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Beethoven Bridgetower

Beethoven & Bridgetower

Beethoven & Bridgetower
Streaming from Wed 24 Nov, 8:00pm
Two soulmates, a sonata immortalised, and a name lost to history.

This program is part of the ACO's inaugural 2021 digital season, ACO StudioCasts.

Beethoven & Bridgetower will premiere at 8pm AEDT, Wednesday 3rd November, 2021, and will be available for subscribers to watch on demand until Friday 31st December, 2021.

It’s a passionate and sweepingly epic work, but there’s also drama off stage in what is arguably Beethoven’s most loved and performed violin sonata, performed here in an arrangement by Richard Tognetti for solo violin and string orchestra.

Known as The Kreutzer for its dedication to the violinist Rudolphe Kreutzer (who likely never played this difficult, titanic work), what has been lost in history is its original dedication to George Bridgetower, a far more accomplished violinist of mixed European and West Indian descent, and something of a kindred spirit to Beethoven, who performed with the composer at the Sonata’s premiere.

Legend has it Beethoven was so late to finish the Sonata that the ink was still wet on the page when he and Bridgetower – the latter, not having seen the score before, sight-reading and even improvising a section – took to the stage for an early morning performance. It was a success, and a jubilant Beethoven signed the manuscript in dedication to the friend he exuberantly called “a great lunatic”.

However, in its success lay its downfall. While celebrating with a drink (or three) Beethoven and Bridgetower spectacularly fell out, and Bridgetower’s name was removed from the dedication, and from history.

But in this corner of the world he is not forgotten. In a dramatic collaboration with Belvoir St Theatre, soloist Richard Tognetti seeks to restore Bridgetower’s rightful place in history.

With these infamous origins, it is no wonder such an intensely romantic piece not only inspired a fevered Tolstoy short story – of jealousy and murder stemming from a performance of The Kreutzer – but stirred Janáček’s Kreutzer Sonata as a response to Tolstoy’s story and views on women.

From such passion this program can’t help but positively pulsate with dramatic feeling.

Beethoven & Bridgetower is available to view as part of a full 2021 ACO StudioCasts subscription, giving you access to all ACO StudioCasts films as they premiere and then on-demand until 31 December 2021. It can also be purchased as a standalone film to view for 7-days.

Full season subscriptions are $229, or $149 when added as part of an ACO live season subscription. 7-day access to single StudioCast films are available for $35 per film.

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ACO StudioCasts

ACO StudioCasts is a pioneering season of high quality, cinematic concert films created to enhance our live season and to bring the ACO to those who can’t attend our concerts.

Buy an annual subscription for $229, or 7-day single film access for $35.

program details

JANÁČEK – (arr. Tognetti) String Quartet No.1 Kreutzer Sonata
20:00
BEETHOVEN – (arr. Tognetti) Violin Sonata in A major, Op.47 Kreutzer
37:00
CONCERT duration
57 minutes.

ARTISTS

ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti

Richard Tognetti AO

Director & Violin

Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and Lead Violin of the ACO. He has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism.

Richard has appeared as director or soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artistic Director of Slovenia’s Festival Maribor from 2008 to 2015 and the first Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court in 2016. In addition, he has curated and co-composed film scores including the ACO’s Mountain.

Read Full Bio

The Australian Chamber Orchestra on stage

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra travels a remarkable road. Making waves across Australia and around the world for their explosive performances and brave interpretations, the ACO embrace celebrated classics alongside new commissions, and adventurous cross-artform collaborations.
Anna Goldsworthy

Anna Goldsworthy

Scriptwriter

Anna Goldsworthy is an award-winning pianist and writer. Her most recent CD is the ARIA award-winning Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds, with Paul Kelly, James Ledger, Alice Keath and Seraphim Trio. Anna’s literary publications include the best-selling memoir Piano Lessons and the novel Melting Moments, alongside works for the stage, such as the cabaret show Cole for Michael Griffiths, for which he won a Helpmann Award, and the libretto for Victorian Opera’s award-winning production of The Magic Pudding. Anna is Director of the John Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice at the University of Adelaide, and an Associate Professor at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. She is also the 2021 Artist and Writer in Residence at the Melbourne Recital Centre, and Artistic Director of the Coriole Music Festival.
eamon flack

Eamon Flack

Artistic Director - Belvoir

Eamon is Belvoir’s Artistic Director. He was born in Singapore and grew up in Singapore, Darwin, Brisbane and Cootamundra. He scraped through 6th Grade AMEB Violin as a teenager, and later trained as an actor at WAAPA. He has since worked as a director, writer, actor and dramaturg around Australia and internationally, from Milikapiti on the Tiwi Islands to London. For Belvoir, Eamon’s directing credits include Counting and Cracking (with Associate Director S. Shakthidharan), Angels in America, The Glass Menagerie, Packer and Sons, Ghosts, Ivanov, Babyteeth, Life of Galileo, As You Like It, The Rover, Twelfth Night, The Blind Giant is Dancing and The End. He was Associate Writer with S. Shakthidharan on Counting and Cracking. He co-adapted Ruby Langford Ginibi’s memoir Don’t Take Your Love to Town with Leah Purcell, and co-devised Beautiful One Day with artists from ILBIJERRI, version 1.0 and Palm Island. His adaptations include Chekhov’s Ivanov, Gorky’s Summerfolk, Sophocles’ Antigone and Ibsen’s Ghosts. Ivanov won four Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Mainstage Production and Best Direction. The Glass Menagerie and Angels in America both won Best Play at the Helpmann Awards. Counting and Cracking won Best Play, Best Direction and Best New Work at the Helpmann Awards, the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, and the Victorian Literary Prize and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Drama.
Angela Nica Sullen

Angela Nica Sullen

Narrator

Angela Nica Sullen is an Italian, African American, woman from the United States. She grew up in California and on Noongar country in Western Australia. Angela is an actor, vocal coach, writer, mc and stand-up comedian. Now based on Gadigal land, she studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, completing Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) and Master in Fine Arts (Voice). She has performed in Nothing To Lose (2015), Blackbirds (2016), STC’s Mosquitos (2019), Brown Skin Girl (2019), Faust (2019). Angela’s screens credits include I AM WOMAN (2020) and BUMP (2021). Angela is currently a voice teacher at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and is also working on Seen, a new television series inspired by Brown Skin Girl, a play she collaborated with creative collective Black birds.

COMPOSERS

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist whose music bridged the Classical and Romantic eras. From the age of 28 his hearing declined until he was completely deaf. Despite this, he composed symphonies, concertos, sonatas and quartets to monumental acclaim. Today, Beethoven is considered one of the greatest and most influential composers of all time.
Composer Janacek

Leoš Janáček

Along with Dvořák and Smetana, Leoš Janáček is considered one of the most important Czech composers. Janáček had a keen interest in Slavic folklore, which in turn influenced much of his music. He was also enormously inspired by Russian culture, which inspired his first string quartet, named after Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata.

ACO StudioCasts 2021 Season trailer

AcO StudioCasts FAQs

What is included in an ACO StudioCasts Subscription?

  1. Eight brand-new, 50-minute ACO StudioCasts concert films released from February to December 2021.
  2. A library of exclusive premium content including interviews with Richard Tognetti and special guests, featurettes profiling our musicians and their instruments, short performances, behind the scenes insights and much more.

How often can I watch an ACO StudioCast film?

Full-season subscribers are entitled to watch all ACO StudioCast concert films and accompanying content as many times as they wish from the premiere date through to 31 December 2021.

Can I purchase just one StudioCast?

Yes. Single films will become available to purchase on Wed 13 January 2021. You will have access to the film and all associated content for seven days from the premiere date. You can watch the film and content extras as many times as you wish during this access period.

Can I redeem my existing ACO account credits, or an existing ACO giftcard, to purchase an ACO StudioCasts subscription?

Yes. To do so, call the ACO Box Office on 1800 444 444.

What are the benefits of subscribing early to ACO StudioCasts?

Add an ACO StudioCasts subscription when you purchase your live season subscription and pay $149. Or subscribe before Wednesday 17 February 2021 and access a special early-bird rate of $199 per subscription. This price increases to $229 for subscriptions purchased from Wednesday 17 February 2021.

When are ACO StudioCasts broadcast?

ACO StudioCasts will broadcast from February to December, 2021. Click to browse all premiere dates. Once a concert has premiered, Full-season subscribers may enjoy the film alongside an accompanying library of content on demand as many times as they wish through to 31 December 2021.