If you were lucky enough to have a ticket to the concert at Vienna’s Theater-an-der-Wien on Dec. 22, 1808, the stub would one day be worth a fortune at auction. It was, after all, a night unlike any other in music history: a four-hour extravaganza that gave birth to some of Beethoven’s most beloved masterpieces.
The marathon program included both the Fifth and Sixth symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto, excerpts from the Mass in C, the concert aria Ah! Perfido, and to close the evening, the freshly composed and poorly rehearsed Choral Fantasy.
Things didn’t go well with the last piece. The musicians were ill-prepared, and sitting at the piano the nearly deaf Beethoven halted the performance, shouting “This isn’t working! Once again!’’
Jeewon Park doesn’t expect such a fiasco when she joins The Florida Orchestra and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay under the baton of Music Director Michael Francis in performances Friday (Nov. 7) in Tampa and Saturday (Nov. 8) in St. Petersburg. Park and her husband − the cellist Edward Aaron − live in Amherst, MA, and each year visit St. Petersburg for the Palladium Chamber Players season. She last appeared with TFO in 2023 in the Clara Schumann Piano Concerto.
For Park, the Choral Fantasy is a critical link in Beethoven’s career as a composer. Not only has the piece been embraced for its originality over the last two centuries, but it also holds a special place for those who love Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Why? Because it served as a sort of blueprint for the famed Ode to Joy theme of that monumental work’s final movement.
But the earlier, scrappier piece doesn’t just stand in the shadow of its towering sibling from 16 years later; rather, it shines with its own unique light, Park says.
“It’s truly one-of-a-kind,’’ she says. “For me, it’s impossible to put it into a pre-existing mold. It’s a prime example of Beethoven’s groundbreaking innovation and forward-thinking ingenuity.’’
The piece has its share of challenges as the music evolves and gains gravitas. The pianist begins alone with a 26-bar introduction before instruments and trios of singers take up their parts, bit by bit, leading to a rapturous coda for full choir and orchestra.
“The pianist has to wear many hats − as a soloist, a chamber musician and a vocal collaborator,’’ Park says. “Those responsibilities constantly shift, and that’s one of the unique aspects of this piece that makes it like no other.’’
As with much of Beethoven’s music, the famed theme from the Choral Fantasy evolved from a kernel. Beethoven began with a tune from one of his early songs, Gegenliebe (“Against Love’’), and fleshed it out for keyboard, chorus and orchestra. All this was done on the fly: the ink on the sheet music was barely dry that night in 1808.
But Beethoven did more than revise an old melody. It served as the springboard for the most important symphony of the 19th century, which the composer said he created in “the style of my Choral Fantasy but on a far grander scale.’’ So in this sense, the more youthful work shares a connection with late-period Beethoven and his search for truths beyond music itself.
“Through this music, Beethoven is sending a powerful message for renewed and restored faith in humanity,’’ says Park. “The way he brings all the elements together is truly transcendental and irresistible. I’m moved by it every time I open the score, in a way that few other pieces can do for me. I hope the audience will join us, in celebrating joy and hope, and upholding the gift of music.’’
After intermission, the orchestra will perform Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3, Kaddish.
Kurt Loft is a journalist and arts writer who has covered classical music for more than 45 years. A member of the Music Critics Association of North America, he lives in St. Petersburg.
Beethoven & Bernstein
Michael Francis conducts Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony, both featuring the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay.
Fri, Nov 7, 8 pm, Straz Center
Sat, Nov 8, 8 pm, Mahaffey Theater
Click here for tickets
