Jedem Menschen

The 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death provides the occasion to dedicate a New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day concert to the composer. At the heart of our program, conducted by Sebastian Weigle and featuring CHORWERK RUHR and pianist Kyōhei Sorita, is his rarely performed Fantasy for Piano, Choir, and Orchestra, for which Norbert Lammert, the former President of the German Bundestag, wrote a hymnal text celebrating equality, peace, and Europe. As a diverse and grassroots-democratic orchestra, we uphold these values—in our daily work.

CHORWERK RUHR will open the concert with the first movement, “Europa steht,” from Beethoven’s cantata Der glorreiche Augenblick, Op. 136. Composed for the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), the work evokes the unity of people in the wake of political unrest.

The Fantasy for Piano, Choir, and Orchestra—also known as the “Little Ninth” due to its thematic similarity to the “Ode to Joy”—combines elements of a piano concerto with those of a cantata and serves as a call for social cohesion.

Subito con forza by Unsuk Chin, with its striking opening chord, might at first be mistaken for another work by Beethoven. Yet the sound evolves into a radical, modern musical language, in which rhythmic accents from the percussion and piano lead into a transparent soundscape.

In the Coriolan Overture, Beethoven depicts the Roman hero’s inner conflict through contrasting themes: Coriolan’s anger and vengeance against the Romans are portrayed dramatically and with tension, while the call for reconciliation is presented at a slower tempo.

The Leonore Overture No. 3 from Beethoven’s opera Fidelio is one of the most frequently performed overtures. In this opera, Leonore disguises herself as a man to free her imprisoned husband, Florestan. The somber opening evokes the dungeon before the woodwinds bring a ray of light. The overture ends in euphoria as the trumpets announce his liberation.

Two world-famous lovers will not share the same fate: In his fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky condenses Shakespeare’s fateful story into music. From the hopeful opening through the combative theme that depicts the hatred between the Capulet and Montague families, to the lovers’ escape and their tragic end, the plot unfolds in fast motion.

Mélie Leneutre, Program Committee