Beethoven and Cherubini had a long established collegial admiration: when Beethoven was asked “Who is your favorite composer?” he replied Cherubini and when Cherubini was appointed head of the Conservatoire de Paris, he used principles he had learned from Beethoven’s music into his school lessons.

Cherubini is perhaps best known for his two Requiem masses. On this program, we will not only hear two of his not-often heard compositions, but we will see how Cherubini stayed wholeheartedly as a composer of the late Classical style, whereas Beethoven shifted lanes into the early Romantic period.

Cherubini’s Overture to his French-language, one-act opera “The Portuguese Inn” (composed in 1798) is a delightful and straightforward opener. His only Symphony (composed in 1815) remains strict to the form, reminding us of Haydn and Schubert and deserves to be heard!

Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 3 (composed in 1803) is considered to be one of the first symphonies of the Romantic period.  Beethoven changed the expectations of what a four-movement symphony would be in the next two centuries by extending the symphonic form to an unparalleled extent.