Performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 on 27th April

 

The Orquestra de la Marina Alta presents this Sunday April 27th at El Poble Nou de Benitatxell an innovative and ambitious offer: the performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in its version for “Harmonie” (1816).

At 6:00 pm at Santa María Magdalena church, they will premiere this version, which met with the approval of the composer himself in the XIX Ciclo de Conciertos de Primavera of the town, to continue delighting the audiences of La Marina Alta in subsequent events.

With the programming of this work, the OMA symbolically begins the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the death of Beethoven (1827-2027), with the objective of taking his music beyond the great concert halls, making it sound throughout the region and bringing it closer to all audiences.

Harmonie’ (or ‘Harmoniemusik’) were wind ensembles that became very popular in central and western Europe, especially in the late XVIIIth and early XIXth century. Their sound, ideal for outdoor events, made them a common accompaniment for noble celebrations and other public events.

This version not only offers a new way of listening to one of Beethoven’s most celebrated symphonic works, but also connects with the historical tradition of the 19th century, in which these versions of great works allowed great music to be disseminated to communities that could not access the great cultural centres.

The orchestra conductor also highlighted the particularity of this version of the symphony, which “is one of the most exclusive”. “All of Beethoven’s great patrons had their Harmonie group and could listen to his music. At that time there were no record players, no Spotify, no YouTube, so when these upper social classes wanted to listen to music they needed an ensemble of musicians to perform it. In this case, of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, the only one made for these groups is the seventh”.

Source: Benitatxell Town Hall