The CSO Begins A Two-Program Celebration Of Beethoven's 250th Birthday At The Ohio Theatre

The Columbus Symphony celebrates the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven with two programs that showcase his long-reaching influence on the way we hear music. In the first program, Beethoven at 250: An Apotheosis of Energy, guest conductor Larry Rachliff leads the musicians of the Columbus Symphony in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, a unique work that explores the hypnotic interplay between rhythm and energy with an unmatched musical exuberance. Also on the program, guest violinist YooJin Jang is showcased in a performance of Brahms' Violin Concerto, a work of extraordinary beauty, intensity, and technical demands.

The Columbus Symphony presents the Beethoven at 250: An Apotheosis of Energy at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.columbussymphony.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939. The CBUSArts Ticket Center will also be open two hours prior to each performance.

Friday Coffee Dress - Friday, March 20, 10am, Ohio Theatre

Experience a working rehearsal prior to that evening's opening-night performance. Seating is general admission for this 2.5-hour, open rehearsal, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the fine tuning and preparation behind a Masterworks main stage performance. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.columbussymphony.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939. Admission includes coffee and light fare.

Prelude - Prior to the performances, patrons are invited to join WOSU Classical 101's Christopher Purdy for a 30-minute discussion at 7pm.

Postlude - Directly following the performances, patrons are invited to remain in the Ohio Theatre auditorium for a chamber music performance by Columbus Symphony musicians.

Larry Rachleff is the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestral Conducting and Music Director of the Shepherd School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. He recently completed 21 years as music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, and formerly served as music director of the San Antonio Symphony. "A take-charge maestro who invests everything he conducts with deep musical understanding" (Chicago Tribune), Rachleff is in constant demand as a guest conductor. Recent engagements include the Utah Symphony, Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, among others. Summer festival engagements include Tanglewood, Aspen, Interlochen, Chautauqua, Brevard Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Opera Theatre of Lucca, Italy and the Grand Teton Music Festival. In Fall 2017, Rachleff was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame (ACMHF).

Applauded by The Strad for her "fiery virtuosity" and "consummate performances," violinist YooJin Jang is a winner of the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Competition and First Prize winner of the 2016 Sendai International Music Competition in Japan. These two victories have resulted in a busy itinerary of international recital and concerto engagements and also the release of two new recordings for the rising young talent lauded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as being "a performer without fear or technical limitation."

Brahms was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. He composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. A virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. His Violin Concerto was composed in 1878 and dedicated to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. It is Brahms' only violin concerto, and, according to Joachim, one of the four great German violin concerti. The work was premiered in Leipzig on January 1, 1879, by Joachim, who insisted on opening the concert with the Beethoven Violin Concerto, written in the same key, and closing with the Brahms.

German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was a crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music and is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time. Dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 was composed between 1811 and 1812 while improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. At its premiere, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works. The second movement, Allegretto, was the most popular movement and had to be encored. The instant popularity of the Allegretto resulted in its frequent performance separate from the complete symphony.