Beethoven’s Eroica

Rossen Milanov, Conductor

Sterling Elliott, cello

Corigliano: Phantasmagoria for Cello and Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)

In a Columbus Symphony co-commission, cellist Sterling Elliott performs famed composer John Corigliano’s Phantasmagoria for solo cello and orchestra. Rossen leads the orchestra in Beethoven’s sweeping third symphony, the ‘Eroica,’ or “Heroic” Symphony, written in a time of great personal despair for Beethoven as he faced the loss of his hearing while still resolving to push the boundaries of the symphonic genre.

“In my opinion, this is the first Beethoven symphony that actually sounds like Beethoven! It is unusually orchestrated in the brass with 3 horns. My part, horn 3, is there so the horn section can play complete chords and harmonies. It is a very fun work for the horns!” Julia Rose, Associate Principal Horn 

The co-commission of John Corigliano’s Phantasmagoria is made possible by the Donald Harris Fund for New Compositions, and this concert is dedicated in memory of Donald Harris.