The Los Angeles Philharmonic's SOUND/STAGE Series Continues With Episode 5 BEETHOVEN

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's SOUND/STAGE series continues with its fifth episode, simply titled "Beethoven," Friday, October 23, at 10am. The concert features LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel leading the orchestra in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Though his hearing loss had steadily become more pronounced, the composer decided to conduct the premiere of the work in 1813. That concert became Beethoven's most successful, and the success of the celebratory Seventh has continued to this day.

Writer/director and classical music enthusiast Armando Iannucci explores Beethoven's Seventh in an essay that is featured on the SOUND/STAGE microsite. In it, Iannucci illustrates how Beethoven changed music from a private, hidden practice to a public experience, meant to be shared and enjoyed. Of the Seventh, he notes that its greatness comes from its simple existence - it has no agenda but is merely a demonstration of music for the sake of music. In further support of the theme, the site includes a playlist from Dudamel featuring some of his favorite historic Beethoven recordings.

Also on the microsite is a short experimental film from Lilli Carré, an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and cartoonist whose work has been exhibited at museums and film festivals worldwide. In the spirit of Oskar Fischinger's groundbreaking motion graphics from the 1930s, Carré's animated short synchronizes vibrant abstract colors and forms with the music of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

All SOUND/STAGE performances were filmed outdoors at the Hollywood Bowl under strict adherence to public health guidelines, with all performers maintaining social distance.

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Beethoven

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7