With the exception of the Berlin Philharmonic, there can scarcely be an orchestra more closely tied to the Beethoven tradition than the Vienna Philharmonic. Though Beethoven passed away in 1827, the orchestra’s connection with the composer through contemporaries and beyond has remained almost unbroken since its foundation in 1842. Countless are the occasions on which the Vienna Philharmonic has performed Beethoven’s symphonies, and countless the number of great conductors, from Arthur Nikisch to the stars of today, who have conducted the nine works that occupy such a special place in the orchestra’s repertoire. Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, who belongs among these legendary figures, is also notable for being one of the oldest conductors still active today; at this concert he will be approaching his 90th year. The one-time music director of the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Blomstedt has been one of the leading interpreters of Austrian and German symphonic music for decades, having inherited the invaluable secrets of performing tradition from legends such as Paul Sacher, Igor Markevitch and Leonard Bernstein. At what promises to be a concert highlight of the 2015/16 season, we will hear two timeless masterpieces by Beethoven composed consecutively and completed in 1812.

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Presented by: Müpa Budapest