The 9th edition of the WIELKANOCNY FESTIWAL LUDWIGA VAN BEETHOVENA / LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN EASTER FESTIVAL will be held from March 15th to the 25th, 2005. This will be the second time the festival will take place in Warsaw. As always, the festival's focus will be the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, including his sonatas and quartets, concertos, overtures and symphonies, oratorios and operatic music, as performed by top artists from around the world. This year, the festival's theme is "Beethoven - Between the Music of the North and South." Mieczyslaw Tomaszewski, a member of the festival's Programming Board, writes the following:
"The composer's life played out between the German city of Bonn and the Austrian city of Vienna, between his native city and the city whose musical tradition Beethoven became a part of completely. His art was inspired equally by the North and the South of Europe, it was partly of the 'Faustian' culture of the Nordic countries clustered around the North Sea and saturated with the spirit of the Classical world - in both its 'Apollonian' and 'Dionysian' incarnations - native to the cultures of the Mediterranean basin. Shakespeare was as dear to him as Homer. In those of his works whose form was based on 'southern' homophony, 'northern' counterpoint and the art of the fugue frequently came to the fore, especially in the latter stages of his career. His music - moving in its dramatic heroism and exciting and poignant in its deep lyricism - manifests a perfect unity of both these great European traditions.
The author of 'Christ on Olive Mountain' is not the only one whose oeuvre reflects the mutual permeation and exchange of elements from the North and South. The entirety of European art can be seen as embodying this dynamic. Both these 'sets of features' - opposed to each other or combined - were manifest in each phase of music history and in every realm of European culture. Music history was shaped equally and simultaneously by the sagas of the North and the romances of the South, by Dutch motets and Italian madrigals. Artists of the North were often fascinated by the South, and those of the South were attracted to the North. Purcell composed 'Dido', Haydn - 'English Songs,' Tchaikovsky wrote 'Italian Capriccio,' Verdi - the opera 'Macbeth.' Composers were often tempted to use musical means in an attempt to capture the difference in character between the two regions. Mendelssohn's works, for instance, include both an 'Italian Symphony' and a 'Scottish Symphony.' Franz Liszt is not only the creator of the 'Dante Symphony' but also of the 'Faustian Symphony.' Above all, however, composers created music which would express the mood, character and spirit of their 'place on earth.' It was thus that Sibelius composed his 'Finlandia,' Karlowicz his 'Lithuanian Rhapsody' and Manuel de Falla his 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain'...
The 9th Beethoven Easter Festival will feature music that may enlighten us to that wonderful duality of our European heritage, encourage reflection on the legacies of the 'romantic' North and the 'classical' South. Above all, however, it will offer music that will be captivating and moving, fascinating and exciting."
PROGRAM
March 15, 8:00 p.m., Tuesday,
The Grand Theatre - National Opera in WarsawLudwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Missa solemnis in D major op. 123
Marina Mescheriakova - soprano, Birgit Remmert - mezzosoprano, Deon van der Walt - tenor, Reinhard Hagen - bass,
Jacek Kaspszyk - director, Choir and Orchestra of The Grand Theatre
March 16, 5:00 p.m., Wednesday,
The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Piano recital: Stephen Kovacevich
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano sonata in D minor op. 31/2, Piano sonata in A minor op. 101
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Piano sonata in B flat major D 960
March 16, 8:00 p.m., Wednesday,
The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) The Ruins of Athens op. 113
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Finlandia op. 26
Edward Grieg (1843-1907) Piano Concerto in A minor op. 16
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Symphony in D major No.104 "London"
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) Pines of Rome
Peter Jablonski - piano, John Axelrod - conductor, Sinfonietta Cracovia
March 17, godz. 8:00 p.m., Thursday, The Grand Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw
Alban Berg (1885-1935) Siebien Frühe Lieder
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
Christiane Iven - mezzosoprano, Jonathan Nott - conductor, Bamberger Symphoniker
March 18, 5:00 p.m., Friday, Evangelic-Augsburg Church
fragments of Symphoniae Sacrae, Cantiones Sacrae, Kleine Geistliche Concerte, Geistliche Chormusik, Psalms oraz Madrigals
Anton-Webern-Chor Freiburg, Les Cornets Noirs Basel
March 18, 8:00 p.m., Friday,
The Grand Theatre - National Opera in WarsawBoris Pergamenschikov - in memoriam
Dmitri Shostakovitch (1906-1975) String quartet No. 8 in C minor op. 110 (version for chamber orchestra)
Krzysztof Penderecki VIOLA CONCERTO version for cello (transcription: Boris Pergamenschikow)
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Symphony No. 5 in E Flat Major op. 82
Claudio Bohorquez - cello, Krzysztof Penderecki - conductor, Bamberger Symphoniker
March 19, godz.12:00, Saturday, The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) 7 English and Scottish songs
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) 5 English and Scottish songs
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) 4 Ariettas op. 82
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) Siete canciones populares espanolas
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Cinq mélodies populaires grecques
Olga Pasiecznik - soprano, Natalia Pasiecznik - piano
March 19, 4:00 p.m., The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Concerto per archi g-moll RV 156, Concerto per violoncello d-moll
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) "Brandenburg" Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Sonata No. 12 in D minor op. 1 "La Follia" a due violini e.b.c. RV 63
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Suite No. 2 in B minor BWV 1067
I Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca
March 19, 8:00 p.m., The Grand Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw
Concert realised in collaboration with Bonn Beethoven Festival
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Corsair Overture op. 21
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Piano concerto in G major
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67
Garrick Ohlsson - piano, Christoph von Dohnányi - conductor, Norddeutscher Rundfunk Orchester
March 20, 12:00 noon, Sunday, The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Piano recital: Cristina Ortiz
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano sonata C minor op. 13 "Pathetic"
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Two Intermezzos Op. 118
Maurice Ravel (1811-1886) Gaspard de la nuit
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Alma Brasileira
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943) Piano Sonata No 2. in B flat minor Op. 36
March 20, 8:00 p.m.,
The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Charles Ives (1874-1954) The Unanswered Question
Bela Bartók (1881-1945) Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 7 in A major op. 92
Christoph von Dohnányi - conductor, Norddeutscher Rundfunk Orchester
March 21, 5:00 p.m., Monday, The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) String Quartet in A minor No. 2 op. 13
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) String Quartet in E minor
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) String Quartet in A minor op. 132
Leipziger Streichquartett
March 21, 8:00 p.m., The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Concert for the 50th Anniversary of Creative Work and 70th birthday of Tadeusz Strugala
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909) Lithuanian Rhapsody op. 11
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Triple concerto in C major op. 56
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No. 1 in C minor op. 68
Akiko Suwanai - violin, David Geringas - cello, Elena Bashkirova - piano, Tadeusz Strugala - conductor, Sinfonia Varsovia
March 22, 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, The Royal Castle in Warsaw - Grand Hall
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) Trio in D major op.14 No. 4
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Suite in A major
Gideon Klein (1919-1945) Trio (Theresienstadt)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Serenade in D major op. 8
Deutsches Streichtrio
March 22, 8:00 p.m., The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Overture to the ballet "The Creatures of Prometheus" Op. 43
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Symfony E minor No 44
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Havanaise op. 83, Introduction et rondo capriccioso op. 28
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) The Swan of Tuonela op. 22/2
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1813-1847) Violin concerto E minor op. 64
Wojciech Plawner - violin, So-Ock Kim - violin, Pawel Przytocki - conductor, Beethoven Academy Orchestra
March 23, 8:00 p.m., The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Mass in C minor KV 427
Diana Damrau - soprano I, Juliane Banse - soprano II, Lothar Odinius - tenor, Markus Marquardt - bass, Helmuth Rilling - conductor, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
March 24, 5:00 p.m., Thursday,
National Theatre in WarsawWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Divertimento B flat major KV 137
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Lachrymae op. 48
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Bachianas Brasileiras - Suite No. 9
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Andante cantabile Op. 11, Serenade C Major Op. 48
Yuri Bashmet - conductor and soloist, Vilnius Festival Orchestra
March 24, 8:00 p.m., The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Piano concerto No. 1 in D minor op. 15, Piano concerto No. 2 in B-flat major op. 83
Rudolf Buchbinder - piano,
Antoni Wit - director,
The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra March 25, 8:00 p.m., Friday, The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Stabat MaterBenjamin Britten (1913-1976) War Requiem op. 66
Gweneth-Ann Jeffers - soprano, Daniel Norman - tenor, Gabriel Chmura - director,
Henryk Wojnarowski - choirmaster, Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz - choirmaster, Warsaw Boys' Choir,
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir,
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.
ACCOMPANYING EVENTS:
March 13, 11:00 a.m., Sunday, Jagiellonian Library in Krakow
Opening of the manuscripts exhibition "Beethoven between the Music of North and South" - Jagiellonian Library collection
Concert for the exhibition - Prussian Homage Hall in Sukiennice:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Sonata in A major for cello and piano, op. 69
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) Suite Populaire Espagnole
Arvo Part (b. 1935) "Spiegel im Spiegel" for cello and piano (1978)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Sonata in E minor for cello and piano, op. 38
Jeremy Findlay - cello, Elena Braslavsky - piano
March 17, godz. 17.00, Thursday,
Historical Museum of the City of WarsawyOpening of the exhibition Batons from the collection of Monika and Tadeusz Strugala - "Dirigentis Instrumentum"
Accompanying concert:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) String quartet in E flat Major Op. 74 "Harp"
Royal String Quartet March 21-22, 10.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m., Monday-Tuesday, "Zacheta" National Art Gallery in Warsaw
**wy:9th International Symposium"Beethoven between the Music of North and South"**. Chairperson: prof. dr hab. Mieczyslaw Tomaszewski
in Gdansk
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) String Quartet No. 2 in A minor op. 13
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) String Quartet in E minor
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) String quartet in A minor op. 132
Leipziger Streichquartett
23, 7.00 p.m., Friday, Frederic Chopin Polish Baltic Philharmonic Hall in Gdansk
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Suite No. 9 from Bachianas Brasileiras
Gintaras Sodeika (b. 1961) Maranata
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Two Portraits
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Andante cantabile Op. 11, Serenade in C major Op. 48
Yuri Bashmet - conductor and soloist, Vilnius Festival Orchestra
Wielkanocny Festiwal Ludwiga van Beethovena
Warszawa
Artistic Director: Elzbieta Penderecka
Organization: Ludwig van Beethoven Association
ul. Dluga 19/5, 31-147 Krakow
tel./fax (+48 12) 423 15 17
Warsaw division:
ul. Chmielna 15/10, 00-021 Warszawa
tel. (+48 22) 331 91 91
fax (+48 22) 313 00 05
www.beethoven.org.pl