Take the Fifth
Newport Symphony Orchestra celebrates Beethoven
There might be no name more recognized in the classical music genre than Ludwig van Beethoven. His story, that of a composer who continued to produce treasured work even after going completely deaf, is hard to resist.
The Newport Symphony Orchestra will start its next season with a powerful program in tribute to the great composer at the Newport Performing Arts Center this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 27 and 28.
The concert begins with “Elegía Andina,” a piece by living composer, Gabriela Lena Frank. Frank grew up with neurosensory high-moderate/near-profound hearing loss, but in spite of this challenge, has become an incredible force in the world of music. This piece is dedicated to her older brother Marcos and explores what it means to be from different ethnic persuasions through traditional Peruvian musical elements.
The concerts continue with Oregon’s own world-class pianist, Ben Kim, returning to perform Beethoven’s aptly nicknamed "The Emperor" concerto. This masterwork has a sad asterisk alongside the grand title. “Piano Concerto No. 5” was the first of Beethoven's piano concerti that he did not premiere himself, due to his hearing deteriorating significantly. Amazingly, Beethoven was still able to compose a remarkable work that has changed the landscape of all the concertos that followed.
Next will be Jake Runestad's “A Silence Haunts Me,” a moving exploration of Beethoven's deafness. Kim and the Willamette Master Chorus led by Dr. Paul Klemme, join the Newport Symphony for this transformative music set to a poem by Runestad’s friend Todd Boss. The text explores Beethoven's mindset about his growing deafness while using some of the maestro's famous musical motifs.
The program closes with chorus, Kim and the orchestra joining forces to present Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy in C Minor.” On the night of December 22, 1808, Beethoven was giving the Viennese premiere of “Symphony No. 5,” “Symphony No. 6” and his “Piano Concerto No. 4” with him as the soloist. In a gesture typical of the day, he decided at the last minute to compose another work as a grand finale for the evening, and the result was the “Choral Fantasy.”
The concerts will be at 7:30 pm on Saturday, Sept. 27, and at 2 pm on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Newport Performing Arts Center, located at 777 W Olive Street. Tickets are $45 to $70 for regular seating and $10 for students. For more information, go to coastarts.com or call 541-265-2787.