Tucson and the rest of the classical music world are celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday this season, but this weekend we are really outdoing ourselves.
By Sunday, Feb. 16, Tucson audiences will have heard three of his symphonies — two are on deck with Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra is set to play his Seventh — and five string quartets performed by the renowned Shanghai Quartet in two concerts for Arizona Friends of Chamber Music.
Add to that three Beethoven piano sonatas performed last Sunday, Feb. 9, by a trio of pianists at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church — the finale of the church’s 10-year Beethoven Sonata Project to perform all 32 of his sonatas.
That’s what we call a bunch of Beethoven.
Oh, but we’re not finished yet:
- Next week, True Concord Voices & Orchestra performs Beethoven’s C Major Mass and “Choral Fantasy” three times between Feb. 21 and 23.
- TSO has Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” on deck for its MasterWorks series in four performances Feb. 28, 29 and March 1.
- SASO is teaming up with the Helios Ensemble to perform Beethoven’s choral Symphony No. 9 April 24-26.
Beethoven’s 250th birthday is in December.
