Inspiration Beethoven

“[In Beethoven’s music] the dreamer will recognise his dreams, the sailor his storms and the wolf his forests.” ~ Victor Hugo

Esteemed for two centuries as a ‘composer’s composer,’ Ludwig van Beethoven undoubtedly shaped the course of Western music in ways no composer after him could overlook. He stands as one of the titans in the pantheon of great composers, but where should one begin to better understand this musical genius? Look no further than his First Symphony.

Marking the bicentenary of Beethoven’s death, New Texas Sinfonia features his Symphony No. 1 in C major alongside later works by Robert Schumann and contemporary Korean composer Unsuk Chin. Although Schumann warned against ‘Beethoven fanatics’ in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, he still greatly championed and revered his works in his music criticism. The concert opens with Unsuk Chin’s subito con forza. Chin recounts how “Beethoven’s struggle to communicate and his hearing loss frequently resulted in an inner rage and frustration. What particularly appeals to me are the enormous contrasts: from volcanic eruptions to extreme serenity. It profoundly and poignantly speaks of something fundamental about the human condition.”

New Texas Sinfonia
Weston Jennings, conductor