Beethoven’s music is a very serious matter! Or is it? Beyond the popular myths surrounding his figure and the monumental nature of his legacy, it is worth remembering that his music inspires a wide range of moods. He himself had an unpredictable temperament, at times caustic or melancholic, at times magnanimous or affectionate, at times mocking or playful. In this Carnival Concert, conductor Henrique Constância and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra explore this latter facet. Among other pieces, they evoke the ticking of the metronome in the Eighth and the famous four notes that open the Fifth – said to represent fate knocking at the door. They also perform Walter Murphy’s Beethoven’s Fifth (note the pun on ‘quinto de galão’, a traditional US unit of measurement for alcoholic drinks). And, furthermore, a musical parody of the nine symphonies by Louis Andriessen, for orchestra and ice-cream vendor’s bell!
Concerto de Carnaval 2027
Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa
L. v. Beethoven Overture to the opera Fidelio
L. v. Beethoven 2nd movement of Symphony No. 8
L. v. Beethoven 3rd movement of Symphony No. 2
L. v. Beethoven 1st movement of Symphony No. 5
Walter Murphy Beethoven’s Fifth
L. v. Beethoven 1st movement of the Moonlight Sonata (orch. L. Stokowski)
L. v. Beethoven 7 of the 12 Contradanzas, WoO 14
Louis Andriessen Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies, for orchestra and ice-cream vendor’s bell
Henrique Constância conductor
Pre-concert talk at 4.30 pm with musicologist Rui Campos Leitão.
This event is exclusively for concert ticket holders.
