Apero Classico - Keiko Shichijo, Beethoven 1802

In the run-up to the Beethoven year 2027, fortepianist Keiko Schichijo focuses on a special period in the composer's life: the year 1802. This year was a turning point for Beethoven, both on a personal level and in his development as a composer. In the autumn of 1802, during a stay in the spa town of Heiligenstadt, Beethoven wrote a deeply personal letter to his brothers - later known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. In this never-sent letter, he openly expressed his despair about his increasing deafness for the first time. That artistic turnaround was quickly felt: shortly thereafter, the Drie Sonates, Op. 31 (including the famous Tempest sonata), and the Eroica Variations, Op. 35 were created. These works mark a clearly innovative style, partly due to their formal experiments and unexpected variation techniques. The program Beethoven 1805 offers a fascinating look at a crucial moment in Beethoven's musical turnaround.