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Bonn (dpa) - For the conductor Daniel Barenboim (78) it is a great honor and pleasure to play with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra on the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven in his hometown.
The concert takes place with hygiene regulations, but music should be played with the greatest freedom and dedication.
"I can only hope that it works," said the 78-year-old conductor and pianist on Wednesday in Bonn after a rehearsal with the orchestra.
Due to the coronavirus requirements, the concert will be performed on Thursday without an audience in the Bonn Opera.
The concert will be broadcast and streamed on radio and television.
A greeting from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is recorded.
Barenboim and his orchestra only play music by Beethoven, namely the 3rd Piano Concerto and the Symphony No. 5. The composer Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770.
He was probably born the day before.
He spent most of his life in Vienna, where he became a world-famous composer and died in 1827.
Originally, the Beethoven anniversary year was supposed to end with the concert.
But the festival year was extended by 250 days because many concerts had to be canceled due to Corona and should now be rescheduled.
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The European Parliament also paid tribute to the composer at the beginning of its plenary session in Brussels on Wednesday.
Parliament President David Sassoli said that Beethoven's music and his passion symbolized the European ideals of solidarity, peace and freedom.
Beethoven's famous “Ode to Joy” is the official anthem of the European Union.
The Brussels chamber music ensemble Oxalys interpreted the work.
A video of the performance was played in the plenary hall.
Program brochure for the anniversary concert
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