Beethoven’s Third Symphony is named “Eroica” in honor of a Bohemian Prince, but it has come to have a meaning beyond commemorating Ludwig’s patron Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz. It was longer and bigger than any symphony that came before it and is considered a heroic and revolutionary achievement, a product of a time of upheavals and change. Jean Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony, from just over a century later, was also composed during a time of revolution and war. Begun in 1914 and finalized in 1919, a period spanning the 1st World War and the Russian Revolution, which also brought independence from Sweden to his native Finland. These two monumental pieces were given resonant and nuanced performances by the Philharmonia Orchestra of London under the exciting direction of another Finn, Principal Conductor and Artisitic Advidsor Esa-Pekka Salonen. A sublime beginning to CAMA Santa Barbara’s 96th season.
Philharmonia Orchestra – CAMA Santa Barbara 10/6/16 Granada Theatre
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra – CAMA Santa Barbara 10/6/16 Granada Theatre
