Camerata Pacifica Begins 'Why Beethoven?' Project and Kicks-off 2018-2019 Season

Renowned chamber music ensemble Camerata Pacifica opens its 29th season with the launch of its ambitious "Why Beethoven?" project, with 20 programs, 80 concerts, and 12 panel discussions over the course of two years. While the programming will explore the composer's three creative periods, the in-depth panel discussions will look beyond the music to examine Beethoven's influence throughout the centuries and how his influence resonates today.

"Why Beethoven?" appropriately begins with a look at the composer's early period, characterized by the classical style of Haydn and Mozart. The program opens with Beethoven's Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1, his first published work, and continues with Haydn's Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI/52, written around the same time as the piano trio. This offers a great comparison between the final piano sonata of an old master and the first published work of an ambitious prodigy, who also happened to be Haydn's student. The program concludes with Brahms' Sonata in D Minor for Violin & Piano, Op. 108, written about 90 years later. Brahms long suffered from the shadow cast by Beethoven. It took him 21 years to write his first symphony, only to have it become known as "Beethoven's Tenth."

Adrian Spence, Camerata Pacifica's Artistic Director and Principal Flute, provides insight on the program here.

Performances take place Sunday, September 10 at 3 p.m. at Museum of Ventura County in Ventura; Tuesday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m. at The Huntington Library in San Marino; Thursday, September 13 at 8 p.m. at Colburn School's Zipper Hall in Los Angeles; and Friday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Hahn Hall in Santa Barbara.

Camerata Pacifica's "Why Beethoven?"project continues Sept. 27 - Oct. 2, 2018 with a program of Frescobaldi, Bach, Rochberg, Schubert, Tarrega/Alard, Ponce, Albeniz, and Halffter. Spence shares thoughts on the program here.

"Why Beethoven?" panel discussions begin in January 2019, and will feature Jan Swafford, author of the acclaimed Beethoven biography, Anguish and Triumph; Derek Katz, musicologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara; Andrea Moore, Professor of Music at Smith College and co-founder of the "Musicology and the Present" conference series; and Richard O'Neill, principal violist for Camerata Pacifica. Jan's book is the recommended companion to Camerata Pacifica's "Why Beethoven?" project. Please click here for more information about the panel discussions.

Subscriptions ($219-$522) and single tickets ($58) can be ordered online at http://cameratapacifica.org/season-tickets/order-tickets or by calling 805-884-8410.

Learn more below:

To post a comment, you must register and login.