CONDUCTOR’S WELCOME

Johannes Fritzsch

Dear guests, friends and supporters of the Conservatorium,

Welcome to the first Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra concert in 2023. Tonight we travel back from 2023 in increments of 100. For an orchestral program, we could travel back as far as 1623, but tonight we will begin with 53-year-old Beethoven in 1823. The giant of the classical era was at this time almost completely withdrawn from public life and social events, deaf for almost 15 years, sitting in his lonely apartment in Vienna and writing three of his most significant works: Missa Solemnis, Symphony no.9 and the Diabelli Variations

At the same time and in the same city, a young composer enjoyed life in café houses and within a circle of friends, scribbling melodies and harmonies on serviettes and any available piece of paper: Franz Schubert, the genius song writer, the intimate romantic voice who brought the artform of Lied to full bloom. Yes, the Romantic era was about to take ownership of the musical world. Most important was Carl Maria von Weber with his operas “Der Freischütz” and “Euryanthe”, the latter written in 1823.

By 1923, the whole world had changed. The 1848 revolution in Germany and many related upheavals in Europe were followed by national conflicts and wars, culminating in the horrific and disastrous WWI. We look at some compositions written in different parts of the world, written just 5 years after the end of the catastrophic war.

Finally, here we are in 2023, in a world still plagued by conflicts, fears, and uncertainty. How will the voice of a young composer sound? What are the thoughts, feelings, concerns and hopes of this generation? You will hear in a moment.