Repertoire
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Septet Op. 20
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) The Siegfried Idyll
Artists
Orquestra de Cambra Catalana
Raquel Castro, concertino
Joan Pàmies, conductor
Program
The Septet is a work written by Beethoven in his youth, between 1799 and 1800, and dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa. It was performed in public for the first time together with his Symphony No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 2, where its great success contributed to the young Ludwig’s fame.
The work follows the musical model established in the classical style of the divertimenti or serenades written for the aristocracy’s musical entertainment. The minuet, the third of the six movements of which the work is composed, is the best-known part of this work and one of the most famous tunes in world classical music.
Wagner composed the Siegfried Idyll as a birthday present to Cosima, his second wife, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. The work was performed for the first time on Christmas morning 1870 by an ensemble of thirteen performers on the stairs of the villa in Tribschen (now part of Lucerne, Switzerland), where the couple lived.
The work’s original name was, Triebschen Idyll with Fidi’s birdsong and the orange sunrise, as symphonic birthday greeting. Presented to his Cosima by her Richard. “Fidi” was Siegfried’s family nickname.
