Two centuries of interpretations of Beethoven’s symphonies I

In 1828, the conductor François Antoine Habeneck founded the Société des concerts du Conservatoire in Paris, with the aim of performing the symphonies of Beethoven, who had died a year earlier, to a high standard. Ever since then, the composer’s nine symphonies have formed the core of the repertoire for symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras and, more recently, a number of ensembles playing period instruments. However, despite their enduring popularity, the performance of these works has undergone constant transformation in line with the somewhat paradoxical evolution of the concept of fidelity. How should this music be interpreted to best reflect Beethoven’s intentions? Musicologist and conductor Adriano Giardina will focus on some of the answers conductors and orchestras have provided to this nagging question, with the support of various testimonies and recordings.