It is not long since Beethoven’s 250th anniversary in 2020 and it may seem odd to program the performance of all nine Beethoven symphonies so soon after. One may also wonder why Beethoven’s music should be given such prominence when there is an emerging trend towards programming a wider range of composers, especially female composers of the past and present.

Beethoven: The Symphonies, Concert 1, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, 2022. Photo supplied

But Beethoven’s symphonies remain the cornerstone of the Western classical canon for good reason and by programming the nine symphonies in four concerts over a span of 11 days, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra affirms them to be of unique significance and, implicitly, the benchmark against which all else is judged. Audiences are encouraged to immerse themselves completely, enabling a better understanding of the evolution of the symphonic form in Beethoven’s hands and a re-evaluation of their significance and influence. As the ASO says in the concert booklet, “these symphonies constitute some of the most enduring music ever written – music which carries its warmth and humanity down the centuries”.

For the first of the four concerts, the...