Cheerful, lively, dance-like – in hardly any other work does Ludwig van Beethoven reveal himself as exuberantly as in his Seventh Symphony. It brims with surprising ideas, cheerful melodies, and thrilling rhythms. The orchestra's sound, too, leaves nothing to be desired, with its almost exuberantly blaring horns and resounding timpani. For conductor and composer Jörg Widmann, the Seventh is therefore always a special event: "Beethoven unleashes a fury here that still thrills us today," he marvels.
Widmann says that his violin etudes would not have been created without them either – at the kitchen table, the two exchanged all sorts of details about the violin and explored the instrument's technical possibilities. Widmann's orchestral piece "Con Brio," which combines elements from Beethoven's Seventh and Eighth Symphonies into a kind of meta-composition, then sets the tone for the grand finale in the second half.

Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France

Apr 14, 2026

Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra / Carolin Widmann / Jörg Widmann

Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France