Doha: Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) is set to hold two more concerts this month entitled “Beethoven’s Eroica” and “Brahms meets Haydn.”
“Beethoven’s Eroica” is scheduled on Monday, February 21, at Katara Cultural Village Opera House.
In a statement, QPO said the concert will feature two of Beethoven’s best dramatic works: Leonore Overture No. 3 and Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major “Eroica Symphony.”
Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, is Beethoven’s only opera. Beethoven produced four versions of the overture to Fidelio, though Leonore Overture No. 3 is regarded as the most powerful and theatrical of the overtures.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, also known as Eroica Symphony due to its supposed heroic nature, premiered in 1805 and was greater and more intense than customary symphonies at the time.
The piece is one of Beethoven’s chiefly instrumental works, and is regarded as a turning point in musical history as it marks the beginning of Beethoven’s second period in his career.
Beethoven originally intended to dedicate its symphony to Napoleon whom he had long admired, but Beethoven became disappointed when Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804.
There will be two time slots for the concert, 5pm and 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at QPO’s website. Side, Middle, and Upper Ochestra cost QR125, while Front Orchestra is priced at QR175, and Center Orchestra at QR200.
Meanwhile, “Brahms meets Haydn” will be held on Friday, February 25, at the Qatar National Convention Centre. There will be two timings for the concert, 5pm and 7:30pm. Tickets can also be purchased at QPO website. Upper orchestra is priced at QR125, while Middle and Front Orchestra cost QR175.
QPO said the concert promises an evening of Brahms, including Haydn Variations and Symphony No. 2 in D Major.
“Haydn Variations was written in 1873 and is a testimony to Brahms’ mastery of the technique of variation. The variations are based on a simple theme that was thought to be of Joseph Haydn’s composition at the time, though we now know this attribution was incorrect,” it added.
Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major is one of the most cheerful of his mature works, and its happy nature could be because it was composed during a summer holiday in 1877 while living on the shores of an Austrian lake.
Both concerts’ conductor is Elias Grandy. He is currently the General Music Director at Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra Heidelberg in Germany.
Grandy is also one of today’s leading conductors, and has a growing international career on operatic and symphonic repertoire.
