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A series of ten programs broadcast on 4MBS Classic FM and streamed on the 4MBS website
replicating some of the highlights of the cancelled 2020 4MBS Festival of Classics
In May this year, the 4MBS Festival of Classics was to have presented twenty-two concerts in a dozen venues over three weeks celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven. We were looking forward to bringing you Queensland’s classical musicians performing a wide range of Beethoven’s music in venues from QPAC to suburban halls, from the Sunshine Coast to the Brisbane City Hall but, in the best interests of the health of audiences and musicians, we had to cancel the Festival - for the first time in its twenty-six year history during which it had become the nation’s largest festival of classical music. A great deal of planning and organising goes into the annual 4MBS Festival of Classics, so we were very disappointed.
So, what to do? We built a Virtual Festival of Classics with a dozen of the Festival’s concerts re-created through performances recorded previously. As a bonus, we also took the opportunity to include a work that was not to be performed in this year’s Festival but was be a fitting conclusion to the Virtual Festival - Beethoven’s Choral Symphony. It was the Festival performance from a few years ago, conducted by Tahu Matheson, who is now Head of Music at Opera Australia.
I hope you have enjoyed the 4MBS Virtual Festival of Classics and that you’ll continue to enjoy the outstanding talent of Queensland’s classical musicians.
Gary Thorpe OAM
General Manager
4MBS Classic FM
T H E 4 M B S V I R T U A L F E S T I V A L o f C L A S S I C S
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Festival Opening Concert
An Afternoon at Gardens Theatre: Beethoven's Sonatas Prime Beethoven Beethoven Pastoral Project Beethoven & Schubert: An Exploration of Song Beethoven Mini Marathon Beethoven & Friends Choral Spectacular Sonatas in the Suburbs LIVE BROADCAST Happy Birthday Beethoven! Celebrations! - Beethoven's 250th Year |
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about the festival
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Every year in May/June, 4MBS Classic FM produces the 4MBS Festival of Classics - Australia's largest classical music festival. Orchestras, choirs, ensembles and soloists from south-east Queensland perform concerts centred around a theme - whether it be to mark the anniversaries of specific composers, or simply celebrate the wonderful music that has come out of a particular location. Past themes have included Great Russian Masters, the British Connection, the Glory of Vienna, the French Connection and many more.
On average, the Festival features 20-30 concerts in 10-15 venues, predominantly in Brisbane but throughout south-east Queensland. The Festival also extends to the airwaves, where we broadcast featured music programs surrounding that year's theme. |
previous festivals |
