Beethoven composed his Second Symphony as he was beginning to experience hearing difficulties, yet the work is striking for its energy and bright character. The Third Symphony, the Eroica, is quite different, expanding the scale of the symphony and opening up new possibilities for orchestral music. Both works feature in this concert, part of a series devoted to the composer’s nine symphonies.
The Staatskapelle Dresden, one of Europe’s oldest orchestras, performs both works at the Palau de la Música Catalana under the baton of Daniele Gatti. The programme also features the premiere of a composition by Jesús Torres, bringing a contemporary perspective to this exploration of Beethoven’s music.
This is... good to know
In his Second Symphony, Beethoven replaced the traditional minuet with a scherzo, an Italian word meaning ‘joke’. It was the first time he used the term in one of his symphonies.
The theme of the final movement of the Eroica Symphony was not new: Beethoven had already used it in his ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. He liked it so much that he later reworked it in a set of piano variations.
