorium to lead a concert with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and baritone Matthias Goerne. For the first time in a decade, Goerne will sing Schubert lieder again at the Philharmonie. As the worthy heir to a long tradition of German lied baritones, «he breathes this music», as Le Figaro writes. Prior to the concert, which also features Beethoven’s Große Fuge and Mozart’s «Prague» Symphony N° 38, the film The Fantastic Journey – A Portrait of Daniel Harding will be shown at the Salle de Musique de Chambre at 6:45 pm.
Kulturpass bienvenue!
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26.03.2020 20:00Chiaroscuro Quartet
Cancelled!REMARQUE: Conformément aux directives du Ministère de la Santé en date du 12.03.2020 sur le Coronavirus, tous les concerts à la Philharmonie à partir du vendredi 13.03. et jusqu’au mardi 31.03.2020 inclus sont annulés.
Nous contacterons personnellement tous les clients concernés pour des informations détaillées sur les concerts en question et pour des remboursements. La procédure de dédommagement nécessitant un certain délai, nous vous remercions par avance de votre patience.
Nous vous tiendrons bien entendu informé si jamais la situation devait également changer pour des concerts après cette période. Nous comptons sur votre compréhension et vous remercions de votre soutien.
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18.04.2020 20:00Yannick Nézet-Séguin / COE – Beethoven 1 & 9
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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19.04.2020 19:00Yannick Nézet-Séguin / COE – Beethoven 2 & 3
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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20.04.2020 20:00Yannick Nézet-Séguin / COE – Beethoven 8, 4 & 5
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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21.04.2020 20:00Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Chamber Orchestra of Europe – Beethoven 6 & 7
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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24.04.2020 20:00Fidelio – Gustavo Dudamel / Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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29.04.2020 20:00Faust / Queyras / Tamestit / Poltéra / Schreiber / Waskiewicz
Cancelled!NOTE:Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19, we have cancelled all concerts up to and including Sunday 10.05.2020. Guided tours, workshops and all further events had to be cancelled as well.
We will contact all concerned clients with information regarding the respective concert and refunds. Reimbursement proceedings are expected to require a certain amount of time, therefore we would kindly like to ask for your patience and understanding.
We will of course keep you informed in case the situation might lead to further changes regarding concerts beyond the given date. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and hope to see you again soon at the Philharmonie!
The Philharmonie team
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