8/30 Beethoven 2009 Stats

cultural relevance acid test

Here's an interesting list of the most performed Beethoven compostions in 2009 as tracked by Instant Encore:

   Work                                                                           Number of Performances

Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92	155
Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67	150
Concerto for Piano no 4 in G major, Op. 58	143
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C minor, Op. 37	121
Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'	120
Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'	118
Concerto for Piano no 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'	105
Variations (33) for Piano on a Waltz by Diabelli in C major, Op. 120	98
Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93	86
Symphony no 6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastoral'	82
Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 61	78
Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60	75
Concerto for Piano no 1 in C major, Op. 15	66
Egmont, Op. 84	63
Symphony no 2 in D major, Op. 36	63
Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62	62
Symphony no 1 in C major, Op. 21	62
Fidelio, Op. 72	59
Leonore Overture no 3 in C major, Op. 72a	50
Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43	49
Quartet for Strings no 7 in F major, Op. 59 no 1 'Razumovsky'	46

That's alot of concerts!  And every 4 days or so the "Diabelli Variations" were performed - I'm amazed that work got a higher number of performances than any of the piano sonatas!  Still a popular hit.  And just about every piece above was performed at least one a week. Who says classical music is dead?

Diabelli Variations not included

For a listing of the most popular upcoming Beethoven concerts check out Instant Encore's list here:
Beethoven: Upcoming performances
Looks like the 9th is getting back up there...but only 2 upcoming performances of the Hammerklavier?!  I have to start practicing....

In case you are not familiar with Instant Encore, it's a great site which tracks classical music performances around the world and includes streaming recordings of recent performances.  You can actually listen to Alan Gilbert's recently conducted "Missa Solemnis" with the New York Philharmonic - in its entirety!  (I was there - it was fantastic.)  It also acts as a news/video hub, a blog directory for all things classical and alerts you to all classical concerts in your geographic area.  If you become a free member, you can get a daily email with news about whichever artists you choose when you set up the service.  Definitely worth checking out.