Multinational orchestra marks Beethoven’s birthday in Amman performance

AMMAN — On Saturday, 46 musicians from 11 countries came together as a chamber orchestra to perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s renowned masterpiece Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor in Amman, marking the composer’s 250th birth anniversary.

Ukrainian-American Solo Pianist Anna Dmytrenko, who has performed throughout Europe and the US at venues such as Lincoln Centre, Kimmel Centre of Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall, collaborated with the chamber orchestra to present the concerto’s three movements, Allegro con brio, Largo and Rondo-Allergo, at the Royal Cultural Centre.

The Etihad Chamber Orchestra, led by conductor Karim Said, also played Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56, by Johannes Brahms, as well as music by the late Jordanian Composer Amer Madi, together with his daughter Obeida Madi, who is a solo violinist.    

“Bringing the joy of music to all has driven us to this stage tonight,” noted Said, who is also the orchestra’s artistic director, at the beginning of the concert.

Being a musician, he added, is “not just a job, as it shapes the musicians’ identities”.

The orchestra’s President Wasim Salfiti told The Jordan Times over e-mail on Sunday that many Jordanian and Arab classical musicians scattered across the world desire to be connected to the music scene in the Middle East. 

“We’d like to offer them that opportunity by creating a platform and a home for them in Amman,” he noted.

“We also feature Arab composers, not only musicians, in our programming alongside Western classical composers,” he said, pointing to the inclusion of works by the late Jordanian composer Amer Madi in Saturday’s programme.

In regards to the 250th anniversary of the birth of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, the president said: “We will be joining other orchestras around the world in celebrating his life by performing many of his great works in our concerts this year.” 

For the orchestra, this season consists of nine concerts, and also incorporates children’s concerts and masterclasses for talented musicians, he noted.

The Etihad Chamber Orchestra is a pan-Arab project established by Bank Al Etihad in cooperation with Said in 2018. It aims to provide Jordanian society with a cultural service by “integrating classical music back into the Kingdom’s cultural sphere”, according to the organisers. 

The bank also recently launched the Etihad Middle Eastern Music Salon, which is a new ensemble focused on the classical instrumental music of the region, said Salfiti, noting that the salon will be holding its own concert series alongside that of the orchestra.   

All proceeds from the season’s concerts will go towards music scholarships, with the goal of unlocking youth’s potential and supporting their career pathways, according to organisers.