KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Open Evening: Beethoven's 200th Birthday: The Avant-Garde Celebrates Beethoven?, 2 of 3

Analog Audio

Event Type

Interview and Music

Origin

KPFA

Identifier

AM.1970.12.16.B

Program Series

Open Evening

Program Length

184 min

Part

2 of 3

Dates

1970-12-16 | broadcast
| 1970-12-16 | created

Description

A somewhat irreverent, bicentennial birthday celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven with Charles Amirkhanian, pianist Julian White, and guests. After a rousing start with Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.” the “Overture to ‘Fidelio’” is heard, followed by a reading by George Cleve on the subject of Beethoven’s life and death. Amirkhanian then plays a number of the Maestro’s lighter works, including his “Trio in G Major” for three flutes, and the “Five Variations on ‘Rule Britannia.” Charles is then joined
by White who reads from a number of biographical sketches written by Beethoven’s contemporaries as well as some entries from the composer’s diary. This is followed by a discussion of Beethoven’s declining health with two purported medical experts, Drs. Gestalt and Schmutzig. Their credentials and command of medical terminology may be a bit tenuous yet this entertaining discussion does shine some light on the composer’s descent into alcoholism, deafness, and untimely death. Also included are two very beautiful compositions which honor the great composer on the two hundredth anniversary of his birth. We hear Mauricio Kagel’s “Ludwig Van” a William S. Burroughs like cut-up of the chamber works of Beethoven. This is followed by Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Opus 1970,” an electronic tribute, incorporating recordings of Beethoven’s music.

Note This program received many complaints for its sacrilegious approach to the subject.

Genres

Avant-garde
Electro-Acoustic / Electronic

Musical Selections

Ludwig Van (1969-70) (52:00 / Mauricio Kagel -- Opus 1970 [part 1] (1969) (9:49) / Karlheinz Stockhausen

Performers

William Pearson, baritone (Ludwig)
Carlos Feller, bass (Ludwig)
Bruno Canino, piano (Ludwig)
Frederic Rzewski, piano (Ludwig)
Saschko Gawriloff, violin (Ludwig)
Egbert Ojstersek, violin (Ludwig)
Gérard Ruymen, viola (Ludwig)
Siegfried Palm, cello (Ludwig)
Aloys Kontarsky, piano (Opus)
Johannes G. Fritsch, electric viola (Opus)
Harald Bojé, electronium (Opus)
Rolf Gehlhaar, tam-tam (Opus)

Subjects

Avant-garde (Music)
Vocal duets with instrumental ensemble
Electronic music
Aleatory music

Acknowledgment

Funding for the preservation of this program made possible through a grant by the GRAMMY Foundation.

Related places

Berkeley (Calif.) (was recorded at)
Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)

Related Entities

Amirkhanian, Charles
White, Julian, 1930-2006
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
Kagel, Mauricio
Pearson, William, 1934-1995
Feller, Carlos
Canino, Bruno
Rzewski, Frederic
Gawriloff, Saschko
Ojstersek, Egbert
Ruymen, Gérard
Palm, Siegfried
Stockhausen, Karlheinz, 1928-2007
Kontarsky, Aloys
Fritsch, Johannes G.
Bojé, Harald
Gehlhaar, Rolf, 1943-