Edinburgh City Orchestra presents Beethoven's 'Eroica'

Edinburgh City Orchestra

The Edinburgh City Orchestra and conductor Peter Le Tissier return with a programme of music written in the aftermath of revolution.

St Giles' Cathedral

T﻿he <a href="https://www.facebook.com/edincityorch" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Edinburgh City Orchestra</a> and conductor <a href="https://www.peterletissier.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Peter Le Tissier</a> return with a programme of works written in the aftermath of revolution and large social upheavals, by some of the most well-known composers of the 18th and 19th centuries.M﻿ozart&#x27;s Don Giovanni was written in 1788, just as in France the revolutionaries were about to strike against the ancien régime. In Mozart&#x27;s opera, we find a tale of nobility led astray that has considerable echoes with the sentiments of revolutionary France that were to come. The titular character, Don Giovanni, is a noble of high birth whose exploits range from the trivial menace of the local towns to the genuinely dark and disturbing use of his power to escape the consequences of his actions - until the famous final scene where he is dragged to hell by the ghost of a man he defeated in combat. Billed as a Dramma Giocoso - a &quot;playful drama&quot; - the dichotomy of seriousness and lighthearted exuberance is present right from the overture, which the orchestra performs tonight.I﻿n 1849, it was Richard Wagner who personally manned the barricades in Dresden during an uprising against the King of Saxony. Forced after the failure of the revolt to flee into exile in Switzerland, Wagner would spend the next two decades unable to return to Germany. During this time the composer would write some of his most famous works - including the Siegfried-Idyll for chamber orchestra. Originally intended as a birthday present for his wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried, the work is an astonishing portrait of the idyllic surroundings of Luzern, Wagner&#x27;s home at the time, and is a wonderful contrast to many of the composer&#x27;s more bombastic works for the stage.In 1803, the French Revolution had, for a time at least, come to an end with the reign of Napoleon and his sweeping success against the coalitions of Europe lined up to tear down the revolutionary state. It was during this time that Beethoven composed his Symphony no. 3 - the start of his &#x27;new way&#x27; of composing. The symphony we now know as the Eroica was, at the very least, inspired by the revolutionary French sweep across central Europe, with Napoleon at its heart (and likely its original dedicatee). Across four movements Beethoven revolutionises the symphonic form, with a large-scale first movement, a funeral march, a boisterous scherzo, and all tied together by a set of variations on the theme of Prometheus, the Greek god of fire.T﻿ickets are available on the door as well as here on Eventbrite - don&#x27;t miss out on what will be a spectacular event! Doors will open at 18:30 for a 19:30 start.

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Edinburgh City Orchestra presents Beethoven's 'Eroica'

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Edinburgh City Orchestra presents Beethoven's 'Eroica'

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