
The image of Beethoven as a lone musical genius and Romantic visionary has been firmly planted in the culture of Western Civilization for quite a while. But even Beethoven had a social side that loved the company of others, including women. In the summer of 1812, he wrote a love letter to his “Immortal Beloved” (Unsterbliche Geliebte) that revealed his love for a woman who may or may not have known of the depth of his passion, because the letter was discovered in Beethoven’s estate after he died in 1827.
Musicologists have long debated who the “Immortal Beloved” was, and Oregon composer Nancy Ives has recently entered the quest with a unique musical exploration, Immortal Beloved Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Featuring violinist Denise Dillenbeck and the Northwest Sinfonietta under Mei-Ann Chen, Ives’ Immortal Beloved received a sterling world premiere on January 26 in front of a full house at Schneebeck Hall on the campus of Puget Sound University in Tacoma.

After approaching Ives with the idea of creating a violin concerto about the women who could have been the object of Beethoven’s affection, Dillenbeck helped to find funding. As a result, Ives’ Immortal Beloved was commissioned by a consortium consisting of the Northwest Sinfonietta, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra, Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony, and the York Symphony.
In her preparation for writing the concerto, Ives thoroughly researched Beethoven and the women who interested him. His preference for talented women of the aristocratic class was well-known: He tutored some of them in music, played in their salons, and dedicated pieces to them. But for a commoner like Beethoven to marry into the aristocratic realm was strictly forbidden.
To help the audience understand more of what they were about to hear, Ives came to the front of the stage and introduced a couple examples of musical ciphers that she employed in the music, calling these ciphers “auditory Easter eggs.” The orchestra gave brief demos of the notes that indicated Beethoven and the two women who perhaps interested him the most: Antonie von Brentano and Josephine von Brunsvick.
In her violin concerto, Ives viewed the “Immortal Beloved” question from the women’s perspectives. Deftly divided into three parts, Ives’ composition dedicated the first part to Antonie von Brentano, the second to seven women (Dorothea Von Ertmann, Amalie Sebald, Julie Guicciardi, Countess Marie von Erdődy, Therese Malfatti, Therese von Brunswick, and Bettina von Arnim), and the third part to Josephine von Brunsvick.
Images of the women with their names were projected onto a large screen behind the orchestra – a deft touch to help concertgoers keep track. Also projected were parts of Beethoven’s famous letter (in English), and that set a somber and tragic tone at the outset of the concerto. Dillenbeck stirred up things with agitated phrases that may have reflected Brentano’s feelings, but there were also calm passages that suggested a tranquility in her relationship with Beethoven.
The second part alternated between Beethoven and a succession of women, connecting scores that were dedicated to them. Phrases of his Piano Sonata No. 28 filtered into the segment for Ertmann. The Moonlight Sonata echoed when the portrait of Guicciardi was shown. Themes from the Ghost Trio and Haydn’s Kaiserhymne (Emperor’s Hymn) were tied to Erdődy. Beethoven’s Für Elisa were associated with Malfatti, references to his Piano Sonata No. 24 to Arnim, and lines from the Egmont Overture to Arnim. The exchange of passages between Dillenbeck and the orchestra was magically seamless with Chen giving spot-on signals to various players for key entrances.
The final section was reserved for Brunsvick, whom Ives and many others think was Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved.” The music started strongly with a tempestuous upswing and continued with big dynamic contrasts and intermittent pauses that seemed to suggest frustration on the part of both Beethoven and Brunsvick. Their cyphers were more heavily pronounced and Dillenbeck’s extended cadenza offered phrases that climbed upwards and swelled. The piece ended with a mixture of forlornness and hope with Dillenbeck fading away on a high note with the members of the orchestra whispering “forever thine, forever mine, forever us.”
The emotional intensity of the final part swept up the audience, which rewarded Dillenbeck and the orchestra with a thunderous ovation that grew even louder when Ives stepped onto the stage.
After intermission, Beethoven’s Concerto in C major for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, aka the Triple Concerto, received a robust performance that featured the Puget Sound Piano Trio (violinist Maria Sampen, cellist Alistair MacRae, and pianist Ronaldo Rolim). The soloists delivered their passages immaculately and with verve, but the piano was often too loud and covered the sound of the cello. Yet, the joyful playing of the Puget Sound Piano Trio carried the day, and they were rewarded with a standing ovation.
The concert opened with the Overture to Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. The ensemble sounded initially a bit tenuous, but, urged on by Chen, it warmed up quickly and soared into the finale.
For those who missed Ives’ remarkable Immortal Beloved Violin Concerto, there are more opportunities to hear it: February 15 and 16 with the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and July 12 with the Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra. Performances with the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony, and York Symphony are yet to be scheduled.
Conversation