freeEroica

Synopsis

Asian Premiere

Re-imagining Beethoven's Third – without sheet music, conductors, or chairs

Stegreif loves the free spirits, the revolutionaries, and the dissenters. All those who had their own ideas about the world and were courageous enough to live them.

With freeEroica, the orchestra dedicates itself to the first self-determined freelance composer in the history of classical music – Ludwig van Beethoven – and his Third "Eroica" Symphony. "Eroica" is marked by the values of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, fraternity. Originally composed for the war hero Napoleon Bonaparte, Beethoven decided immediately after the tyrant's self-coronation that he was neither the historical hero he'd imagined nor a suitable dedicatee for the symphony, which itself represents a revolutionary act in music history.

freeEroica is about revolutions both historical and musical, about the courage to fight for something, about heroes and the sacrifices they are willing to make, about resistance and solidarity, and, above all, about the unending, ever-evolving search for freedom.

Without sheet music, without a conductor, and without chairs, the orchestra strives toward the values of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, seeking out even the smallest of upheavals – even if these consist "only" of entering the concert hall without shoes. In this way, "Eroica" is brought to life anew through performance, improvisation, and re-composition. Broken bars, majestic red cloth, and disrupted orchestral arrangements make Beethoven's quest for the new and unexpected tangible, in a work that pulls a cornerstone of the centuries-old canonical repertoire into the present-day soundscape.

Photo Credit (Hero Banner & Thumbnail) : Frederik Ferschke 

About the Artist

Stegreif

Stegreif reimagines what a contemporary orchestra can look like today. The cross-genre musicians combine re-arrangements of symphonic music with improvisation. By performing from memory without a conductor, its musicians gain freedom for movement and interaction.

Improvisation lies at the heart of all Stegreif compositions, combined with influences ranging from jazz and folk to Arabic music and techno. Since its founding in 2015, the orchestra has created at least one new concert programme each year, including freeBeethoven, freeSchubert, freeBrahms, freeEroica, freeMahler, improphonie, symphony of change, and freeBruckner. Stegreif has realised co-productions with partners such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, PODIUM Esslingen, the Neuköllner Oper, and the Beethovenfest Bonn.

Stegreif has performed at major international venues and festivals including Berliner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Brucknerhaus Linz, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Lucerne Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, and Oranjewoud Festival (NL), as well as at genre-crossing festivals such as FUSION and Detect Classic Festival.

Alongside its in-house composers Juri de Marco, Alistair Duncan, and Franzi Aller, Stegreif has commissioned works from Uri Caine, Mike Conrad, Wolf Kerschek, and Lisa Morgenstern and collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Abel Selaocoe, Caroline Widmann, Nils Landgren, and Markus Stockhausen and directors like Tristan Braun, Ulrike Schwab, and Tino Sehgal.

Education and participation are central to Stegreif's artistic vision. The orchestra develops concert programmes with young and amateur musicians, leads workshops on orchestral improvisation, and creates large-scale participatory projects. Residencies such as TONALi in Hamburg and collaborations with music universities and cultural institutions reflect its commitment to shaping the future of classical music.

Stegreif has received numerous awards, including the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany, the European Cultural Brand Award, and the TONALi Award "Courage for Utopia". The ensemble is supported by major German cultural foundations and the German Federal Cultural Foundation.

Remarks

1. Free seating.
2. You are recommended to arrive 15 minutes before the event starts. Latecomers will be admitted at appropriate times.
3. Student Pass holders may queue on-site for available seats.
4. Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. HKPAX reserves the right to final decision regarding programme arrangements.