Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Deutsch
Logo Berliner Philharmoniker Logo our partner Deutsche Bank

Marking the 200th anniversary of the death of Ludwig van BeethovenConcerts, insights and stories  

A shiny, metallic gold balloon shaped like the letter B floats against a plain, light gray background, casting a soft shadow below it.

Beethoven: Stories and insights

26 March 2027 marks the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death. Throughout the 2026/27 season, we will be placing particular emphasis on his life and work. On this page you will find articles that shed light on Beethoven’s life and work, as well as all the concerts to mark the anniversary.

Black and white engraving of a man with curly hair, wearing a high-collared shirt, cravat, and dark coat, looking slightly to the right with a serious expression.
Ludwig van Beethoven; 1877 | Picture: Wien Museum, CC0

It doesn’t get more modern than this

Beethoven was not just a revolutionary in terms of his music: as a thinker, too, he was far ahead of the rest of society – independent, almost anti-authoritarian and profoundly humanistic. What Beethoven still has to say to us today ...

Read article
Abstract digital art of curved, ribbon-like shapes in blue and gold tones, twisting upward against a warm gradient background from yellow to brown, creating a sense of smooth, flowing motion.

Symphonic lighthouse

Beethoven’s Ninth and the Berliner Philharmoniker: a retrospective

Read article
Vertical gray bars of varying lengths hanging against a black background.

Ludwig van Beethoven the pianist

Ludwig van Beethoven was a piano prodigy; he enjoyed the greatest successes of his early career as a pianist. However, as his hearing deteriorated, this changed.

Read article
Dark, swirling storm clouds fill the sky, illuminated by a pale blue light, creating a dramatic and ominous atmosphere.

“Buzzing and ringing day and night”

That it should be a composer, of all people, who loses his hearing is among the great tragedies of music history. For Beethoven, this catastrophe occurred at a time in his life when he was striving to establish himself as an independent artist and to find his own path. The inexorable loss of his hearing became an existential ordeal that left a lasting mark on his thoughts, emotions and composing.

Read article
A white statue bust with an ice cream cone stuck to its face, with pink ice cream smeared around the nose area. The background is plain and softly lit.

All men were brothers in the face of his mockery

Ludwig van Beethoven continues to be seen as a grumpy and at the same time irascibly pig-headed genius, who suffered from problems with his hearing. But this is only half the picture. A story about humour in Beethoven’s life and music

Read article
A person with light skin, curly hair, and a white turban gazes at the viewer. They wear a red garment with a gold clasp and are set against a dark background.
Antonie Brentano | Picture: Josef Karl Stieler (1781–1858), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who was Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved”?

Beethoven dedicated the first print of his Seventh Symphony to Antonie Brentano. Was she perhaps his “Immortal Beloved”? To this day, the mystery has not been completely resolved.

Read article

Ludwig van Beethoven in the Digital Concert Hall

Concerts, interviews, films and playlists: discover Beethoven and his music in the Digital Concert Hall.

Find out more

Concerts

Four musicians pose with string instruments in front of a dark background. They wear black evening dress and hold a cello, two violins and a viola in their hands. They stand close together and look at the camera with a relaxed expression on their faces.

Chamber Music Hall

At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Quatuor Ébène:
Pierre Colombet violin
Gabriel Le Magadure violin
Marie Chilemme viola
Yuya Okamoto cello

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in B flat major, op. 18 No. 6

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in A minor, op. 132

Read more

Chamber Music Hall

Berliner Philharmoniker Ensembles

Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson flute
Lorenzo Messina flute
Christoph Hartmann oboe
Dominik Wollenweber oboe
Alexander Bader clarinet
Matic Kuder clarinet
Stefan Schweigert bassoon
Václav Vonášek bassoon
Paula Ernesaks french horn
Andrej Žust french horn

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Schreck and George Enescu

Ludwig van Beethoven
Octet in E flat major, op. 103

Gustav Schreck
Nonet, op. 40

Interval

George Enescu
Decet for Winds, op. 14

Stream
Read more
Kirill Petrenko conducts the orchestra with a baton. He stands on a podium, with sheet music in front of him. Wearing a black suit, he has a focused expression, and in the background, there is a dimly lit audience.

Biennale of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Golda Schultz soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto
Sebastian Kohlhepp tenor
David Steffens bass
Rundfunkchor Berlin

Ludwig van Beethoven
Missa solemnis in D major, op. 123

Read more

Also available in the Biennale package

Kirill Petrenko conducts the orchestra with a baton. He stands on a podium, with sheet music in front of him. Wearing a black suit, he has a focused expression, and in the background, there is a dimly lit audience.

Biennale of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Golda Schultz soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto
Sebastian Kohlhepp tenor
David Steffens bass
Rundfunkchor Berlin

Ludwig van Beethoven
Missa solemnis in D major, op. 123

Read more

Also available in the Biennale package

Kirill Petrenko conducts the orchestra with a baton. He stands on a podium, with sheet music in front of him. Wearing a black suit, he has a focused expression, and in the background, there is a dimly lit audience.

Biennale of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Golda Schultz soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto
Sebastian Kohlhepp tenor
David Steffens bass
Rundfunkchor Berlin

Ludwig van Beethoven
Missa solemnis in D major, op. 123

Stream
Read more

Also available in the Biennale package

Four classical musicians, three holding violins and one holding a cello, stand together smiling against a plain light background. They are dressed formally in black and white attire.

Chamber Music Hall

Berliner Philharmoniker Ensembles

Philharmonisches Streichquartett:
Dorian Xhoxhi violin
Helena Madoka Berg violin
Christoph Heesch cello

Takehiro Konoe viola

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F major, op. 59 No. 1 “Razumovsky”

Interval

Franz Schubert
String Quartet Movement in C minor, D 703

Johannes Brahms
String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, op. 51 No. 1

Stream
Read more
Quatuor Ébène

Chamber Music Hall

At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Quatuor Ébène:
Pierre Colombet violin
Gabriel Le Magadure violin
Marie Chilemme viola
Yuya Okamoto cello

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in D major, op. 18 No. 3

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F minor, op. 95 “Quartetto serioso”

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in E minor, op. 59 No. 2 “Razumovsky”

Read more
An older man with a white beard and bald head, wearing a dark jacket and shirt, stands against a light-colored wall, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Composer in Residence
Chamber Music Hall

Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker
Brett Dean conductor
Annika Treutler piano

Works by
Brett Dean, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ludwig van Beethoven and György Kurtág

Brett Dean
Dream Sequence

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
String Sextet in D major, op. 10

Interval

Brett Dean
Epitaphs for string quintet

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”: 1st Movement Adagio sostenuto

György Kurtág
...quasi una fantasia..., op. 27 No. 1

Read more
Leif-Ove Andsnes with light brown hair and a beard, wearing a dark suit and turtleneck, stands against a dark background, looking to the side with a serious expression.

Chamber Music Hall

At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Piano recital

Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, op. 109

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, op. 110

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op. 111

Read more
Mitsuko Uchida with dark wavy hair sits indoors by a window, resting her chin on her hand and smiling gently. She wears a textured black jacket and a light turtleneck sweater.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Mitsuko Uchida piano

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Anton Bruckner

Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, op. 19

Mitsuko Uchida piano

Interval

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (2nd version from 1878/1880)

Read more
Mitsuko Uchida with dark wavy hair sits indoors by a window, resting her chin on her hand and smiling gently. She wears a textured black jacket and a light turtleneck sweater.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Mitsuko Uchida piano

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Anton Bruckner

Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, op. 19

Mitsuko Uchida piano

Interval

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (2nd version from 1878/1880)

Read more
Mitsuko Uchida with dark wavy hair sits indoors by a window, resting her chin on her hand and smiling gently. She wears a textured black jacket and a light turtleneck sweater.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Mitsuko Uchida piano

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Anton Bruckner

Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, op. 19

Mitsuko Uchida piano

Interval

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (2nd version from 1878/1880)

Stream
Read more
Kirill Petrenko energetically conducts the orchestra. He holds a baton and gestures with his other hand, surrounded by musicians playing various string instruments.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Works by
Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg and Ludwig van Beethoven

Jean Sibelius
Night Ride and Sunrise, Symphonic Poem, op. 55

Edvard Grieg
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, op. 16

Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Programme note

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 6 in F major, op. 68 “Pastoral”

Programme note

Read more
Four musicians pose with string instruments in front of a dark background. They wear black evening dress and hold a cello, two violins and a viola in their hands. They stand close together and look at the camera with a relaxed expression on their faces.

Chamber Music Hall

At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Quatuor Ébène:
Pierre Colombet violin
Gabriel Le Magadure violin
Marie Chilemme viola
Yuya Okamoto cello

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F major, op. 59 No. 1 “Razumovsky”

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, op. 130 with Grosse Fuge, op. 133

Read more

Chamber Music Hall

Berliner Philharmoniker Ensembles

Harry Ward violin
Julia Gartemann viola
Solène Kermarrec cello
Piotr Zimnik double bass
Andraž Golob clarinet
Václav Vonášek bassoon
Johannes Lamotke french horn
Noora Ylönen piano

Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Béla Bartók

Ludwig van Beethoven
Trio in B flat major, op. 11 “Gassenhauer”

Béla Bartók
Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano, Sz 111

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
Septet in E flat major, op. 20

Read more