The concert accompanied the special exhibition „Zündstoff Beethoven. Rezeptionsdokumente aus der Paul Sacher Stiftung“ at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, complementing it with musical examples. It took place in 2021, whilst the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were still being felt — a time when many cultural events could only be held on a limited basis. The selected works demonstrated how differently composers in the 20th and 21st centuries responded to Beethoven: with admiration, analytical interest, playful alienation or ironic detachment. This made it audible that Beethoven was not merely a monument of music history, but repeatedly provided inspiration for new artistic responses.

For over 200 years, Beethoven’s music has captivated and fascinated not only audiences and performers, but also composers. How composers in the 20th and 21st centuries have engaged with the legacy of the Bonn-born master – whether in their own compositions, in arrangements of his works, or in written commentaries – was the subject of the special exhibition “Beethoven: A Spark. Documents of Reception from the Paul Sacher Foundation”. On display were musical manuscripts, text manuscripts and visual materials from the archives of the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel. The exhibits were by musicians of the most diverse backgrounds – the spectrum ranged from Anton Webern, Béla Bartók and Richard Strauss to Mauricio Kagel, Cathy Berberian and Kaija Saariaho. They were grouped into four ensembles, each exploring different contexts, techniques and ideological approaches to engaging with Beethoven: “Learning and Teaching with Beethoven”, “Idealizations”, “Strategies of Reference” and “Alienations – Dismantlements”.

Further information on the accompanying concert held at the time can be found here:

Begleitkonzert zur Sonderausstellung „Zündstoff Beethoven“