Concerts, exhibitions, city tours and performances: For an entire year, Germany will celebrate one of its most famous citizens, Ludwig van Beethoven, on the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Around 1,000 concerts, opera performances, festivals and exhibitions are expected throughout Germany to underline the 250th anniversary of the birth of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), arguably Germany’s most famous citizen, as said Commissioner for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters on Friday at a press presentation for the upcoming anniversary year, also known as BTHVN2020 .
The city of Bonn, where the composer was born and lived until he moved to Vienna at the age of 22, will play a central role in the anniversary year’s program, added North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister President Armin Laschet.
Sir Simon Rattle will be among the conductors who will celebrate Beethoven’s big birthday year
Highlights include a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle and violinist Lisa Batiashvili as well as the premiere of the commissioned work “The Nine” by Chinese composer Tan Dun.
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is planning a 24-hour Beethoven marathon on April 25.
The German-French cultural channel Arte will be broadcasting live the performance of all nine Beethoven symphonies from different cities.
Daniel Barenboim will be closing the event on December 17, 2020 with a performance of the Ninth Symphony with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Bonn.
The German federal government is funding the anniversary to the tune of €27 million ($33 million), the City of Bonn is contributing €5 million and the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis rural district is adding another €1.5 million.
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Charistimatic, but tempermental
A serious look, slightly grim face and a lion’s mane: images of Ludwig van Beethoven have imprinted themselves into the collective imagination arguably moreso than any other composer. Yet, it’s mainly the late portraits that have shaped today’s notions of the revolutionary, combative and difficult artist.
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A shooting star in Vienna
Forceful, yet with a hint of smile, a young Beethoven looks out at the viewer in this painting from 1803. By that time, he had already attracted some of the most influential music patrons of the Viennese aristocracy.
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Visiting the prince
Prince Carl von Lichnowsky was one of Beethoven’s first supporters, with whom he later had a falling-out. In this picture by Julius Schmid from 1900, “Beethoven plays at Lichnowsky,” the dispute between the prince and the composer seems to be already underway.
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Proud and confident
Beethoven not only met Goethe in Teplitz, Bohemia, in 1812, but a legendary and scandalous snub also took place: While the poet bowed reverently before the prince, composer Beethoven walked right by him with his head held high. That, at least, is the way Carl Rohling imagined the revolutionary scene.
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Revolutionary composer
Beethoven was not only enthused by the ideas of the French Revolution, but also by new methods of composition. Here, in this image by Willibrord Joseph Mähler from 1804, he seems to be giving expression to them with a wide, sweeping gesture.
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The original
There’s no doubt that Beethoven was one of the most popular artists of his time – which the countless portraits of him demonstrate. One of the best known is this image created by Joseph Karl Stieler in 1820.
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Going pop
Compared to other artists, Stieler portrayed Beethoven less realistically, but instead, in a more idealized fashion. Later, the painting was used as a template for engravings in which the contours became even more pronounced. It is surely no coincidence that Andy Warhol chose this image for his own renditions.
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Sprayed on
Bonn – Beethoven’s birthplace – is also home to several variations of Stieler’s image: as a stone sculpture in front of the Beethoven Hall, sometimes – especially during the Beethovenfest in September – as a painting on the pavement, or as graffiti on a wall – such as here near the Beethoven House, where the composer was born.
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Wrestling with each note
The fact that Beethoven did not make it easy on himself while composing was something the music world learned only after his death in 1827. Descriptions by his contemporaries who saw him at work surely influenced the romantic image of the maestro, who worked relentlessly and uncompromisingly in search of musical perfection.
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Genius and mania
Contemporaries marveled at Beethoven’s works of genius. Subsequent generations of composers, however, were intimidated by them – and afraid they could not live up to Beethoven’s standard. This image by Hermann Torggler from 1902 shows the composer in almost demonic fashion – created based on the composer’s death mask.
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The pop idol
Hardly a composer today is as famous the world over as Ludwig van Beethoven – thanks in no small part to his piano piece “Für Elise.” His life has been rendered in film several times, and has even been turned into cartoons and comics.
Five pillars
The letters in the anniversary year’s logo “BTHVN2020” stand for the German words for five key aspects, or “pillars,” of the composer’s character: Beethoven as a citizen, as a composer, a humanist, a visionary and a nature lover.
The planned events will correspond to these five pillars. Some examples:
“B” for Bürger (citizen): These events include the “Beethoven Bürgerfest” (people’s party), a Beethoven procession tracing his life in Bonn and the surrounding area, the illumination of the city in sound and light, as well as the new presentation and extension of Bonn’s Beethoven House — the house where the composer was born.
“T” for Tonkünstler (composer): during the anniversary year, the complete works of the extremely productive composer will be presented. The Beethovenfest, which normally takes place in September, will have an extra season early in the year. New music will be commissioned and jazz, rock, pop and club music will be given a Beethoven twist.
“H” for Humanist: A citizens’ initiative in the anniversary will seek to organize 2,500 concerts in private households throughout Germany. An exhibition on the subject of Music and Politics is planned, and the significance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in various cultures in the world will be illuminated. The art of dance is represented in “Beethoven MOVES,” a choreography project.
“V” for Visionary: In a project named FUTURA, a “concert barge” is to travel the waterways from Bonn to Vienna and perform experimental music. In the “New Music Base Camp,” young people will learn the basics of music composition. A festival with 21st century music as well as virtual sound environments and musical experiments in internal spaces are to round out the theme.
“N” for Nature: In the, Beethoven Pastoral Project, concerts and performances will take place in a world-spanning network on World Environment Day 2020. Excursions to the countryside and picnics are also planned.
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Young Beethoven’s stomping grounds
Bonn around 1790
The city had a vibrant music life from the early 18th century onwards. Its court orchestra and chorus were the object of these words of praise by the music journalist Carl Ludwig Junker: “It’s rare to find a musical ensemble with such a harmonious confluence of sound. The tone quality in particular has a high degree of truth and perfection that one only very rarely encounters.”
Source Link: https://www.dw.com/en/a-preview-of-the-beethoven-2020-anniversary-events/a-51473663