MONREPOS OPEN AIR III

Beethoven placed a programmatic heading above each movement of his Symphony No. 6. In the opening movement of the »Pastoral«, Beethoven states that if the music is performed well, the listener will awaken »with a cheerful feeling in the countryside«. The second movement sketches »scenes by the brook«, followed by a merry gathering, a thunderstorm, cuckoo calls, and cheerful shepherd songs giving thanks for having weathered the storm. Beethoven’s Symphony in F major conveys a sense of relaxation and the sight of pure idyll, as well as the wild, uncontrollable force of nature. Where better to musically depict these scenes of nature than at Seeschloss Monrepos? The popular interpretation of this natural spectacle is presented by Belgian conductor and Beethoven expert Jan Caeyers. Not only has his passion for Beethoven fostered a long career as a conductor in European concert halls, but his biography of the composer is now regarded as the leading international standard work on the subject. With his orchestra, Le Concert Olympique, he dedicates himself to the works of Beethoven and his contemporaries from the Viennese Classical period. This includes the oeuvre of Carl Maria von Weber, which will be performed in his concert piece in F minor as a tribute to the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.

This concert is part of the Festival-Subscription VI.