DAYTON, OH (NWPR) – On Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 8:00 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s 2021‒2020 Season opens with a Masterworks concert entitled, Beethoven’s Eroica: A Salute to Heroes with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and on stage will be acclaimed violinist Philippe Quint for this performance as they honor the heroes of the pandemic: the first responders, medical personnel, delivery drivers, and all those whose jobs suddenly carried greater risk.
A musical portrait, Heldenleben 2020 or Heroic Life 2020 by Austin Jaquith are two themes representing heroism. The first is a quotation from the work’s titular inspiration, Ein Heldenleben, and represents ancient heroes; the second portrays our modern heroes, with a score that is more pulsating and restrained, with occasional outbursts of melody.
The work isn’t a narrative tone poem as much as it is a musical journey, and Jaquith has dedicated the piece to every hero who suffered as a result of the Coronavirus. The show continues with Felix Mendelssohn’s masterful Violin Concerto in E minor.
Heroism also marks the music of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, originally dedicated to Napoleon before he crowned himself emperor, but then furiously retitled “Sinfonia eroica, Composed to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man.”
From bolts-out-of-the-blue opening chords to exhilarating finale, the Symphony’s majesty and drama, extraordinary scope and bold harmonies all proclaim a new era in music. Tickets are available at the box office by calling 937.228.3630 or at www.daytonperformingarts.org.