Germany celebrates 250 years of Beethoven in 2020

Germany is celebrating the 250th birthday of
Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020
(Photo: Public Domain)

GERMANY — Germany has been celebrating what will amount to a year-long tribute to the life of Ludwig van Beethoven honoring the 250th anniversary of his birth since December 16th of last year.

Widely regarded by many as the greatest composer who ever lived, Ludwig van Beethoven dominates his era of musical history as no one else has before or since.

Town Hall in Bonn
(Courtesy: pixabay)

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven exhibited musical prowess at an early age, prompting his father and teacher Johann van Beethoven to be a severe and intense mentor, who believed that a stern disciplinary approach would enable his son to become a child prodigy like Mozart.

Beethoven, like many people of superior intelligence in a given field of endeavor, was a complex individual who was further influenced by the onset of deafness. At the age of 44, the great composer was completely devoid of the ability to hear, thus making his frequently irascible personality even more confrontational than ever before.

Close friends and academic sources often confirmed Beethoven's disdain for authority and social rank. At times, if the audience chatted amongst themselves or afforded him less than their full attention in the middle of a program, Beethoven would stop mid-performance while at the piano.

Other times at soirées, he refused to perform if suddenly called upon to do so.

Eventually, after many confrontations, the Archduke Rudolph decreed that the usual rules of court etiquette did not apply to Beethoven.

Beethoven statue
in Vienna
(Photo: Public Domain)

There was another side to Beethoven however, for he was also an artist, humanist, visionary, nature lover and a citizen of the world.

Indeed, Beethoven was revolutionary. He was visionary and  cosmopolitan, not to mention one of the most frequently played classical composers of his day to the present. Ludwig van Beethoven was an extremely talented artist whose music still unites people all over the world some 250 years after his birth.

For travelers planning to visit Germany in 2020, here's a partial list of events taking place throughout the country this year. Combined with Passion Play in Oberammergau, 2020 promises to be an ideal year for making a pilgrimage to Beethoven's homeland.

#DiscoverBeethoven is all about German destinations, scenery and visions that influenced the grand master. Take a stroll in Beethoven's footsteps. Throughout the year, you can be inspired by milestones in history, personal stories, outstanding events, innovative sound sensations and unexpected perspectives:

Beethoven concerts abound in Germany throughout 2020
(Photo: Public Domain)

NOW – Dec 17, 2020: Freiburg: The city of Freiburg is home to a remarkable variety of orchestras, run by students for students. Eight of the best student symphony orchestras will be performing a series of concerts featuring all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies. 

Mar 14 – May 3, 2020: Beethoven’s Mother’s House, Koblenz, My son Ludwig: This evocative play, performed in the house where Beethoven’s mother Maria Magdalena was born and where she died, features a pianist and the composer's music.

Apr 14, 2020: Osnabrückhalle: The German National Youth Orchestra begins its Easter session with Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica, along with a new work by Mark Barden that was specially commissioned for BTHVN 2020 by the German Music Council. 

Jun 12, 2020: Open-air opera at Schwerin Castle, Fidelio: For the Schlossfestspiele festival, Beethoven’s only opera is performed against the magnificent backdrop of this historic residence set in the middle of a lake.

Jun 20, 2020: A celebration of Beethoven in the gardens of Rheinsberg Palace: Distinguished ensembles and the up-and-coming young soloists of the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera perform in an outstanding event for the Beethoven anniversary year that links music and nature and features both famous and seldom-heard works.

Interior of the church in Oberammergau
(Courtesy:Pixabay)

Jul 5, 2020: MDR Summer of Music, Schloss Waldenburg, Young Talent 3: Winners of the EnviaM music competition perform works by Beethoven and Dvořák with two MDR musicians, Vera and Norbert Hilger, at Schloss Waldenburg. 

Aug 14, 2020, Kurhaus Wiesbaden / Aug 15, 2020, Tauber Philharmonic, Weikersheim / Aug 16, 2020, Kongress Palais, Kassel: The German National Youth Orchestra and the World Youth Choir start their 2020 summer tour in Bonn by combining Beethoven’s masterpiece with the premiere of a work by Tan Dun.

Aug 30, 2020: The Ninth Symphony at the Festival Theatre, Bayreuth: In 1872, Richard Wagner conducted the Ninth Symphony at the Margravial Opera House to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for the Festival Theater. There were further performances to mark the resumption of the festival in 1951, for the 150th anniversary of Wagner’s birth in 1963, and in 2001 for the 50th anniversary of the New Bayreuth. 

Sep 6, 2020: Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg: Heiner Goebbels: New Work. A cycle for the Ensemble Modern Orchestra (2020). 

Dec 17, 2020: Final Concert Bonn Opera House: Daniel Barenboim conducts the IX. Symphony with the West-Eastern-Divan Orchestra and the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat

Travelers interested in Beethoven the Man who do not wish to take in a performance or if your travel schedule does not coincide with a musical event may want to view a large collection of Beethoven's hearing aids, such as a special ear horn. The hearing devices can be viewed at the Beethoven House Museum in Bonn, Germany.

For more information contact the German National Tourist Board (GNTB)

Beethoven had to hear his music in his
head because he was deat
(Courtesy: Pixabay)

When it comes music, Ludwig van Beethoven was truly a sublime "symphony for the soul" in more ways than one.