Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Present Beethoven & Romanticism in January 2025

This January, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Andris Nelsons present a special monthlong festival, Beethoven & Romanticism. The centerpiece is the complete cycle of the nine symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, performed in order on consecutive programs at Symphony Hall for the first time since BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky did so in March 1927. The cycle will take place over a three-week period (Jan. 9–25), culminating with Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 (“Ode to Joy”), the latter featuring a roster of acclaimed soloists—soprano Amanda Majeski, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Pavel Černoch, and baritone Andrè Schuen—and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus under the direction of BSO Choral Director James Burton in the finale. The festival marks the first time that Nelsons conducts the First, Second and Sixth (Pastoral) symphonies with the BSO. A ticketed open rehearsal of the Fourth and Fifth Symphony program is offered on the morning of January 16 and includes a pre-rehearsal talk. Details of each concert may be found in the program listings below. 

Each of the four symphonic concert programs is complemented by a free interdisciplinary event designed by the BSO Humanities Institute, illuminating new facets of the composer’s life and work and its enduring relevance. The Humanities Institute, announced earlier this year, is also planning events related to the BSO’s April-May concerts on the theme Decoding Shostakovich. Building on the foundational work of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, the BSO is committed to deepening its community connections through humanities programs and partnerships that foster dialogue. The humanities events, for which free tickets may be reserved online, are described in more detail below. 

For more information, download the complete release.