The Utah Symphony is in the midst of a four-concert Beethoven Festival marking the orchestra’s 75th season with performances of the composer’s first eight symphonies. The festival launched on September 11 with Music Director Thierry Fischer leading the Coriolan Overture and Symphony Nos. 4 and 5, with Symphony Nos. 1-3 and 6-8 scheduled for performances through September 19. The cycle will be completed in December, when the Utah Symphony is joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus for the Ninth Symphony. The September festival includes five preconcert talks about Beethoven by Utah Symphony Principal Keyboard Jason Hardink and an online Listen & Learn section at the orchestra’s website that offers in-depth background on Beethoven symphonies. On September 12, the orchestra was a community sponsor of Pleasant Grove’s Beat Beethoven 5K run, in which racers attempted to complete the 5K course before the end of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which the orchestra had performed the previous evening at approximately 35 minutes in length.
Posted September 14, 2015
