About
For Beethoven, stagnation was a cruel fate, which is why he consistently pursued his compositional path, leaving his predecessors far behind – and at the same time, creating the foundation for future generations. His fifth and final piano concerto was written in 1809, during a turbulent period, as he was suffering under the Napoleonic occupation of Vienna. Despite this, the piece conveys a sense of optimistic musical freedom. His second symphony, completed in 1802, also exudes confidence and vitality. It is almost impossible to detect that, due to his progressive hearing loss, he became despondent in that year and wrote the moving "Heiligenstadt Testament." In Linz, we are performing Schumann's work instead, whose music library was full of Beethoven's compositions: His famous "Rheinische" was created in 1850 in Düsseldorf – and in it, there is a great deal of movement, as a contemporary reviewer described it as "journeys on the water between green hills and wine festivals." However, Schumann not only captured the majestic Rhine in his music, but also the imposing Cologne Cathedral – and perhaps even his admired model, Beethoven, can be heard in the notes, as he had already been very supportive of the monument that was erected in Bonn in 1845: He suggested that it should be depicted in an oversized manner, "so that, as he did in life, he could look over the mountains – and when the Rhine ships pass by and strangers ask what the giant means, every child can answer: Beethoven is that!"
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