The Beethovenfest ('Beethoven Festival') is an annual festival of classical music in Bonn, Germany, focused on the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. It dates back to 1845, when the composer's 75th anniversary of birth was celebrated with unveiling his monument and performing major works. It is held in Beethoven's hometown, and hosts concerts of international orchestras, ensembles and soloists around Bonn.
Around 1931, the festival began to be held annually, but was taken over by the Nazis. After World War II, the town took up the responsibility for the festival. From 1947, it was held biennially, with chamber music performed during off years. The present Beethovenhalle, in which most concerts take place, opened in 1959. The structure is the third structure built after two wooden structures of the same name.[3]
In 1974, the festival was held every three years, in which music by Beethoven was is paired with contemporary compositions. Starting from 1998, Beethovenfest became annual and collaborated with the broadcaster Deutsche Welle.[4] The festival cooperates with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, the Bonn Opera and the Beethoven-Haus.
In 2015, the festival was directed by Nike Wagner for the first time. She dropped several Beethoven symphonies from the program, including the Ninth, while placing more emphasis on chamber music.[5]
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2005
The festival took place from 8 September until 2 October. The theme was Liberté - the keyword of the enlightenment and battle cry of the French Revolution. After the Bohemian-Moravian focus in the previous year, the organizers emphasise this time on the relation between Beethoven and French music. In 64 events and an extensive schedule, the festival offered an insight of major importance, which had revolutionary ideas and changes on Beethoven and his music, but emphasised the creativity of the French composers such as Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
2006
The Beethovenfest took place in Bonn from 31 August until 1 October. The program was themed Russia.
2007
Concert in the Beethovenhalle during the Beethovenfest in 2007
The Beethovenfest Bonn took place in 2007 from 24 August to 23 September. The organizers dedicated it to the music nation of Great Britain. The festival was themed Joy. Ludwig van Beethoven's relation with Great Britain was based to a large extent on old Bonn relations: Ferdinand Ries, born in Bonn like Beethoven and one of the Beethoven's piano students in Vienna, went to London in 1813 as a celebrated pianist. Later he became one of the directors of the London Philharmonic Society, which in 1822 commissioned Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
On 2 September, the opera Freax by Moritz Eggert premiered at the festival.
2008
The Beethovenfest took place this year from 29 August to 28 September in Beethoven's birthplace. Power. Music. - this was the theme of the festival including 60 concerts based on Beethoven's political legacy, the ideological appropriation and exclusion of classical music composers and their works in the 20th century. The Beethoven's works, which he wrote with political and social connotations, were heard. On the one hand, these were juxtaposed with compositions that arose as a reaction to political currents; on the other hand, the 2008 edition of the Beethovenfest was dedicated to out-of-date composers whose music was produced, inter alia, in Theresienstadt and works that are in the context of exile and persecution.
The Beethovenfest took place from 4 September to 3 October 2009. In the Light was the theme of the festival this year. "Beethoven's influence coined not only the music of the Romantic period, in which almost all musical genres are based on Beethoven's work," wrote the artistic director of the Beethovenfest, Ilona Schmiel. "Likewise, during Beethoven's lifetime, the soloist developed as an increasingly independent musical personality. This was the starting point for the artistic ideal of the Romantic period: the cult of the stars and genius that characterizes our music world today."
The Beethovenfest took place in 2010 from 10 September to 9 October and was themed Open - utopia and freedom in music. José Antonio Abreu, founder of the Venezuelan "El Sistema", the national system of youth and children's orchestras of Venezuela, had the patronage. The Federal Chancellery could be used as a venue for a concert for the first time.
In the Liszt year, the Beethovenfest looked back on its long tradition: in 1845 Franz Liszt organized a three-day music festival for the inauguration of the Beethoven monument on Münsterplatz on the occasion of the 75th birthday of the composer. In 2011, the festival took place from 10 September to 9 October. It was under the theme Future music. Beethoven, Liszt and the New in music.
2012
Under the theme Obstinacy. On the True in Art, the Beethovenfest took place in 2012 from 7 September to 7 October. The focus was on musicians who, like Beethoven, are ahead of time with their ideas and are undaunted on their own way. With these border crossers, many of whom have been closely associated with the festival for years, the Beethovenfest is developing exclusive programs.
2013
The 2013 edition of the Beethovenfest took place from 5 September to 5 October. The 67 individual events were under the theme Transformations. The main program included an open-air concert, in which Otto Sauter and his trumpet ensemble Ten of the Best & Friends translated well-known melodies from operas into American and Caribbean styles during the Richard Wagner anniversary year, as well as an English promenade concert with soprano Miah Persson and the for the first time NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by its founder Thomas Hengelbrock.
