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Pentimento

Fantasy for Orchestra Painted Over Themes by Beethoven

A pentimento an alteration in a painting, evidenced by traces of previous work, showing that the artist has changed his or her mind as to the composition during the process of painting.

Program Note
Beethoven was known for being a perfectionist, revising his works several times before being satisfied with them. Unlike with painting, the only evidence we have of these revisions are the occasional sketches uncovered from his files. The final works themselves are polished masterpieces with no traces of earlier failures in them.

This short, bombastic overture aims to simulate Beethoven’s (and many composers’, my own included) revising process – the frustration, bewilderment, and sheer tenaciousness of it – through a series of direct references from his best known orchestral works. These quotes are combined, re-organized, juxtaposed, and often haphazardly thrown together in a wild conglomeration of sound.

The main basis for the work is Symphony no. 1 in C Major, Op. 21, but there are many more quotes from other works throughout. See how many you can count!

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