Exploring Beethoven in Geneva: Chiara Banchini on Theresia’s next chamber music project

Continuing what has become a tradition, Theresia will be in Geneva in July for a chamber music Academy led by violinist Chiara Banchini, in which nine musicians from the orchestra will participate. Elana Cooper and Guillermo Santonja di Fonzo (violins), Hannah Gardiner and Helena Reguera Rivero (violas), Marta Jiménez Ramírez (cello), Ariel Walton (double bass), Ching-Yao Wang (flute), and finally Jonathan van der Beek and Janire de Paz Rivas (horns) are the musicians who will take part in the musical project. They explore and perform a historical transcription of Beethoven’s Second Symphony in the chamber version by Ferdinand Ries. The project is artistically spearheaded by Chiara Banchini, who told us more about the musical programme and about the Festival Concerts d’été de St Germain, of which she is a member of the artistic committee.

Chiara Banchini, let’s start with the Festival Concerts d’été de St. Germain: how is it structured and how did the collaboration with Theresia come about?

“The festival takes place in July and August with concerts every week on Sunday and Monday evenings. It has been going on for 40 years and has a very loyal audience. We have a priority, which is to let young people play more than artists who are already established and in the prime of their careers. In this spirit, the collaboration with Theresia began in 2019: I proposed it when I joined the artistic committee. Initially, the projects were generally dedicated to repertoire for chamber groups or small ensembles, but since 2022 we have started a project on historic transcriptions of Beethoven’s symphonies, which has been very well received”.

What were the previous stages of this exploration of Beethoven, and what is this year’s programme about?

“In 2022 we performed the Sixth Symphony, in 2023 the Seventh, and this year the Second Symphony: it is a transcription by Ferdinand Ries, Beethoven’s student and friend. The transcription is very beautiful and very well done: it’s a new and interesting way to approach Beethoven’s symphonies, because it feels like getting into the heart of the compositional process.”

Beethoven’s Second Symphony is not the only piece on the program.

“Indeed. We decided to put an original piece by a contemporary of Beethoven next to the symphony: it is the Nocturne for flute, two horns and string quintet by Franz Anton Hoffmeister. It is a completely unknown side; it has never even been recorded. What is particularly interesting is that it is written for the same instrumental ensemble that Ries used for the chamber version of Beethoven’s Second Symphony. Moreover, following a practice of the time, each instrument in the ensemble has its own solo moment in which to emerge and showcase its technical and musical talents.”

Does the festival focus on baroque and classical repertoire?

“In fact, the Festival’s musical programme ranges from Baroque to contemporary, but since I have been on the committee, I have been able to ensure that there is much more focus on historically informed performance. And not just the Baroque repertoire! For example, we have planned a concert of Schubert Lieder that will be played on an 1840 fortepiano. This also solved the acoustic problems that made it impossible to use a modern piano, since the concerts take place in a church.”

You said earlier that the Festival has a priority to give space to young musicians: besides Theresia, who are the other young emerging artists?

“We have a strong collaboration with the Concours de Genève: this season we just hosted the NOVO Quartet, winners of the 2023 edition dedicated to the string quartet. We also host the winners of a new interdisciplinary competition, OSEZ!, aimed at groups that have to present a musical performance with actors, dance and staging: the winners of the first edition were the vocal sextet Ensemble Diaphane, which opened the festival with a programme ranging from baroque to contemporary.”

Concerts will take place at Eglise Saint-Germain de Genève, on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 July 2024 at 6.30 pm