The nine symphonies of Beethoven

This whimsical work is Andriessen’s response to the symphony-centered concertgiving that had become entrenched 150 years after Beethoven’s death. Andriessen was particularly polemical in his opposition to the conservative programming and lack of contemporary music presented by the Concertgebouw Orchestra at that time. The nine symphonies of Beethoven was premiered at a “Hoffnung style happening” across all the spaces of the Concertgebouw Hall at the 1971 Holland Festival. Andriessen was deeply unsettled by the experience, prompting his reappraisal of the purpose of composition. The score journeys through the symphonies in roughly chronological order, mashing the material together with excursions en route into Europop, boogie-woogie and lounge music, also taking in Für Elise, the Moonlight Sonata and a guest appearance by the Barber of Seville Overture. The final section leads from the Ode to Joy with drum kit to a cheeky nose-thumbing close. Cue the ice cream vendor bell.