Happy Birthday, Ludwig - the highlights of the anniversary year
In 2020, people all over the world will celebrate the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. Many creative projects have been developed in the process, a small selection of which we present here.
London Symphony Orchestra plays in Beethoven's birthplace
On 22 February, Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra were honored to perform at the Bonn Opera. Works by Alban Berg and Ludwig van Beethoven were played - and with a high-ranking cast: the evening's soloist was Lisa Batiashvili.
Around the world with Beethoven
From spring 2019 to December 2020, the Quatuor Ébène string quartet will travel through 21 countries and perform over 120 concerts. The result is unique recordings of Beethoven's string quartets. The Quatuor Ébène is supporting reforestation projects to offset the emissions of its journey.
Beethoven with the Vienna Philharmonic
The double bass player of the Vienna Philharmonic, Ödön Rácz, plays the solo part from the 5th symphony. Wonderful melodies - but real hard work!
32 anniversary sonatas
The Turkish pianist Fazıl Say has re-recorded all 32 sonatas: "I have spent two years of my life working day and night to familiarize 21st century listeners with the sonatas in the here and now.
Artificial intelligence as a composer
Musicians of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn play a part from Beethoven's 10th symphony. The sketchy fragments of this symphony will be further composed with artificial intelligence and premiered in 2021.
Beethoven in the Bundeskunsthalle
The show traces the most important stages of his life and interweaves them with his musical work. It presents unique original exhibits and iconic portraits that introduce the composer's personality and at the same time question his popular image in public.
Beethoven For Future
With his sixth symphony, the "Pastorale", Beethoven expressed his romantic appreciation of nature, thus creating a musical monument to it. On World Environment Day, 5 June 2020, artists around the world set an example for climate protection.
Sparking joy - worldwide
In collaboration with YouTube and Google Arts & Culture, over 30 major cultural organizations on six continents, as well as artists, friends and people around the world, create and distribute fun videos with #GlobalOdeToJoy.
Experimenting with Beethoven
What do Beethoven's ideas and ideals mean in 2020? In March, the Beethoven 2020 Laboratory of the Berlin Academy of Arts considered this question. Young composers from Basel, Tel Aviv and Thessaloniki worked for four years on a modern Beethoven reading
Also celebrated in Vienna
The 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven is also a big event for Vienna. In Vienna, for example, there is the Beethoven Museum - where Beethoven wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament.
Dance to Beethoven
The dancers of Les Grands Ballets from Montréal discover two Beethoven symphonies. They already performed their "Ode to Freedom" in February 2020. A utopia in which people meet each other when they drop their masks.
Reinterpreted
Juri de Marcos Stegreif-Orchester recomposes Beethoven and combines original excerpts from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with European folk songs. A musical proposal for a utopia of Europe - played by 30 musicians of different origins.
