On Beethoven 250

Beethoven never just copied what had been done before. He always had new ideas and wanted to create original sounds and harmonies. During my lifetime there has been a journey from the Romantic sound of Beethoven played by big orchestras to a more authentic way, which is how we believe people played during his lifetime – with less vibrato and smaller string sections, among other things. I have found my own place somewhere between the two, closer to the authentic tradition. I think about the positive things a modern symphony orchestra can bring but also focus on the original sounds (although I still can’t perform Beethoven without any vibrato!). Read more here

I think of Beethoven not only as a composer but also as a thinker and philosopher. He had such a difficult existence. He devoted his life to music, and his work traces a human path through doubt and sacrifice – it’s a personal, metaphysical and philosophical experience rather than just a musical and artistic one. His innovative spirit and visionary power propelled his legacy beyond his own era and allowed his music to cross every border. Liszt wrote in a letter to the writer Wilhelm von Lenz that, ​‘For us musicians, Beethoven’s work is like the pillar of cloud and fire which guided the Israelites through the desert.’ There are few composers who have this power to inspire us. Read more here