Glasshouse Port Macquarie presents:
Australian Haydn Ensemble: Beethoven’s Eighth
“It was a marvellous performance by the seven instrumentalists which did more than ample justice to Beethoven in this powerful rendition.” – Sounds Like Sydney 2024
This superb program revolves around the tantalizing enigma of the Immortal Beloved letters. AHE performs Beethoven unplugged, while young Sydney composer Ella Macens embraces baroque tuning with a new commission inspired by Ludwig’s passionate Declarations.
Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony is an utterly delightful homage to Haydn, full of wit and musical slapstick. Also on the bill, the remarkable rip-off that is the Fifth Symphony in D minor by Beethoven’s friend, pupil and long-suffering PA, Ferdinand Ries and one of the first-string sextets ever written, Boccherini’s Op. 23 No. 6 in F major. A sumptuous masterpiece that deserves classic status.
Celebrate the onset of balmy evenings with this heady musical fling.
Repertoire/Program
Ferdinand Ries
Symphony No. 5 in D minor Op. 112 - 1st movement
Arr. Ries
Boccherini
String Sextet in F major, Op. 23 No. 6
Ella Macens
String Sextet (World Premiere - New Commission)
Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 in F major Op. 83 Arr. F.W. Crouch (1821)
Part of Glasshouse SELECT 2025 Theatre Program