Ludwig van Beethoven’s legacy looms large over classical music: nine symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, a plethora of quintets, trios and concertos. Well aware of his prodigious musical abilities, the German composer once remarked of himself, “Beethoven can write music, thank God – but he can do little else on Earth.”
There is an underlying poignancy to this statement, despite its self-aggrandising third person iteration, for although Beethoven could indeed write masterful music, he could not hear it. In a cruel twist of fate’s knife, by the composer’s middle age he was almost completely deaf. Although he continued to compose until the end of his days, the distress caused by his condition was profound. At the premiere of his acclaimed Ninth Symphony, he turned to receive the riotous applause of the enraptured audience; hearing silence and nothing more, he wept.
Despite being deaf as a doornail, Beethoven is credited with having changed the face of classical music, in particular chamber music. Oft described as ‘rational people conversing’, chamber music was designed to be performed in palace chambers by a small group of instrumentalists to an intimate and, more often than not, aristocratic audience. Haydn, Beethoven’s mentor and self-appointed ‘father of chamber music’, was initially supportive of his protégé’s chamber compositions; that is, until the young pretender surpassed his teacher in skill and fame. In a fit of pique, Haydn took to ridiculing his former friend, and the two behemoths of chamber music parted ways forever.
Almost 200 years later, Beethoven and Haydn are being brought into harmony once more. The Kuala Lumpur Piano Trio will be playing chamber music by the two estranged maestros, as well as a selection of their contemporaries, as part of the InterContinental Phnom Penh Concert Series 2012. The concert traverses time and space, bringing the sound of Enlightenment Vienna to contemporary Phnom Penh, performed by musicians from Vietnam, Malaysia and the UK.
Diverse in nationality, the Kuala Lumpur Trio are nevertheless united in virtuosity. Violinist Nguyen My Huong is a fixture at the Hanoi Philharmonic; Bang Hean has played the piano in orchestras from London to Hong Kong; Steve Retallick is the principal cellist at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Combined, such musical prowess makes for a ‘passionate collaboration – the hallmark of an exceptional chamber music ensemble’. Riotous applause is guaranteed to ensue. It’s just a shame that Beethoven won’t be able to hear it.
WHO: Kuala Lumpur Piano Trio
WHAT: Beethoven, Haydn, and contemporaries
WHERE: Intercontinental Ballroom 2, InterContinental Hotel
WHEN: 7pm September 1
WHY: You can still hear Beethoven, but Beethoven cannot hear you