Bumming Around Bonn

The following is a kind of photo journal of a visit to the 2009 Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany.  The occasion was a performance of the complete Beethoven symphonies by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Sept. 9-12 at Beethovenhalle in Bonn led by Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Artistic Director Paavo Järvi.   Needless to say, there was much to observe as well as to hear.

  

   Bonn is on the Rhine River, near Cologne, whose airport serves both cities.  Arriving there, one is struck first of all by its small town feeling.  No longer the capital of Germany, it is instead something much more lasting, the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven.

  Beethoven is now the principal industry in Bonn, as well it should be since "neither moth nor rust" may corrupt his music nor can "thieves break through and steal."
   A walk to the Marktplatz and vicinity impresses one immediately with the impress of Beethoven on his hometown.  He can be found there in all kinds of guises.
Shop windows showcase the master, too.
On the left is another ageless resident (species-wise, at any rate).
   Below is the house where Beethoven was born. He was born on either Dec. 16 or 17, 1770, since his baptismal certificate is dated Dec. 17.
On the left is the window of the room where Beethoven was born.

   Also central to Bonn is Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcasting company, a sponsor of Beethovenfest.  A one-day symposium at Deutsche Welle headquarters on Sept. 11 explored the future of classical music, i.e. "The Future of the Concert: The Concert of the Future."

Beethovenfest Bonn Intendant Ilona Schmiel (photo courtesy of Beethovenfest Bonn)

Taking part were individuals with sometimes opposing points of view, including artists' and orchestra management officials, musicians and union representatives and media figures.
Shown at the left are Jasper Parrott (right), Chairman and Joint Managing Director of Harrison Parrott concert agency in London and Elmar Weingarten (left), Managing Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, who shared a question and answer session.
   All was congenial, however, thanks in large part to moderator Andrea Thilo (journalist, presenter and partner in Boomtown Media), who broached the questions gracefully and kept track of the time.
 
Beethoven glowers in the darkness outside Beethovenhalle, a welcoming space with good acoustics that is nevertheless scheduled to be replaced by an ultra-modern Beethoven Festspielhaus in the not too distant future.
However, there was plenty of high-tech in Beethovenhalle for Beethovenfest 2009, including a video installation accompanying the "Pathetique" Sonata in the Kammersaal.
A bit more mundane, was the ubiquitous merchandise booth in the lobby of Beethovenhalle with "Freude" tee-shirts, mugs, you name it.
Of course, there were CD signings.  Here is Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Artistic Director Paavo Järvi obliging his and the DK's fans Sept. 10 after the second concert of their complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies.
The message above the huge video screen in the Marktplatz ("Paavo Järvi viewing") evoked a few chuckles during the week.  Over 5,000 people showed up for a public screening of the DK's final concert Sept. 12, which ended with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Järvi attended a press reception at Beethovenhalle prior to the Sept. 12 DK concert.  Here are some of the international critics who were there.   On the left is Gyulara Sadykh-zade (St. Petersburg Music and Art Magazine).  Next to her is Christopher Morley of the Birmingham Post.
   The DK celebrated after the concert at the Hilton Bonn. Below is principal cellist Tanya Tetzlaff, who soloed with her brother Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt in Beethoven's Triple Concerto Sept. 10 at Beethovenhalle.
Shown also are three justifiably proud and happy people, left to right:  Ilona Schmiel, Intendant of Beethovenfest Bonn; Erik Bettermann, Director General of Deutsche Welle and Albert Schmitt, Managing Director of Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
   Coming out later this season will be a DVD set of the DK's complete Sept. 9-12 Beethoven cycle in Bonn (produced by Deutsche Welle).
   The nine symphonies have already been recorded by RCA Red Seal, with a boxed set to follow.
   The orchestra's five-year Beethoven Project was led by Paavo Järvi and nurtured at Beethovenfest Bonn one year at a time, beginning in 2004.
(photos by Mary Ellyn Hutton)