December 13, 2010

Beethoven! As strange as it sounds, we don't quite know when one of the greatest composers in the history of music was born. We do know that he was baptized on December 17th, 1770, so the date of the 16th seems likely. But this uncertainty is not going to stop the world from celebrating the 240th anniversary of of Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday and of course we'll join in the festivities. Beethoven's output is so large and its level is so tremendous that the task of selecting several pieces for a playlist appears rather futile. With some trepidation we put together a playlist featuring different instruments, although we could've easily increased its size many times. We start with Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op.53, "Waldstein" played by the pianist Yukiko Sekino. Then the violinist Nathan Cole and the pianist Kuang-Hao Huang perform Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30, No. 3. Following that we'll hear Suren Bagratuni, cello, play 7 Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen." He's accompanied by the pianist Ralph Votapek. Arianna String Quartet will then perform Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6. We'll finish with the Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73. James Dick is the pianist, with the Texas Festival Orchestra under the baton of Stefan Sanderling. To listen, click here.

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