Program Notes: Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony
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This is the symphony that changed all symphonies, Beethoven’s monumental Third. No one had heard anything like it before. The work was originally called “Bonaparte” after Napoleon, but a disgruntled Beethoven hastily changed the title to “Eroica,” meaning heroic. Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 breaks free from oppression after the death of Stalin. The program starts with the evocative Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra, composed by John Adams, one of the most performed American composers. A common thread links the three works on the program, each in some way stimulated by the politics of its time.
These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 9 of the 23/24 Season
April 5-7, 2024
Capitole
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra by John Adams (00:00:41)
3. Concerto for Piano No. 2 in F major by Dmitri Shostakovich (00:03:04)
4. Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major by Ludwig van Beethoven (00:05:31)
36 episoade