Beethoven + Bartók

Beethoven began work on the Eighth in the summer of 1812, immediately after the completion of his Seventh Symphony. Martin Geck describes the Eighth as containing “all the relevant hallmarks, including motivic and thematic writing notable for its advanced planning, defiant counterpoint, furious cross-rhythms, sudden shifts from piano to forte, and idyllic and even hymnlike episodes.” The orchestra will then perform Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra...