The San Luis Obispo Symphony proudly begins the 2019-2020 season with Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. Our signature “Concerts in the Cohan” series opens with two brief but powerful symphonies that are sure to leave you breathless.
Be sure to arrive early for Symphonic Forays, an intimate discussion with Music Director Andrew Sewell and special guests that precedes each concert. Learn more about the evening’s musical selection, composers, and soloists in an up-close-and-personal conversation. Seating is general admission and Symphonic Forays is FREE to all ticket holders!
Symphony No. 8
Symphony No. 8In 1812, Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed his imaginative Symphony No. 8. Experimental and exuberant, Beethoven’s “little Symphony in F” packs a lot into a relatively short period of time. Its four movements are rhythmic and dynamic, and Beethoven chose to break with traditional format by excluding a slow movement. What results is a complicated, uplifting, and occasionally playful symphony – the perfect selection to launch an exciting new season.
A Hero’s Life (Ein Heldenleben)
A Hero’s Life (Ein Heldenleben)For Richard Strauss (1864-1949), nothing said heroism like a lot of horns – so, when composing his symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben (“A Hero’s Life”), he made liberal use of them. The six symphony begins by introducing us to a hero, and then crafting a story across six movements, performed with no breaks between. The hero encounters adversaries, shares a tender embrace with his companion, engages in ferocious battle, and finally finds peace, retirement and contentment with a conclusion steeped in serenity. Panned by the same critics Strauss famously caricatured as the hero’s adversaries in the second movement, Ein Heldenleben went on to become one of the most beloved and oft-performed symphonies around the globe.
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