Beethoven

THIS SHOW HAS BEEN INDEFINATELY POSTPONED.

Beethoven, a new play by Hershey Felder, receives its world premiere at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre, with performances beginning February 9, 2007 (opening date TBA). Joel Zwick directs.

Created by the same team that brought George Gershwin Alone and Monsieur Chopin to life, Beethoven features some of the master’s most enduring and beloved works. The action of the play centers on a little known story about the composer and his legacy.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, Germany, and he died in Vienna, Austria. Considered in his day and by history as the greatest composer to have ever lived, Ludwig van Beethoven had the capacity to capture every aspect of humanity in his revered and famous creations. From the Symphonies to the Piano Concerti, to Sonatas and early chamber music, through such avant-garde works as the Grosse Fugue, and the final quartets, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven stands as a pillar of what human beings can accomplish when faced with great adversity in that Beethoven’s finest creations were composed when he was completely deaf.

Beethoven is the first “movement” of a trilogy entitled “The Composer Sonata.” The second movement, Monsieur Chopin, continues to play after making its premiere in Chicago, in August of 2005, and the finale, George Gershwin Alone, has been playing worldwide since February, 2000. A sonata is traditionally comprised of three movements. The first movement is generally in “sonata form.” It is a highly structured work that begins with several thematic statements, which are then followed by a “working out” section, followed by a return of the themes, then further development, and finally a rounding out – a coda. First movements are dramatic, architectural, deeply thoughtful and emotional. This is Beethoven.