As the year unfolds, Orange County's Beethoven Festival
goes into full gear. For five months in 1999, the Philharmonic
Societycelebrates the genius
of Beethoven with a series of programs and lectures that place Beethoven's
accomplishments in a rich historical context. The festival will climax
in May with "Beethoven: The Age of Revolution and Romance"
- a "period performance" of all nine Beethoven Symphonies.
John Eliot Gardiner along with his Orchestre Révolutionnaire
et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir will unleash
the power of Beethoven's music using the musical instruments of Beethoven's
time. The concert, an exclusive US engagement, promises to be a tour
de force.
In the meantime, Southern Californians and visitors to the area, can
give themselves a unique education in Beethoven and the musical instruments
of his time by spending an hour or two at the Bowers Museum where
an elegant exhibit "Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution
and Romance" is on display until March 21. (The picture above
is a detail of one of the fine exhibition pieces, a grand piano, Vienna
ca. 1815.) The exhibit is part of the festival and is presented jointly
with the Philharmonic Society. The treasures include original Beethoven
manuscripts and first editions of the Nine Symphonies. If you're a
music-lover, but even if you're not - this exhibit is a must-see!
In its next issue, FanFaire will join the Philharmonic Society in
celebrating the genius of Beethoven.
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art
2002 North Main St.
Santa Ana, California 92706
Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday until 9:00 pm
UK
