From its ominous opening — “Fate knocking at the door” — to the closing passages of radiant triumph, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony charts an exhilarating spiritual journey. Beethoven’s legacy looms in works by Carlos Simon and Timo Andres, whose Blind Bannister reimagines the grace and wit of Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto.
*In Salem on Friday, February 9, 2024, 7:30 pm
Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Timo Andres: The Blind Bannister, Piano Concerto
Carlos Simon: Fate Now Conquers
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
David Danzmayr, Conductor
Timo Andres, Piano
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Tickets start at $25
A testament to Beethoven’s sly wit, the Eighth Symphony finds the revolutionary composer transforming beloved 18th-century dance forms with new dramatic possibilities. And violinist Baiba Skride displays a “soaring, incisive tone” (Strad) in Britten’s Violin Concerto, an emotionally charged work composed as Europe descended into World War II.
Berlioz paints a portrait of obsessive love with opium-fueled visions of cinematic realism, featuring haunting ballroom waltzes, a march to the guillotine, and maniacal witches’ dances. Opening the program, Debussy’s tone poem heaves with hazy sensuality, and violinist Carolin Widmann explores nature and love in works by Takemitsu and Chausson.