Beethovenfest 2023: As captivating as Beethoven himself

2023-09-03 08:15:00, Kulturë CNA

Beethovenfest 2023: As captivating as Beethoven himself

The Campus Project, which has traveled halfway around the world since its inception in 2001, will now be held for the 22nd time. This year the focus is on Afghanistan and Iran.

If Beethoven were alive today, he would certainly be a progressive type - of this Steven Wallter, artistic director of Beethovenfest, is sure. "However, Beethoven was a man who always looked forward, even though he was very attached to tradition. He would never have remained only at 'protecting the monuments of tradition', only reproducing".

These typical impulses of Beethoven would like to continue Steven Walter, who is organizing for the second time with his new team the festival in Bonn. "You can be without a problem, like Beethoven, a little carried away and brave."

The motto of this year's festival is "Music for life". "The first three festivals under my direction address three major social issues," says director Walter in an interview with DW. In 2022 the motto 'All people' was about variety and diversity. Next year, 2024, we will dedicate ourselves to the theme of 'democracy'. And this year, under the motto 'Life', it is about sustainability and the relationship of man with nature, as it was and as it is."

Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina debuts this year at Beethovenfest 2023 in Bonn

Beethoven's music takes Bonn and the surrounding area by storm

Courage and innovation are definitely the order of the day when designing a festival in a cultural landscape that is still weakened by the pandemic. It is a matter of rethinking and furthering the classical format of a symphonic concert, developing it with new venues and formats. Until September 24 in Bonn and the surrounding areas, more than 70 concerts will take place in 31 places, some of which are quite unusual, such as old factory halls, castles or festive halls. A trilogy of ninth symphonies by Dvo?ák, Bruckner and Beethoven with the Zurich Tonhalle-Orkester and the Berlin German Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will kick off the concert marathon.

The new generation of musicians will also be there: a highlight of the festival is the debut concert of the oneMusic orchestra under the direction of the Israeli conductor Yoel Gamzou. Founded as part of the Beethovenfest Fellowship project, the new orchestra has made it its mission to perform at least 50 percent of the pieces as new compositions, created by composers coming from musical backgrounds as diverse as pop music or electronic. In this way, musicians want to work for a vibrant and sustainable future of their sector.

The Campus Project Orchestra during rehearsals for Beethovenfest 2023

New formats, loyal partners

In the new formats developed by Beethovenfest and DW (in cooperation with ARD Kultur) the video series "Tiny House Concert" takes place, in which curator Steven Walter invites to a Tiny House near Bonn well-known young artists to exchange ideas and to make music. "The video series is aimed at an international audience between the ages of 18 and 50, interested in culture, who like to cross borders and break traditions," say the creators. The first episodes can be seen on the "DWClassicMusic" YouTube channel.

The classic in the Beethovenfest portfolio is the campus project, which has traveled halfway around the world since its inception in 2001 and will now be held for the 22nd time. This year the focus is on Afghanistan and Iran.

The concert will take place in the auditorium of the University of Bonn on September 14, 2023 at 19:30 and will be streamed along with some other selected concerts of the festival on the DW-Classical Music YouTube channel./ DW