Buenos Aires and live streaming
Concert: Beethoven (dis)jointed

Approximations, confrontations and deviations from the Sonata Pathétique

In 2020, the world commemorated 250 years from the birth of a legend: Ludwig van Beethoven. But in what ways does this German composer’s free spirt resonate with us today?
Echoing Beethoven’s own interest in non-European points of view and in an attempt to offer a contemporary perspective on his influence, the Goethe-Institut in Argentina has commissioned composers from diverse musical genres to create brief pieces based on a fragment of his Sonata Pathétique. These approximations, deviations, and confrontations will be presented before a live audience in the Sala Argentina of the Centro Cultural Kirchner. Via live streaming, the concert will be transmitted worldwide.

The first fragment of the second movement of the Sonata No. 8 in C minor, better known as the Sonata Pathétique, is a recognizable piece of music that can be heard in concert halls as well as in daily life, as the background music for ads on TV or YouTube. Beethoven’s music lives on in the memory of every listener who has come across this fragment in some form or another. Ludwig van Beethoven’s universality is the main idea behind Beethoven (in)conexo, a project developed by the Goethe-Institut Argentina to pay homage to the German composer.

Conceptualized and curated by Argentine composer Gustavo De Leonardis, this project will present five new works of music celebrating the figure and work of Beethoven from the perspectives of contemporary Argentine composers dedicated to diverse musical styles: modern experimental, rock, electronic, and other genres, all of them enriched through this rereading of the famous sonata as they generate a universe of plural, heterogeneous compositions born from the unique personal gaze of each composer.

Using the previously-mentioned fragment as a starting point, the Goethe-Institut in Argentina commissioned Daniel Melero in collaboration with Gustavo De Leonardis, as well as Patricia Martínez, Lucía Drocchi, Santiago Santero, and Axel Krygier to compose five works of chamber music following a series of common guidelines, with Beethoven’s music as the central nexus. The pieces will be interpreted by the Contemporary Music Ensemble (EMC) of the National Arts University in a concert that proposes challenging intersections and approximations, confrontations and deviations: an open dialogue—without any pretense of exclusivity or proprietorship—between Beethoven, the composers, the musicians, and the audience.

This project is part of the Goethe-Institut’s “The Other Beethoven(s)” global initiative that pays tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven by following the thread of the German composer’s interest in non-European perspectives. The result is a series of concerts, installations, and performances held around the world.

Concept and curation: Gustavo De Leonardis
Organization: Carla Imbrogno
Compositions: Daniel Melero/Gustavo De Leonardis, Lucía Drocchi, Patricia Martínez, Santiago Santero y Axel Krygier
Interpretation: Contemporary Music Ensemble (EMC) of the National Arts University

Goethe-Institut Buenos Aires in collaboration with the Centro Cultural Kirchner

Concert and live streaming:

• 27 October 2021: Buenos Aires, Centro Cultural Kirchner (Sala Argentina)