Beethoven was 21 when he went to Vienna to study with Haydn, then regarded as the greatest living composer. Amid influence, mutual respect and tension, the transition from Classical formalism to heroic Romanticism takes shape, clearly heard in the structural restraint of the London Symphony and the tragic conflict of the Coriolan Overture.
It is with this dialogue between master and pupil that opens the concert The Student and the Teacher / War and Freedom, on Friday, 27 February, at 9.00 pm, at the Auditorium of the Rectorate of NOVA University Lisbon, conducted by Maestro João Malha, with L. v. Beethoven – Coriolan Overture and J. Haydn – Symphony No. 104, London.
In the second half, we come to understand that War and Freedom are apparently opposing concepts, yet, curiously, they often appear side by side: how many wars are announced with the purpose of winning, defending or imposing freedom? Against this backdrop, it presents War and Freedom, conducted by Maestro João Malha: they begin with the vigorous Command March, written during the Second World War, when Samuel Barber was serving in the US Army. In the middle, they evoke the watchful vigil of a situation under threat in Robert W. Rumbelow’s Night. And they close with a triumphant fanfare, Gerald Oswald’s inspiring hymn of hope, Call of Freedom.
NOVA tickets: confirmation by email to relacoespublicas@metropolitana.pt by 6.00 pm on Tuesday, 24 February.
Detailed programme
Title: The Student and the Teacher
Orquestra Clássica Metropolitana
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) – Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (1807)
9 min.
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) – Symphony No. 104 in D major, London (1795)
33 min.
- Adagio – Allegro
II. Andante
III. Minuet: Allegro
IV. Finale: Allegro spiritoso
[interval: 15 min.]
Title: Horizons of Freedom
Orquestra de Sopros da Metropolitana
Samuel Barber (1910–1981) – Command March (1943)
4 min.
Robert W. Rumbelow (b. 1965) – Night (2011)
23 min.
- TheNight Breeze: 1941
II. A Child’s Faith
III. The Fall of Darkness; The Endless Night (The Loss of Faith)
Gerald Oswald (b. 1968) – Call of Freedom (2009)
10 min.
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