Divine Sparks at the Beethovenfest 2014

Beethoven was a headstrong thinker, a fighter by nature and a musical revolutionary. Who hasn’t heard his Ninth Symphony or "Für Elise?" Tourists from all over the world flock to his hometown Bonn to see the memorial statue and visit the quaint house where he was born. Internationally renowned musicians perform at the annual music festival. This year’s motto is "Divine Sparks."

Taking over as festival director in 2014 is Nike Wagner, a great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner and a great-great granddaughter of Franz Liszt, who initiated the first Beethovenfest in 1845. Willing to experiment, Frau Wagner takes Beethoven’s dictum seriously: "true art has a will of its own and will not be pressed into a flattering shape."

21 venues, 60 events and 39,000 tickets for sale - the Beethovenfest has much to offer, including big names like conductors Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Paavo Järvi. Along with plenty of Beethoven, music lovers enjoy a wide variety of music with that certain divine spark.

Age 35, Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons has led many top orchestras. He heads to Bonn with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies. "Beethoven challenges us all the time - exhausting, but it’s worth it," says Nelsons. Audiences adore his dynamic, entertaining renditions.

Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has long felt a great affinity for Beethoven, frequently performing recitals with pieces by the composer. In Bonn, he and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra present "The Beethoven Journey," combining Beethoven’s piano concertos with works by Igor Stravinsky. It’s an unusual concept that Beethoven, who liked to think out of the box, would have appreciated.

"Passio - Compassio" (Passion - Compassion) is the name of a spiritual journey transcending denominational boundaries. The Sarband chamber music ensemble, a jazz string quartet and whirling dervishes span the gulf from sacred music by Johann Sebastian Bach to Islamic mysticism in an interaction of art and religion.

It’s not only classical at the Beethovenfest. There’s also Cuban jazz and Finnish a cappella, while jazz fans look forward to South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Having fought Apartheid for many years, he points a finger at dishonest politicians in recent songs. At 75, Masekela’s passion for music and political statement is unbroken.

In an intercultural exchange, the Beethovenfest and Deutsche Welle have invited a youth orchestra from abroad each year since 2001. This time, the Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra from Ankara, Turkey presents its rendition of a Beethoven symphony and premieres a new work at the Orchestra Campus.

"Classical music is for old folks?" Not so, says the Beethovenfest, which gives young people more than a glimpse behind the scenes. This is the sixth year in which a team of student managers has eight months to organize a concert on its own, including marketing and press conferences.

“Fidelio” - which premiered in 1814, the year the Congress of Vienna began to reorganize Europe’s political map after Napoleon’s defeat - is Beethoven’s only opera. That pivotal era is re-enacted with historic and new texts - and Ludwig van at the center. German actress Hannelore Elsner narrates the performance.

The symphony cycle might be sold out, but fans still have an opportunity to see and hear part of it: on September 7, music lovers can enjoy three of Beethoven’s symphonies broadcast live to a large screen on Bonn's market square.