Event info

Beethoven 250 years

The Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra celebrates 250 years since the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven with a broad look at his oeuvre.

His emotional musical language tore up the rules of the classical period and expanded its form, opening the way to the romantic period.

No composer since then has made a deeper impact on music history. His music has just as much meaning and message today and it’s genius and endless depth still surprises and awes the musical world.

The concert starts by introducing the 11 year old child prodigy Ludwig van Beethoven with his first published piece, followed by pieces from his youth which are influenced by his contemporaries, especially Mozart. Among them are the wind octet, Rondino and the famous septet.

From the middle period we hear a chamber version of the 1st movement from the 8th symphony arranged especially for this concert by Hrafnkell Orri Egilsson a member of the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra.

The Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra will also perform one movement from the piano trio in D major op. 70 and a Fugue for string quartet op. 137.

It is impossible to remember Beethoven without looking at his late string quartets composed in his final years when he had completely lost his hearing and was suffering both physically and mentally.

The concert ends with the Cavatina from the string quartet op. 130 which is among the contents on the two gold phonograph records that are included aboard the spacecraft Voyager 1 and are sort of a time capsule. Voyager 1 has been travelling at 62.000 km/h for 42 years and is headed for interstellar space.