Beethoven

Philadelphia has a long association with classical music, from the Curtis Institute of Music to The Philadelphia Orchestra with former directors Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, and so on. Beethoven has long been a favorite in our city.

For Labor Day weekend our local classical music radio station was conducting its annual Labor Day Weekend Countdown with listeners voting on their top 30 favorites.

As I was traveling around town running errands, they were playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. I was in and out of the car every few minutes doing my shopping, and every time I hopped back in the car, Beethoven was there to greet me.

Your #DolceVita action item for this week: Listen to an hour of Beethoven.

May I suggest his late piano sonatas? Ludwig Van can be soothing, exciting, contemplative, tumultuous, emotional, witty, and beautiful.

Let me know which of his many works you choose. Use hashtag #DolceVita so I’m sure to see it.