2005 The festival took place from 8 September until 2 October. The theme was
Liberté - the keyword of the enlightenment and battle cry of the
French Revolution. After the Bohemian-Moravian focus in the previous year, the organizers emphasise this time on the relation between Beethoven and French music. In 64 events and an extensive schedule, the festival offered an insight of major importance, which had revolutionary ideas and changes on Beethoven and his music, but emphasised the creativity of the French composers such as
Hector Berlioz,
Claude Debussy and
Maurice Ravel.
2006 The Beethovenfest took place in Bonn from 31 August until 1 October. The program was themed
Russia.
2007 '' during the Beethovenfest in 2007 The Beethovenfest Bonn took place in 2007 from 24 August to 23 September. The organizers dedicated it to the music nation of Great Britain. The festival was themed
Joy. Ludwig van Beethoven's relation with Great Britain was based to a large extent on old Bonn relations:
Ferdinand Ries, born in Bonn like Beethoven and one of the Beethoven's piano students in Vienna, went to London in 1813 as a celebrated pianist. Later he became one of the directors of the London
Philharmonic Society, which in 1822 commissioned Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony. British ensembles such as the
BBC Symphony Orchestra, the
Academy of St Martin in the Fields or the
Philharmonia Orchestra of London performed in Bonn. Also the
War Requiem by
Benjamin Britten was part of the program. In addition, some discoveries were announced, such as a selection of Beethoven's Scottish, Irish and Welsh songs, which were rarely performed. On 2 September, the opera
Freax by
Moritz Eggert premiered at the festival.
2008 The Beethovenfest took place this year from 29 August to 28 September in Beethoven's birthplace.
Power. Music. - this was the theme of the festival including 60 concerts based on Beethoven's political legacy, the ideological appropriation and exclusion of classical music composers and their works in the 20th century. The Beethoven's works, which he wrote with political and social connotations, were heard. On the one hand, these were juxtaposed with compositions that arose as a reaction to political currents; on the other hand, the 2008 edition of the Beethovenfest was dedicated to out-of-date composers whose music was produced, inter alia, in
Theresienstadt and works that are in the context of exile and persecution. Top-class musicians such as
Hélène Grimaud,
Annette Dasch,
Claudia Barainsky,
Daniel Hope,
Martin Grubinger and
András Schiff,
Max Raabe and
The Princes performed, and from the acting industry
Esther Schweins,
Hannelore Elsner,
Christoph Waltz,
Ulrich Matthes and
Hanns Zischler. In addition, top orchestras performed at the Beethovenfest Bonn 2008, such as the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra,
Lorin Maazel conducting, the
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Daniel Harding, the
National Orchestra of France, conducted by
Kurt Masur, the
Gewandhaus Orchestra, conductor
Riccardo Chailly, the
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen,
Paavo Järvi conducting, and the
Bamberg Symphony conducted by
Jonathan Nott.
2009 The Beethovenfest took place from 4 September to 3 October 2009.
In the Light was the theme of the festival this year. "Beethoven's influence coined not only the music of the Romantic period, in which almost all musical genres are based on Beethoven's work," wrote the artistic director of the Beethovenfest, Ilona Schmiel. "Likewise, during Beethoven's lifetime, the soloist developed as an increasingly independent musical personality. This was the starting point for the artistic ideal of the Romantic period: the cult of the stars and genius that characterizes our music world today." In this context, the theme
In the Light means that the focus is on artistic positions. The 2009 programm of the festival included artists such as
Paavo Järvi and The
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen,
Kent Nagano,
Ingo Metzmacher,
Sol Gabetta,
Valery Gergiev,
Gustavo Dudamel and
Maurizio Pollini.
2010 The Beethovenfest took place in 2010 from 10 September to 9 October and was themed
Open - utopia and freedom in music.
José Antonio Abreu, founder of the Venezuelan "El Sistema", the national system of youth and children's orchestras of
Venezuela, had the patronage. The
Federal Chancellery could be used as a venue for a concert for the first time. As part of the
Bavarian State Orchestra's concert from 12 September, the conductor
Kent Nagano received the
Wilhelm Furtwängler Prize of the Beethovenfest Bonn.
2011 In the Liszt year, the Beethovenfest looked back on its long tradition: in 1845
Franz Liszt organized a three-day music festival for the inauguration of the
Beethoven monument on Münsterplatz on the occasion of the 75th birthday of the composer. In 2011, the festival took place from 10 September to 9 October. It was under the theme
Future music. Beethoven, Liszt and the New in music.
2012 Under the theme
Obstinacy. On the True in Art, the Beethovenfest took place in 2012 from 7 September to 7 October. The focus was on musicians who, like Beethoven, are ahead of time with their ideas and are undaunted on their own way. With these border crossers, many of whom have been closely associated with the festival for years, the Beethovenfest is developing exclusive programs.
2013 The 2013 edition of the Beethovenfest took place from 5 September to 5 October. The 67 individual events were under the theme
Transformations. The main program included an open-air concert, in which
Otto Sauter and his trumpet ensemble Ten of the Best & Friends translated well-known melodies from operas into American and Caribbean styles during the
Richard Wagner anniversary year, as well as an English promenade concert with soprano
Miah Persson and the for the first time NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by its founder
Thomas Hengelbrock. == References ==