250 New Piano Pieces for Beethoven Premiering in Bonn

As a part of the world teaming up for the great Beethoven anniversary celebration in 2020, German and Bonn based pianist Susanne Kessel is continously inviting composers from all over the world to write a piano piece for Ludwig van Beethoven.

All pieces will be played by Kessel within public concerts in Bonn until the year 2020 along with radio transmissions by WDR – as a partner of the project. The association Bürger für Beethoven (Citizens for Beethoven) stands as sponsor of the publication part of the project.

The piano scores of all pieces will be published by EDITIONS MUSICA FERRUM and will be available within 10 books of 25 pieces each. The first volume was presented on a release festivital on November 21 in Bonn with the publisher and 11 composers participating in the form of a concert at the Kunstverein with the works of composers Stefan Cassomenos (Australia), Olav Anton Thommessen (Norway) and Lars Werdenberg (Switzerland).

“When I walked the same streets that transformed Beethoven arose in me the desire to initiate a great gift for him,” Susanne Kessel explains. “The response of the international composers addressed is invariably positive¨ Kessel continues, “The invited composers have without exception pledged full of joy.”

The publisher Nikolas Sideris says: “It is a unique and extremely inspirational project and will also mean an extensive workload. No piece is longer than 4 minutes and the composer lineup shows a wide range in terms of style, age and unique experience.”

Beethoven’s music is obviously very deeply rooted in most musicians and has lost none of its fascination, and do so regardless of the nationality or the musical division in which the composers work. There have already been a vast number of composers engaged in the project.

The first 15 piano pieces was presented at the opening concert for the project on November 29 at the Bonner Kunstverein. There Susanne Kessel played alongside piano works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, first performances of piano pieces by Dietmar Bonnen (D), Arni Egilsson (IS/USA), David Graham (UK/D), Joan Huang (CHINA/USA), Bill Power (USA), Dennis Kuhn (D), Ursel Quint (D), Leander Ruprecht (D), Alex Shapiro (USA) Nikolas Sideris (GR), Demetrius Spaneas (USA), Stefan Thomas (D) , Frank Zabel (D), Helmut Zerlett (D).

“250 piano pieces for Beethoven”: Volume 1 (piano scores) is available for purchase here:
http://musica-ferrum.com/catalog/viewitem.php?show=79

The project on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/250pianopieces/

Pianist Susanne Kessel:
http://www.susanne-kessel.de