AUSTIN JAQUITH Heldenleben 2020, A Reflection on the Coronavirus Pandemic
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Neal Gittleman, Artistic Director and Conductor
The second Dayton Philharmonic concert to be filmed for streaming features a full classical-sized orchestra performing (socially distanced) on the Schuster Center stage. The program opens with a moving world premiere by Dayton-area composer and Cedarville University professor Austin Jaquith. Jaquith wrote Heldenleben 2020 for the DPO in the midst of the pandemic and dedicated it “to every hero who suffered as a result of the Coronavirus.”
The Orchestra then resumes its celebration Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday with his sunny, high-spirited Fourth Symphony. It’s a piece that’s easily overlooked, coming between the epic “Eroica” and “ba-ba-ba-BUM”. But it’s one of Beethoven’s most wonderful creations, at once mysterious, energetic, lyrical, boisterous, and thrilling. (And it just might be Neal’s favorite of the Nine!)