“Everything was just a disaster. Most likely, people who survived it, when they walked out of there, they were completely confused and bewildered. There is something really attractive about the total excess of it.” – Esa-Pekka Salonen

Listen to Esa-Pekka Salonen, our Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, talk about why he’s reconstructing one of the most famous concerts ever: Beethoven’s legendary 1808 concert in Vienna. The concert was plagued by mishaps and ran for four hours, but those who were there heard the premieres of some of the greatest music of all time: Beethoven’s 5th and 6th Symphonies and the 4th Piano Concerto, performed by Beethoven himself.

You can join us for a reconstruction of this concert in March 2020, conducted by our Principal Conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.

14 March 2020, The Anvil, Basingstoke: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2658/basingstoke_beethoven_250

15 March 2020, Royal Festival Hall, London: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2528/beethoven_1808_reconstructed

Watch our animated film telling the story of this concert in our podcast feed.