Beethoven’s Second

Program Highlights

Violinist Helen Kim, featured on John Adam’s Violin Concerto. Credit: Anastasia Chernyavsky

California Innovator: Henry Cowell

San Francisco–born composer Henry Cowell was a pioneering voice in American classical music, blending mid-18th-century fuguing techniques with modern rhythms and expanded harmonies.

Rhythmic Powerhouse: John Adams’ Violin Concerto

John Adams’ Violin Concerto pulses with minimalist energy, combining soaring lyricism with dazzling virtuosity as the solo violin interacts with vibrant orchestral textures.

Historical Resonance: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2

Composed during a period of personal crisis, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 radiates optimism, wit, and the first hints of the heroic style that would come to define his later symphonic works.

Musical Connections Across Centuries

Cowell and Adams draw on historical musical forms, such as the fuguing tune and a chaconne inspired by Pachelbel, while Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, also written in the bright and uplifting key of D major, subtly echoes its shared tonal center.

Solo Spotlight: Violinist Helen Kim

Praised as “astoundingly gifted,” violinist Helen Kim brings technical brilliance and expressive depth to John Adams’ Violin Concerto, serving as a focal point of this energetic and inventive concert program.