Spokane Symphony Likes Beethoven on Facebook

Sep 13, 2011

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 464-7071

SPOKANE— Music Director Eckart Preu, maestro of Facebook as well as music, conducts the Spokane Symphony  in an exploration of the life and music of Beethoven on Friday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.  Dive into the composer’s world and find out whom he would friend request and what he might post if he had had access to Facebook.

First on the list of Beethoven’s ‘like’ is music by J. S. Bach, of whom Beethoven was an ardent admirer. In fact, Beethoven called Bach the “Urvater der Harmonie”, the “original father of harmony.” The orchestra will perform the first movement of Bach’s Suite No. 1, the composer’s first orchestral suite. Written in the French style, which was immensely popular at the time, it begins with a slower, grand opening that gives way to a lively section featuring very fast concerto-like solos. The effect is music that is both fun and beautiful. 

Next on the friends list is Beethoven’s teacher, Joseph Haydn, or perhaps not. Some accounts indicated ill-feelings between the two, reporting that Beethoven complained that, “….although he had some instruction from Haydn he had never learned anything from him.” Others reported that, in his later years, “Beethoven unfailingly referred to his old master in terms of reverence, regarding him as the equal” of Mozart and Bach. Haydn’s Symphony No. 38, sometimes called The Echo, will be performed by the orchestra. This festive work, composed early in Haydn’s career, features virtuosic passages for an oboe soloist.

Another person on Beethoven’s friends list might be Gioacchino Rossini, the most popular opera composer of the time. When the two met in 1822, Beethoven wrote (completely deaf at the time, Beethoven would have been a big fan of texting): “Ah, Rossini. So you’re the composer of The Barber of Seville. I congratulate you. It will be played as long as Italian opera exists. Never try to write anything else but opera buffa; any other style would do violence to your nature.” Preu has chosen the overture to Rossini’s opera L’Italiana in Algeri, noted for its distinctive opening of slow, quiet basses, leading to a surprise burst of sound from the full orchestra.

If you were Facebook friends with Beethoven, you would no doubt follow all his activities, including performances of his work. The Spokane Symphony will play two selections: Prometheus Overture, and Symphony No. 2. The overture to The Creatures of Prometheus was first performed in 1801, marking Beethoven’s introduction to the Viennese stage. The brilliant allegro section is often said to represent Prometheus fleeing from heaven after stealing fire from the gods. His Symphony No. 2, an earlier work, is full of musical ‘jokes’ that many of his contemporaries found shocking.

Ticket prices for either performance begin at $10 and are available in advance at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, located at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.spokanesymphony.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT.

This concert has been underwritten in honor of Margaret Thrailkill and in support of Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation.