2008 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the brilliant conductor, Herbert von Karajan. David Oistrakh, whose centenary was also recently celebrated, called him “the greatest contemporary conductor and a master of all styles”.

Beethoven Gala both pays homage to the incredible Maestro and revives the finest music pieces which have become true art milestones.

Von Karajan worked extensively all his life, mostly with the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. His gift is most vividly expressed in Beethoven interpretations – the “golden” sound of the orchestra and the immense vigour, coupled with the conductor’s artistic vision, always blended into breath-taking results.

In this regard, Von Karajan was close in musical perception to Vladimir Fedoseyev. Fedoseyev became the first Russian conductor to record all Beethoven symphonies, together with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. In autumn of 2005, he completed an unprecedented TV concert project “Beethoven and… Beethoven” of 17 programmes embracing the whole bulk of the composer’s orchestral pieces – symphonies, instrumental concertos, etc. Fedoseyev says he feels most intimately linked to Beethoven and tries to clear his music from stereotypes and show that “Beethoven is not only a supranational classic, but a fully modern, ultra-modern composer… I want to show the composer as he is: pure and integral, discerning something there ahead of us and inviting the listener to follow”.

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