Beach & Beethoven

Amy Beach's Gaelic Symphony (1896) was the first symphony by an American female composer to be performed publicly. The work is inspired by Irish folk music and shaped by Antonín Dvorák's ideas about creating a national American music with folk roots. In response to Dvorák's use of African American themes, Beach drew from her own Celtic heritage, combining Romantic orchestral practice with Irish melodies and rhythms.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, op. 60, was composed in 1806 - shortly after the Eroica and before the Fifth Symphony. The work was commissioned by Count Franz von Oppersdorff and premiered in March 1807 in Vienna under Beethoven's direction. The symphony is characterized by elegance and lightness: the slow, enigmatic introduction leads to a lively Allegro, followed by a lyrical Andante, a rhythmic Scherzo, and a virtuosic finale.

Program

Amy Beach Symphony No. 2 "Gaelic" (approx. 42 min)
Intermission 25 minutes
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 4 (approx. 32 min)