BEETHOVEN : LE BICENTENAIRE

This is an anniversary we simply could not miss: the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death. He did not write for his contemporaries, but for us, the distant heirs to a long musical tradition. ‘It’s not for you, it’s for future generations! ’ he exclaimed to musicians who were complaining about the difficulty of his scores.

That is Beethoven in a nutshell: the first composer not to write for any master. Neither Haydn nor Mozart would ever experience such freedom, as they were bound to fulfil commissions from their respective employers. Whilst Haydn wrote 104 symphonies, Mozart wrote only 41, and Beethoven just 9. Do not see this as a decline in inspiration, but rather the composer’s liberation from his status as an employee to become a free and independent creator. When composing to commission, one must compose quickly and within a tight budget. It is therefore hardly surprising that some works bear a resemblance to one another.

With Beethoven, everything is unique. Recently, we had the opportunity to listen to a 10th symphony by Beethoven composed by an AI. Frankly, it’s unsettling. But one soon grows weary of it. It definitely lacks that epic grandeur, that underlying pain and that constant defiance in the face of the world which characterise some of Beethoven’s works.

The 7th Symphony and the ‘Emperor’ Concerto that we present here are, in our view, among the most representative works of this legendary composer.