La Folle Journée de Varsovie: THE APOTHEOSIS OF DANCE (25)

Tickets go on sale on 1 September 2021, 11 a.m.

PROGRAMME:

12 Contredanses, WoO 14 (selection)

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
II. Allegretto
III. Presto
IV. Allegro con brio

PERFORMERS:

Sinfonia Varsovia
Alexander Liebreich – conductor 

The Seventh Symphony is believed to represent, along with the Third and Fourth, a kind of struggle between Beethoven and Napoleon, the composer’s great democratic hope and, after Bonaparte crowned himself emperor, his greatest disillusionment. The piece was written between 1811 and 1812 while Napoleon was planning his campaign against Russia. It had its premiere in late 1813 and succeeded on the wave of the victory over the French army in Spain. More important, however, is the fact that Beethoven had the finest musicians at his disposal at the premiere and his music could finally find its fullest expression, which was an exception rather than the rule… Symphony No. 7, which Wagner called ‘the apotheosis of dance’, is a challenging piece due to its obsessive dance rhythms culminating in the almost bacchanal finale. A selection of 12 Contredanses, one of which is based on a theme from Eroica, so beloved by Beethoven, will get us into the spirit of dance…