10/05/19

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed audience, dear friends!

No one knows exactly whether Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 15, 16, or 17, 1770. The only reliable information is from his baptism in the Church of Saint Remigius in Bonn. Today – 250 years later, Beethoven’s name is synonymous with music in the whole world in the most beautiful way, and fittingly so! Ludwig van Beethoven … the creator of music, the giant, the genius. A name that almost every inhabitant of this planet has heard. A composer, who, as no one before or after him, has defined the forms of symphonies, string quartets and piano sonatas, and whose influence on literature, philosophy, and even contemporary pop culture has remained unmatched to this day.

We want to express our admiration for this true artist. The Belgrade Philharmonic’s entire season will be under this influence. We will perform works from the time when Beethoven met the lights of the world. With us you will be able to hear how difficult it was for some musicians to free themselves from the burden of the masterful skill of this great man, even after his death, and the composer’s radical novelties that this sometimes demanded. We should not ignore Beethoven’s influence on Serbian culture and music either. His instrumentation skills will give rise to great soloists, and our idol’s obvious affection for the theater should also not be neglected.

All of this is our intention and a huge challenge for us. Never before in its history has the Belgrade Philharmonic been so comprehensive and multi-layered in such an intense interpretation of a single composer, his epoch, and what emerged from his creative opus.

I can already reveal to you the absolute highpoint: on June 21, 2020, the Belgrade Philharmonic and the Dortmund Philharmonic (which I have been leading in Germany for the past seven years) will perform together, on the same day, all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies! Perhaps on that day we will succeed in paying tribute to this great musician in such a unique way, and maybe, with this “symphony marathon,” to which we will devote ourselves with all our hearts and thoughts, we will make this day worth remembering forever.

We hope to see you, and you will hear us for sure!

Sincerely,

Gabriel Feltz

Chief Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic 

The entire repertoire and ticket selling terms are available HERE.