“I was inspired by
Beethoven’s enduring
music and message
of tolerance, unity,
joy and optimism,
which pervades all
of his music…”
— MARIN ALSOP
BALTIMORE’S BEETHOVEN 2020
The BSO calls its North American salute to
Beethoven and his Ninth Beethoven 2020,
and it is comprised of many different
experiences. On May 18, the great
keyboard master Evgeny Kissen will play
an all-Beethoven recital at the Meyerhoff,
including three of his most famous piano
sonatas (“Pathétique,” “Tempest” and
“Waldstein”) and the virtuosic “Eroica”
Variations. Two Beethoven orchestral
programs at the Meyerhoff and Strathmore
follow: one featuring Russia’s superb
violinist Viktoria Mullova playing the
Violin Concerto (June 5 –7) and the other,
the season-closing Ninth Symphony
performances (June 11–14).
Joining Alsop and the Orchestra at
those last concerts will be three choruses:
Morgan State University Choir; Peabody
Community Chorus; and Voices Rise, a
community choir that welcomes individuals
who are experiencing homelessness or
financial distress. Not only featured during
the finale of the Ninth, they will also be the
performers of the concert’s opening work:
a world premiere of Reena Esmail’s
all-choral See Me, created to refer to and
segue seamlessly into the opening of the
Ninth. Renowned for her choral pieces as
well as instrumental works, Esmail is an
award-winning young composer who draws
on her Indian heritage to fuel her music.
See Me incorporates a text from the Hindu
Rig Veda with a related English phrase,
“See me — see my light.” Since she is
designing her music with the distinctive
qualities of her three choral ensembles in
mind, Esmail explains that we will be
hearing different vocal styles throughout
the piece. “It was so important to me to
write a piece that allowed each choir to sing
in a way that allowed them to show each
other their best selves — as I think that is
what art can do, across demographic and
cultural divides.”
Also tying the Ninth’s performance
specifically to our city is Marin Alsop’s
selection of Baltimore rap artist Wordsmith
Reena Esmail
Evgeny Kissin
NCPA Orchestra in Beijing will present a
Beethoven’s Ninth for Asia. Back to Europe,
the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony joins
the festivities in Beethoven’s home town
(October). Two orchestras in South Africa,
the Johannesburg Philharmonic and the
KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic, perform
in November. Finally, the international
performances wrap up in December at
Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. Alsop
adds that each orchestra “has its own story,
and I am looking forward to every project
as a unique journey and a completely
different experience.”
The concerts in São Paulo demonstrate
how the Brazilians adapted the Ninth to
their culture. They explored the legacy of
slavery in Brazil from the 19 th century to
the present; the arrival of slave ships there
was at its peak during Beethoven’s time.
Alsop: “In São Paulo, the issue of slavery
is critical to their cultural discourse, so we
started with the choir walking through
the audience singing a very well-known
‘slave song,’ which then segued directly
into the opening of the Symphony.
Between movements, we featured Brazilian
references.” The text of the “Ode to Joy”
was translated into Portuguese.
Wordsmith
to translate the “Ode to Joy” to our own
vernacular. As he explains: “My main focus
was to keep the original themes of peace,
freedom and triumph intact while using
present-day social issues to highlight the need
for positive reinforcement, such as equality,
cultural acceptance and living a purpose-
driven life.”
In Marin Alsop’s words, “The ‘Ode to Joy’
is about standing up and being counted in
this world. It’s about believing in our power as
human beings. In Baltimore, we hope to get
the entire city involved in the celebration of
spreading joy and community!”
And the celebration doesn’t end in June.
Opening the BSO’s 2020 – 21 season
in September will be performances of
Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, led by Alsop.
It will be a unique production by Heartbeat
Opera that updates the struggle of a heroic
woman to free her husband from unjust
imprisonment to today’s America. Recently
premiered in New York, this production has
already won many glowing reviews. The New
Yorker’s Alex Ross called it “imaginative, vital
and heartbreaking.”
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
YOU ARE OUR INSPIRATION!
TELL US: WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
Visit BSOmusic.org/joy by April 17 to submit.
Responses will culminate in a visual demonstration
M A R – input!
A P R 2020 / OV E R T U R E 9
of artistic creativity
and community