Christian Blex

Sometimes music history records encounters about which we know almost nothing—and that is precisely what makes them so fascinating. Such is the case with Salvatore Viganò, the innovative dancer and choreographer, and the still very young Beethoven. Sometime around 1800, their paths crossed, and soon afterwards something entirely new came into being: a “heroic-allegorical ballet” based on Prometheus, with music composed by Beethoven. A work brimming with energy, offering a surprisingly free and modern retelling of the famous myth. Almost seventy years later, a very different kind of musical history unfolds. Richard Wagner composes the Siegfried Idyll as a gift of gratitude to his wife Cosima on the birth of their son. Its first performance becomes legendary: a small ensemble secretly plays the piece in the early morning on the staircase of their villa. Music as a declaration of love. And then there is Mendelssohn: just fifteen years old, yet his Symphony in C minor sounds like the work of a fully mature composer. Rich in melody, clearly structured, and glowing with youthful brilliance. At its premiere in Leipzig in 1827, the audience celebrates the young composer so enthusiastically that several movements have to be repeated.