• Kirill Karabits conducts the BSO in major celebrations at the Barbican and Sage Gateshead
  • Pianist Sunwook Kim makes directing debut in all-Beethoven programme
  • Marta Gardolińska tours ‘Pastoral Beethoven’ across South Coast
  • Celebrations begin under leading specialist of historical performance, Reinhard Goebel

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra perform at the Barbican’s Beethoven Weekender (1 Feb) under the baton of Chief Conductor Kirill Karabits before taking performances of Beethoven’s Symphonies 1 & 3 ‘Eroica’ to Sage Gateshead (22 Feb). The Orchestra presents the programme with Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto at their home at Lighthouse, Poole (29 Jan), with American violinist, Stefan Jackiw.

Karabits says, ‘I’m looking forward to bringing performances of Symphonies 1 & 3 ‘Eroica’ to the BSO’s audience in Poole before we join the celebration at the Barbican’s ‘Beethoven Weekender’ and Sage Gateshead. It will be an exciting year as the world collectively revisits these dramatic works born out of such revolutionary times; whilst 250 years has passed, this is music which continues to give.’

Former Leeds Piano Competition Winner, Sunwook Kim, makes his anticipated conducting debut with an all-Beethoven programme. He will direct Piano Concerto No.5 ‘Emperor’ from the keyboard and conduct the much-admired Symphony No.4. The concert opens with the powerful Egmont Overture in Poole (1 Apr) and Exeter (2 Apr). Kim says, ‘I can’t wait to bring this all-Beethoven programme to audiences in Poole and Exeter. To perform the ‘Emperor’ concerto is always a huge thrill — to also make my professional conducting debut, alongside my friends in the BSO, will make these concerts extra special.’

Marta Gardolińska, the Polish conductor recently announced as a 2019/20 Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic, will tour a programme featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No.6 ‘Pastoral’. The BSO Young Conductor in Association will perform alongside pianist Alfredo Ovalles in Piano Concerto No.4 in Plymouth (5 Feb), Exeter (6 Feb) and Portsmouth (7 Feb). Gardolińska says, ‘The vivid imagery of Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony continues to fascinate. In this increasingly frazzled world — 250 years since Beethoven’s birth — it’s always a treat to take time out and jump into the musical pool of colour that he created for us to enjoy. I am very much looking forward to joining the brilliant pianist Alfredo Ovalles in a fresh interpretation of my favourite of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos – the delicate but expressive no. 4!’

The Orchestra — under specialist of historical performance, Reinhard Goebel — gave audiences a taste of what is ahead with a performance exploring Beethoven in context alongside his contemporary, Anton Eberl, in Poole and Bristol, in November. Violinist Tobias Feldmann performed Beethoven’s Romance No.2 and Violin Concerto in C (fragment) in a programme featuring Symphony No.2 and Eberl’s Symphony No.3.

The BSO celebrate the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven throughout 2020. For tickets and further details, visit bsolive.com

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Click here for our Meet the Music Live (Beethoven) event on Thursday 2 April