Old music directors don’t die; instead, they often become conductor laureates and return as conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra on occasion. Christoph Eschenbach made this week’s program featuring Oliver Knussen’s solo and Schumann’s Third Symphony that much richer.

His skilled guidance of diverse forces through challenging ensemble challenges resulted in a performance where every measure held musical interest.

Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven of Bonn, Germany was one of the greatest composers ever. Although he lost his hearing by age 31, he still managed to compose nine symphonies, hundreds of sonatas and concertos, as well as numerous songs such as his famous Fur Elise – this illustrated book tells his story and legacy.

Beethoven was greatly influenced by Haydn and Mozart, yet sought to express his own dramatic musical voice in piano sonatas like Pathetique as well as revolutionary symphonies like Fifth and Sixth Symphonies featuring vocalists and choir.

He pioneered what would come to be known as Romanticism: an approach that used classical forms but developed and expanded them with expressive themes, contrasting key centers, and repeated melodic themes with various variations – elements which would become integral parts of later works by composers such as Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz.

Beethoven had an eventful and eventful life. His struggle against deafness had an immense influence on his compositions; these works can often be read as self-portraits of inner turmoil and emotional experiences he faced personally.

Early in his life, Beethoven traveled through Europe with his father’s orchestra and met many influential individuals, some of which would later prove invaluable to his career. His concerts proved popular and by 1796, he had earned enough money to start living on his own in Vienna.

Beethoven began losing his hearing as early as his 20s and developed an increasingly difficult personality. He became distrustful of people, eventually contracting pneumonia from a cold which turned into pneumonia* and passing away in 1826. Today, however, Beethoven is remembered as one of history’s most groundbreaking and innovative composers, his works continuing to be performed and studied all around the globe and his Romanticism still having an enormous influence over Western classical music.

Brahms

Brahms was a German composer living during the 19th century who is revered as one of the greatest masters of symphonic and sonata style music. He also created chamber pieces, songs, choral works and was best known for writing the German Requiem; moreover he composed piano sonatas along with fantasias, rhapsodies, ballades, intermezzos and capriccios – an extensive catalog!

After Jude and Liza narrowly escape a horrific home invasion, they move their children into Heelshires’ mansion with Greta who is hired as their caretaker. But soon strange things start happening: her children start acting strangely and Greta discovers that Brahms himself lives amongst the walls. Greta receives a list of rules to abide by such as playing piano before bed and giving Brahms a kiss goodnight; when she violates these regulations a series of alarming events occur!

Brahms established himself in Vienna by becoming the director of a concert series known as Gesellschaftskonzerte and creating some of his finest orchestral works, such as Symphony No. 1 in C minor. Drawing inspiration from biblical and New Testament passages for his music compositions, Brahms was known for being an extremely religious person and often taking cues from religious texts for his musical compositions; he was considered conservative musician who strongly disapproved of modern composers like Richard Wagner.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed choral, chamber, piano compositions and the German Requiem, while also championing Classical works of Beethoven and Haydn. As an innovative musician with unique tones for melody creation and harmonic structure mastery.

Arrau mesmerized his audience at Santiago’s Teatro Municipal with some of Brahms’s most beloved pieces: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor and Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor with the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra. This performance was broadcast live on TV Network 2 and now can be found on DVD; any classical music lover should see this amazing show! Additionally, this DVD also includes an interview with Arrau himself!

Ravel

Rinat has made his mark on North American and European concert stages as a soloist performer, appearing on major concert stages like Carnegie Hall. He has taken part in numerous operas and oratorios; led performances at Charleston Ballet Theater, Metropolitan Ballet of Detroit and Miami City Ballet among many others; was an exclusive recording artist for many years with EMI Records; has an illustrious recording career;

His repertoire encompasses an eclectic selection of contemporary works, many commissioned or written specifically for himself. With more than 50 recordings released to date and currently teaching at Manhattan School of Music and Aspen Music Festival respectively, he boasts an impressive resume.

Sill is an accomplished performer of both chamber and classical music, as well as an accomplished conductor. He has led orchestras and choirs around the world – such as Orchestre de Paris and Royal Concertgebouw – recording for EMI and Deutsche Grammophon respectively; conducting premiere performances both domestic and abroad including collaborations with Martha Argerich and Barbara Hendricks among many others; serving orchestras in New York, Boston and London among many other honors, receiving many awards including Grammy nomination in 2007 (discography includes complete piano works of Liszt).

Schumann

Schumann is widely considered one of the precursors to Romanticism within Central European music tradition. However, his intense emotions often had an effect on his creative output; marriage to Clara Wieck gave him stability in life and allowed him to focus on composition. Like other Romantic composers of his era, he was inspired by literature; evidence can be seen through Opus 96 piano quintet and Dichterliebe song cycle as proof.

Schumann composed many piano works during his 1830s period of creativity, such as Papillons et Carnaval as well as Etudes Symphoniques. Additionally, he helped found and became editor of Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik (New Journal for Music). At this time he composed Davidsbundlertanze, Phantasiestuckke as well as Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, Arabeske as part of this period.

Schumann continued producing great piano works up until his death in 1856, in addition to numerous symphonies, song cycles and chamber works including his highly ambitious Symphony No. 4 in C major and its companion String Quartet in E flat major which are today considered among his signature works. Additionally he composed many ballad compositions based on poems like Uhland and Geibel for soloists, chorus and orchestra and composed concert overtures on themes from Goethe’s Hermann und Dorothea as well as Schiller’s The Bridal Song as well as Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar – works that have since become classics within music history!

At the end of his life, Schumann became increasingly detached from reality, suffering from mental illness and spending much of his last years in an insane asylum. Following Schumann’s death, Clara dedicated herself to performing and editing his works for Breitkopf und Hartel.

Students performing pieces should strive to demonstrate an overall sense of shape and feeling for the complete melodic line, using some rubato without overshadowing delicately-crafted phrases. Furthermore, it is crucial that they develop an independent musical voice by encouraging experimentation with various fingerings and dynamics.