Album insights
In honor of Beethoven's 250th birthday, Max Richter and Deutsche Grammophon are releasing a new orchestral piece commissioned by the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. The work, titled Beethoven - Opus 2020, originates from Richter and will be available on all streaming platforms on December 17, coinciding with Beethoven's baptismal day. An upcoming premiere for the piece is scheduled for December 16 at the Telekom Forum in Bonn, to be streamed live on Deutsche Grammophon's Facebook page. A piano composition derived from Opus 2020, titled Andante Loops, made its debut on Apple Musics' "Beethoven Room" on December 11. Both pieces will be featured on a digital EP released on December 18. Recorded in November of this year by pianist Elisabeth Brauß, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and conductor Dirk Kaftan, Beethoven - Opus 2020 serves as a creative dialogue between Max Richter and Beethoven's music. Moreover, it pays homage to Karlheinz Stockhausen's Opus 1970, created fifty years ago in celebration of Beethoven's 200th birthday. Richter describes his process by stating, "When I started pondering Opus 2020, I decided to reinterpret certain aspects of Beethoven's and Stockhausen's methods in a contemporary light. This intertextuality characterizes my work - no matter the theme, there's always an underlying connection to other musical forms."