Jirí Belohlávek, Czech conductor. Photo courtesy BBC

Belohlávek conducts Beethoven with the Beeb

When: 3 Oct 2008

Where: Barbican Centre

Opening Hours: 7pm; free pre-concert talk 6pm

Address: BBC Maida Vale Studios, Delaware Road, London, W9 2LG, UK

Phone: +44 (0) 20 7765 2956

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7286 3251

E-mail: bbcso@bbc.co.uk

Web site: BBC Symphony Orchestra Website

Having missed out on singing in the First Night of the Proms, the BBC Symphony Chorus celebrates the start of its 80th anniversary season at the Barbican Hall with their "younger" orchestral colleagues and chief conductor in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

Somehow, amidst family crises (his brother dying and his battle with his sister-in-law over the custody of his brother's son), Beethoven wrote not only his last three piano sonatas, but also the epic, but ultimately uplifting, Choral Symphony (No 9) and his Missa Solemnis in D Op 123. Extraordinarily, this Solemn Mass (admittedly abridged) preceded the world première of the Choral Symphony in Vienna in May 1824, although the mass' own world première had been heard in St Petersburg the month before.

A deeply religious man, Beethoven's faith is written into every note of this work, and it is a truly great opener to the BBC Symphony Orchestra's - and Chorus' - season, with chief conductor Jirí Belohlávek at the helm. The soloists include regular partner, soprano Christine Brewer, together with mezzo Ekaterina Semenchuk, tenor Paul Groves and bass Stephen Milling.

The BBC Symphony Chorus gave its first concert on 23 November 1928, two years before its orchestral counterpart was formed. Their first concert together was this very work, on 17 December 1930, conducted by Herman Scherchen. One of Britain's finest choruses and perhaps the one with the widest repertoire, the BBC Symphony Chorus celebrates its 80th birthday in fine style.

Founded in 1930, the BBC Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 70th birthday with its move to its current winter home, the Barbican Hall. After a long partnership with Sir Adrian Boult (1931-1950), its chief conductor roll-call is an enviable one, with Sir Malcolm Sargent, Rudolf Schwarz, Antal Dorati, Colin Davis, Pierre Boulez, Rudolf Kempe, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Sir John Pritchard.

Sir Andrew Davis was chief conductor for 11 years to 2000 and, after Leonard Slatkin's four-year stint, Czech conductor Jirí Belohlávek took up the reigns as chief conductor on the First Night of the Proms 2006. Together with David Robertson as principal guest conductor, Belohlávek enhances the orchestra's unrivalled contemporary music reputation with acclaimed performances of romantic and 20th-century repertoire.

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