CMS Celebrates Beethoven's 250th Birthday
December 14, 2020
Beethoven Celebration: Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Streaming for free starting at 10:00 AM ET
CMS celebrates the 250th birthday of a composer widely acknowledged as incomparable: Ludwig van Beethoven. Born in Bonn in 1770, his turbulent life included everything from battles with incurable illnesses to changing the entire landscape of music. With sixteen essential works arranged chronologically to reveal his evolving artistry, this twelve-hour marathon concert is punctuated by introductions to each of Beethoven’s three signature periods, specially created by Bruce Adolphe. Four additional lectures and a Meet the Music! concert for families round out this historic day of memorable performances by a stellar cast of CMS artists.
PROGRAM
The Early Period
Welcome from David Finckel and Wu Han
Introduction to the Early Period by Bruce Adolphe
Beethoven Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 1, No. 3 (1794-95)
Inon Barnatan, piano; Augustin Hadelich, violin; Clive Greensmith, cello
Beethoven Quintet in E-flat major for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, and Piano, Op. 16 (1796)
James Austin Smith, oboe; David Shifrin, clarinet; Peter Kolkay, bassoon; Jennifer Montone, horn; Jeremy Denk, piano
Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 11 (1797)
Anthony McGill, clarinet; Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Inon Barnatan, piano
Beethoven Trio in G major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 9, No. 1 (1797-98)
Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; David Finckel, cello
Beethoven Septet in E-flat major for Winds and Strings, Op. 20 (1799)
David Shifrin, clarinet; Bram van Sambeek, bassoon; Radovan Vlatkovic, horn; Sean Lee, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Kurt Muroki, bass
Lecture: “Beethoven's Fiddler: Ignaz Schuppanzigh and The Chamber Music Society of Vienna” with Christopher H. Gibbs
Beethoven Quartet in A major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 5 (1799-1800)
Jerusalem Quartet (Alexander Pavlovsky, Sergei Bresler, violin; Ori Kam, viola; Kyril Zlotnikov, cello)
Beethoven Quintet in C major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, Op. 29 (1801)
Cho-Liang Lin, Kristin Lee, violin; Mark Holloway, John Largess, viola; Gary Hoffman, cello
Beethoven Serenade in D major for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 25 (1801)
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; Ida Kavafian, violin; Daniel Phillips, viola
The Middle Period
Introduction to the “Heroic” Period by Bruce Adolphe
Lecture: The “Razumovsky” String Quartets, Op. 59 with David Finckel
Beethoven Quartet in E minor for Strings, Op. 59, No. 2, “Razumovsky” (1806)
Miró Quartet (Daniel Ching, William Fedkenheuer, violin; John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello)
Beethoven Trio in D major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 70, No. 1, “Ghost” (1808)
Gilbert Kalish, piano; Areta Zhulla, violin; Mihai Marica, cello
Beethoven Quartet in E-flat major for Strings, Op. 74, “Harp” (1809)
Orion String Quartet (Daniel Phillips, Todd Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello)
Meet the Music!: “Leave it to Ludwig”. Written, hosted and directed by Bruce Adolphe
Beethoven Quartet in F minor for Strings, Op. 95, “Serioso” (1810-11)
Orion String Quartet (Daniel Phillips, Todd Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello)
Inside Chamber Music Lecture: Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 97, "Archduke", with Bruce Adolphe
Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 97, “Archduke” (1810-11)
Jeremy Denk, piano; Erin Keefe, violin; Efe Baltacigil, cello
Beethoven Sonata in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 96 (1812)
Bella Hristova, violin; Gilbert Kalish, piano
The Late Period
Introduction to the Late Period with Bruce Adolphe
Lecture: Beethoven String Quartets, Op. 131, 135 with Michael Parloff
Beethoven Quartet in C-sharp minor for Strings, Op. 131 (1825-26)
Danish String Quartet (Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin; Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola; Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello)
Beethoven Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 135 (1826)
Danish String Quartet (Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin; Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola; Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello)
Beethoven Celebration Resources
Learn more about the works being performed during the Beethoven Celebration.
LEARN MORE