Opera Tickets Italy

A concert programme featuring two superb symphonic works by a pair of masters of the form, Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonín Dvořák, thrills audiences at Venice's Gran Teatro La Fenice this season. Although they lived in different musical eras, both Beethoven and Dvořák were known during their lifetimes for their impressive output of symphonies, among many other celebrated compositions. This concert includes two outstanding works, Beethoven's Symphony No 8 in F major, Op. 93 and Dvořák's Symphony No 8 in G major, Op. 88, both performed by the highly regarded La Fenice Orchestra under the baton of Andriy Yurkevych, the Ukrainian-born conductor whose various roles have included serving as the Music Director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

Beethoven's Symphony No 8 was composed in 1812, written in the same key as his Sixth Symphony but distinguished from it by its more compact scale. Indeed, the great German composer sometimes referred to the Eighth as his 'little Symphony in F' when he wanted to differentiate it from the earlier work. The symphony's first performance took place on 27 February 1814, at a concert at the Habsburg Imperial Palace in Vienna. Beethoven himself, though growing increasingly deaf at the time, took charge, also conducting his Seventh Symphony, which had already received its premiere, as well as Wellington's Victory, a brief orchestral piece. The Eighth Symphony is notable for its deliberate avoidance of a truly slower movement. Although the work features some unhurried passages, it is full of vigour, not least the rousing finale in which dissonant harmonies and a long coda are among the most noticeable features.

The programme continues with Dvořák's Eighth Symphony, written in 1889 in the composer's established, yet highly individual Romantic style. The work is characterised by an uplifting mood and a somewhat cheerful sentiment, in contrast to many of his other pieces from this period of his career. The Eighth Symphony premiered on 2 February 1890, performed by the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague with the composer conducting. Composed in four movements, the second is an Adagio, often regarded as among the most varied slow movements of all Dvořák symphonies. As the work progresses, a fanfare announces the final movement. With its combination of sonata form and variations, the closing movement has often been compared to the finale of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica, making it a more than fitting choice to conclude this concert.

Andriy Yurkevych graduated in orchestral conducting from the Lysenko Music Academy in Lviv in 1999. Since then, he has gone on to win plaudits for his skill with both operatic and orchestral repertoires in concert halls all over Europe. This performance of two timeless symphonies at the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice provides a chance to see him in action with a highly talented orchestral ensemble.