Event is Live
CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Sunday, February 23, 2020 2 PM Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Hear musical depictions of bird song, a rowdy country dance, a wild thunderstorm, and partying peasants just as Beethoven’s 1808 audience would have at the “Pastoral” Symphony's premiere. The period instruments of the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique enhance the richly detailed orchestration, so string textures are transparent, winds and brass piquant, and timpani—especially in the storm music—have visceral punch. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7—a joyously propulsive masterpiece—will lift you from your seat, especially when those natural horns lead the charge in the finale.

Part of: Sir John Eliot Gardiner Perspectives and Beethoven Celebration

Partner events on February 7 and February 27 explore the instruments featured in this concert.

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique is also performing February 19, February 20, February 21, and February 24.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner is also performing February 18, February 19, February 20, February 21, and February 24.

Performers

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Artistic Director and Conductor

Program

ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM

Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"

Symphony No. 7

Event Duration

The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.
Sir John Eliot Gardiner: 2019–2020 Perspectives Artist
Lead support for the Beethoven Celebration is provided by The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.
National Endowment for the Arts: arts.gov
Public support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In honor of the centenary of his birth, Carnegie Hall’s 2019–2020 season is dedicated to the memory of Isaac Stern in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Carnegie Hall, arts advocacy, and the field of music.

At a Glance

This concert presents two of Beethoven’s most original and important works from his mature period. The “Pastoral” Symphony, No. 6, is a startlingly vivid program symphony that reaches into the realm of tone poem, inspiring Berlioz, R. Strauss, and others, and is often quoted in popular culture, especially Disney’s Fantasia. The Seventh is one of Beethoven’s most rhythmically propulsive works, exceeding even the Fifth in pure dynamism, especially in its frenzied finale. Many commentators emphasize Beethoven’s personal crises and architectural innovations, but Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s interest lies in Beethoven’s cultural and political context, from the actual sounds of 18th-century instruments to the ideals and anthems of the French Revolution.

Bios

Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Sir John Eliot Gardiner is revered as one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic musicians, and as a leader in the contemporary musical world. His work—as founder and ...

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Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Founded in 1989 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (ORR) strives to provide bold new perspectives on the music of the 19th and early 20th ...
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