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What if you were hearing Beethoven's symphonies for the very first time? What if all their brash vigor, passionate joy and raw pathos sounded new, bold and unlike anything you'd ever heard before? You might call it modern; you'd certainly call it unforgettable.
In this three-week Beethoven festival, Conductor David Zinman leads the New York Philharmonic in his "exhilarating" (Gramophone magazine) approach to the Beethoven's masterpieces, recreating Beethoven's original vision for his symphonies.
The pairing of the symphonies with three 20th-century concertos — featuring soloists Peter Serkin, Alisa Weilerstein, and Gil Shaham — each show the hand of Beethoven guiding composers long after his death.
"After hearing David Zinman's Beethoven symphonies, it's hard for me to think of them any other way."
— Alan Gilbert
Thu, Mar. 8, 2012
7:30PM
Sat, Mar. 10, 2012
8:00PM
Tue, Mar. 13, 2012
7:30PM
Symphony Nos. 8 and 4
On perhaps the most witty and energetic program of the festival, the Philharmonic performs Beethoven's Eighth and the sunny Fourth. "Absolutely stunning" (Classic FM) Alisa Weilerstein is the soloist in Barber's rhapsodic Cello Concerto.
Watch the video in the Audio and Video to learn about how the music of Beethoven takes on new context alongside Barber's gorgeous melodies.
Thu, Mar. 15, 2012
7:30PM
Fri, Mar. 16, 2012
11:00AM
Sat, Mar. 17, 2012
8:00PM
Tue, Mar. 20, 2012
7:30PM
Symphony Nos. 1 and 3
In this festival finale, the Philharmonic performs a pair of Beethoven's symphonies including the immortal Eroica.
Combined with Hartmann's poignant Concerto funèbre, which was also penned during a period of imminent war, these symphonies capture all the drama and pathos in which Beethoven was so virtuosic in conveying. The Concerto features violinist Gil Shaham whose "innate musicality and beautiful, expressive tone, which can glow like bronze and shimmer like gold." (Strings Magazine)
Watch the video in the Audio and Video on this program to discover more.
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