Many events on the occasion of the great Beethoven anniversary had to be postponed due to Corona, but some are taking place in a modified form.
The big anniversary on the occasion of the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) will be extended to mid-September 2021 and will not end as planned on December 17, the baptism day of the Bonn-born composer. This is due to the ongoing Corona crisis and the resulting ban on major events, which was recently extended to at least October 31. Many events had to be postponed because of Corona, but some have been modified, including the car concerts in Olpe presented by Telekom and the digital projects of BTHVN2020.
Brings Drive-In Arena in Olpe
The eight-day series of events Brings Drive-In Arena in Olpe in North Rhine-Westphalia brings together various cultural events despite Corona. At the car concerts, groups such as Brings, Bläck Fööss, Paveier or Ernst Hutter & Die Egerländer Musikanten can be experienced live safely and comfortably on a huge stage under the best technical conditions. The highlight, however, are the two performances by one of the most renowned orchestras in Germany: the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn will be one of the first symphony orchestras in the world to comply with the corona rules. On Friday, June 26th, the musicians will be on stage together with bringings. A day later, Bläck Fööss then play as guests with the Beethoven Orchestra.
Artificial intelligence completes the unfinished
A team of international music scientists and AI experts has also undertaken an ambitious experiment: Using artificial intelligence (AI) methods to create a possible version of the 10th symphony that Beethoven could no longer achieve during his lifetime. The AI is fed with all of Beethoven's works as well as all works by the composers who have been shown to have influenced Beethoven during his lifetime. The premiere of "The Unfinished" is expected to take place in November 2020 at the Telekom Forum in Bonn.
Robbie Williams live in Bonn
Pop superstar Robbie Williams (46) will appear in Bonn, albeit almost a year later. Originally, the big concert on the Hofgartenwiese was to take place on August 31 after a first postponement, but now the singer will only be in Beethoven-Stadt on June 13, 2021. "I can't wait to come to Bonn next year. I'm looking forward to a huge birthday party and a great concert for my German fans on the Hofgartenwiese," said Williams about his performance in honor of van Beethoven.
BTHVN2020 digital projects
Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH offers an alternative to the postponed major events: The BTHVN2020 has set up a wide-ranging, digital cultural program. These include the virtual festival "Labor Beethoven 2020" presented by the Akademie der Künste: Over ten world premieres, a sound installation, a music theater and an exhibition can be heard digitally or explored virtually. Since the concerts originally scheduled for mid-March could not be carried out as planned due to the Corona crisis, they were recorded and made available online to the interested public. Among other things, works based on Beethoven's experimental period can be experienced. His pastoral symphony and opera Fidelio were also deconstructed in a contemporary way.
Another attractive project from the digital program is the Beethoven Lounge. The format is actually a music talk show that is organized monthly by the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. Here, too, the organizers of the series have adapted to the external circumstances – the talk is currently being streamed. In the Pantheon Bonn, conductor and general music director Dirk Kaftan talks to changing guests about culture, politics and society as well as topics related to the Beethoven anniversary. The whole thing is accompanied by musical performances by the musicians of the Bonn Orchestra.
Beethoven moves
At "Beethoven Moves", young people from Colombia and Bonn present their own concepts under the impression of Beethoven's music by combining them with urban youth culture such as beatboxing, hip-hop or graffiti and combining them into a total work of art. In the project, which was launched together with the Don Bosco Mission Bonn, former child soldiers and street children from Medellín, together with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, interpret their experiences in relation to music or on topics such as violence, exclusion and freedom. The show was postponed to August 2021.