When Bostonâs music scene was built on Beethoven
By Jeremy Eichler Globe Staff,Updated December 10, 2020, 4:42 p.m.
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The city's fascination is mirrored by a 7-foot statue, which arrived to much fanfare more than 160 years ago.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
This Wednesday, Dec. 16, is Beethovenâs 250th birthday, an occasion for celebration. Yet even before the pandemic shut down normal concert life, exactly how best to celebrate has not been a simple question.
Some composers are desperate for the attention that major anniversaries bring. But what does it mean to give special consideration to a composer whose music is already ubiquitous, a figure who dominates orchestral programming to the extent of crowding out too many other voices? Calls to extravagantly mark the Beethoven year can sometimes feel a bit like calls to celebrate white menâs history month. Even without a formal designation, it already comes â every month. And similarly, in concert halls across the country, every year is a Beethoven year.