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Poppy Love “I love the image of the poppies, and I love Beethoven Symphony No 7, but what is the connection?” This has been a common question about our closing concert of this season, and here is the reason behind the image we chose to promote this concert. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was premiered in Vienna on December 8, 1813. The concert was billed as a benefit for Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau. This battle was fought on 30-31 October 1813 between Karl Philipp von Wrede’s Austro-Bavarian corps and Napoleon’s retreating French during the War of the Sixth Coalition. The concert was a gala affair, with many of Vienna’s celebrity musicians, including Hummel, Spohr, Salieri, Meyerbeer and Moscheles recruited to play percussion. In Beethoven’s address to the participants, he said, “We are moved by nothing but pure patriotism and the joyful sacrifice of our powers for those who have sacrificed so much for us.” Although the poppy became a symbol of
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remembrance after World War One, it was during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century that the link between poppies and battlefields was made. Fields that were barren before battle, exploded with blood-red flowers after the fighting ended. So whether you are a newcomer to Beethoven Symphony No 7, or have a nostalgic connection to it through your own performances, previous concerts or favourite recordings, or perhaps you discovered it by watching the film The King’s Speech, please, in Beethoven’s words, spare a thought for “those who have sacrificed so much for us”. We hope the poppies remind you of these words. –––––– Beethoven Symphony No 7 Brahms Double Concerto 11 & 12 May in Edinburgh and Glasgow The Glasgow concert is proudly sponsored by
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