Beethoven String Sonata Project – 200 Years

The Project

2027 marks the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death. To commemorate his life and work, a series of concerts — in which will be presented Beethoven's complete string sonatas — is currently in development. The series, which will include piano trios along with other chamber-focussed programming (including his Septet and Wind Quintet), will run through from April to December 2027.

Why? … because the music is magnificent!(oh, and of course, '200 years')

Besides the opportunity to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death, and the obvious delight in being able to share this wonderful music with audiences, there are four primary goals in bringing this project together:

to highlight the depth of musical talent that exists in, or came from, regional NSW — centred, in this case, around the Central Coast and Newcastle/Hunter regions (for the simple reason that I live and work here)
to give professional musicians the chance to reawaken their inner performer — players who (like me) have found that their musical life has become more heavily weighted towards teaching & gigging, than toward the performing that may have driven them in their youth and early professional life
to give advanced students the opportunity to perform as part of a significant undertaking, perhaps alongside their teacher ... and (on a personal and unashamedly selfish note)
to give myself the magical delight of playing the music I love.

The Location/s

The current vision is that these concerts would be performed at least twice, ideally thrice and more:

the Central Coast Conservatorium — which has a wonderful hall and delicious Shigeru Kawai — is the centrepiece of this project
second performances would take place in Newcastle, at a venue/s to be confirmed
further performance opportunities in regional NSW, areas within a few hours drive of the Hunter, are also being explored.

The Music

The sonatas — all 15 original works for piano & cello, and piano & violin. These are the centrepiece of the project.

Piano trios, along with some of the shorter works for violin/cello: the Rondo, German Dances, or sets of Variations for both instruments. Musical collaboration is at the core of the sonatas, and expanding that musical 'meeting of minds' into the trio repertoire makes for well-rounded programming.

Beyond music solely for strings, planning is underway to include a couple of programs presenting works such as: the Septet Op.20; the Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16; the Clarinet trio Op.11; and the Horn sonata Op.17

The Musicians

As mentioned, the goal is twofold:

firstly, to tap into the pool of talent that exists currently in our regional areas; and
secondly, to 'bring home' the talent that grew up in the regions, wherever they may now call home.

Planning

In an ideal word, the planning for this project would be a good 6–12 months along ... however, that's not the case. While the timing could present challenges that will impact on the availability of both venues and musicians, I'm mindful nonetheless that the next 'Beethoven Centenary' is 44 years away.

As someone who believes the master deserves honouring more than 4 times a century (and to the best of my knowledge, Beethoven wasn't a fan of cricket anyway), I feel that holding off until 2070 to celebrate his 300th birthday is a little too long to wait 😳

Expressions of Interest

As a fellow Beethoven-lover, you may like to join the team bringing this commemoration together. Whether as a fellow performer, as a teacher of an advanced student, as a representative of a regional music organisation or group, or as a supporter/facilitator, please do get in touch.