Poor Beethoven! In 2020 musicians across the globe were gearing up to celebrate the 250th
anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. We all know what came next.
One of the casualties was a very special collaboration between Music in the Round and Hallam Sinfonia, a Come and Play event open to all, at which the first movement of Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony would be worked on and performed. Simplified parts at two levels, written for the occasion, and parts for non-standard instruments, some of them probably unknown to Beethoven, were provided to make this a truly inclusive event.
Two years later, in March 2022, it happened! Conducted by Graham Ross, Director of Music at Clare College Cambridge, and led by Claudia Ajmone-Marsan from Ensemble 360, Hallam Sinfonia was joined by over 70 participants, young and old, with a wide range of skills and experience, in the workshop, and after the performance of the first movement by everyone, continued to play the rest of the symphony.
This was a memorable occasion much enjoyed by all who took part, and particularly valued by young people who appreciated being able to play alongside experienced players and be part of something quite spectacular.
More to come... A Beethoven Triple
Saturday 15 October 2022, 7.30pm
Richard Laing - Conductor