# Beethoven, Beethoven, Beethoven.....



## flamencosketches

Every month, the local symphony puts on at least one Beethoven symphony, overture, or concerto, sometimes more. This month, the only two concert programs are both Beethoven-dominated: one is Fidelio, the other is the Pastoral symphony. I understand he is an extremely popular composer, and a great one. He deserves to be played often, and well-loved. But this is just ridiculous. He is by far the most dominant composer on the programs, with Mozart in a very distant second. Beyond this, any given composer is lucky to get more than one slot on a program per year. 

I love Beethoven. I like seeing his works live. But if they don't stop programming his music at the behest of... everything else... then I'm going to start getting real sick of him real quickly. This is a large, world-renowned symphony here, people travel from miles away to see concerts here. This isn't just your local provincial orchestra pandering to the few classical fans in any city, it's the heart of a thriving classical community in a big city. Surely we're not all exclusively Beethoven-heads here? 

Does this annoy anyone else? Next year, the 250-year of his birth, will be EVEN WORSE! 

Rant over. Discuss intelligently.


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## mmsbls

I love Beethoven. Perhaps my favorite concert of all time was hearing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 coupled with Symphony No. 7. It was pure heaven. Having said that, I am certainly a fan of more diverse concerts. I've written on TC that I would love to see concerts with one contemporary work, one modern work, and one earlier work (presumably Romantic or Classical). I realize many classical concert goers would not be thrilled by such concerts so I know that such offerings will be somewhat rare.

Even if concerts remain mostly pre-modern with an occasional work by Stravinsky, Shostakovich, or Prokofiev, I think it would be nice to broaden the programs to expose audiences to more varied works. There are so many extraordinary works, that someone going to hear 20 concerts a year for a lifetime could hear wonderfully diverse works with perhaps occasional repeats. To be honest, if every 5th concert had Beethoven or Mozart, I doubt I would be bothered given my love for such works.


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## infracave

Depends I guess.
The last time my local symphony orchestra played a Beethoven piece (the eroica) was last december.
Although to be fair, a raz quartet was played early march. Hardly oversaturated with beethoven.

And I live in a major city.


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## apricissimus

Gotta put butts in the seats.


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## amfortas

apricissimus said:


> Gotta put butts in the seats.


With that much Beethoven, it may feel the other way around.


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## flamencosketches

infracave said:


> Depends I guess.
> The last time my local symphony orchestra played a Beethoven piece (the eroica) was last december.
> Although to be fair, a raz quartet was played early march. Hardly oversaturated with beethoven.
> 
> And I live in a major city.


In France? This problem I'm referring to may be a Stateside thing.


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## paulbest

flamencosketches said:


> Every month, the local symphony puts on at least one Beethoven symphony, overture, or concerto, sometimes more. This month, the only two concert programs are both Beethoven-dominated: one is Fidelio, the other is the Pastoral symphony. I understand he is an extremely popular composer, and a great one. He deserves to be played often, and well-loved. But this is just ridiculous. He is by far the most dominant composer on the programs, with Mozart in a very distant second. Beyond this, any given composer is lucky to get more than one slot on a program per year.
> 
> I love Beethoven. I like seeing his works live. But if they don't stop programming his music at the behest of... everything else... then I'm going to start getting real sick of him real quickly. This is a large, world-renowned symphony here, people travel from miles away to see concerts here. This isn't just your local provincial orchestra pandering to the few classical fans in any city, it's the heart of a thriving classical community in a big city. Surely we're not all exclusively Beethoven-heads here?
> 
> Does this annoy anyone else? Next year, the 250-year of his birth, will be EVEN WORSE!
> 
> Rant over. Discuss intelligently.


when the New Orleans Sym was hurting financially , they programed a *Beethoven in Blue Jeans* = you ought to wear jens to the concert/casual...where there was a major Beethoven work + another composer,,,,ran for a few yrs, and had at least 4 or 5 shows per season.

I attended once,,had Mozart sym + Beethoven 5th. Conductor was Claus Peter Flor (?), Maxim Shostakovich was also at the helm at that time. The orch is 2nd rate so that was a issue. 
Beethoven, more than any other composer will always draw the biggest crowds.


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