Oceans and Orchestras

Ludwig van Beethoven will forever be remembered as a failure in his contributions to beach culture. Most historians agree he was a poor surfer at best, and any who adheres to the controversial "Beethoven as Beach Volleyball Champ" theory are usually blackballed from intellectual gatherings. But despite these obvious shortcomings,...

By Dan Sweeney

July 12, 2001

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Ludwig van Beethoven will forever be remembered as a failure in his contributions to beach culture. Most historians agree he was a poor surfer at best, and any who adheres to the controversial "Beethoven as Beach Volleyball Champ" theory are usually blackballed from intellectual gatherings. But despite these obvious shortcomings, he did have his good points: For one thing he was in many people's eyes the greatest composer of his time and arguably of all time. And that's what Beethoven by the Beach V is all about.

The successful yearly music series by the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra brings together a variety of concerts, events, and lectures dedicated to the great Ludwig van. As has become traditional with Beethoven by the Beach, a performance of the bombastic Symphony no. 5 kicks off the festivities Friday, July 13. This year a violin concert of the overture from The Ruins of Athens and Symphony no. 4 follows on Saturday, and a children's concert is presented Sunday. That marks the first weekend of the three-week series featuring Beethoven concerts at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, with upcoming performances including Symphony no. 2, Mass in C Major, Symphony no. 9, and Beethoven: The Inner Ear (A Concert Drama). The concert drama, scheduled for July 27, promises to tell Beethoven's tragic tale through the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, several soloists, and an appearance by Beethoven himself (or at the very least a close facsimile).

But this week also has several other events in store, including the film Piotr Anderszewski Joue les Variations Diabelli, to be screened at Cinema Paradiso Monday, July 16, and a performance by seminal pianist Anderszewski himself at the Broward County Main Library this Wednesday.

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