60 Bohnen für Beethoven

"My coffee must be made from 60 beans." Ludwig van Beethoven clearly knew exactly what he wanted.

The Essen Philharmonic is dedicating a series of portraits to him during this anniversary season (2027 marks the 200th anniversary of his death). Concerto Köln In it, the orchestra presents an extraordinary evening and asks: What was Beethoven’s everyday life really like? What music did he engage with? What inspired him? And how does a precise obsession with coffee beans fit in with monumental symphonies?

This concert sheds light on Beethoven through the music he knew, which shaped him and which he loved. And through his sometimes curious habits: such as his meticulous counting of his daily 60 coffee beans. Through the works of Dressler, Haydn, Mozart, Salieri and Lucchesi, Beethoven is revealed not only as a master of the Classical period, but as a man of humour, depth and surprising facets.

The evening combines Beethoven’s music, played on Olga Pashchenko’s historic fortepiano, with brief, narrative moments from his world – narrated by Henning Baum.