Beethoven goes BEAThoven

International artists remix the master's music.

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most popular composers worldwide, yet usually, you won't find his music in clubs and on festivals. Now, this is about to change: An international network of musicians, particularly players of outer-European instruments, and producers of electronic music have reinterpreted 20 melodies from various works by the visionary composer. The result of the “World BEAThoven Project” was premiered in January.
Following the release, it will be presented worldwide on zero-waste festivals and on bicycle-tours that span generations. Furthermore, chosen album tracks will be rearranged for a 35 piece brass orchestra, the Youth Brass Band NRW.

The idea to this project came from the Bonn based culture manager, geographer & DJ Darius Darek Roncoszek, who also took on the duties of artistic direction. Together with Hans-Joachim Büsching, solo clarinetist of the Bonn Beethoven Orchestra, he selected music passages, some of which are motifs from hugely popular pieces, others being of relative obscurity. They were recorded by 15 musicians that used instruments from all over the world, be it a Chinese zither (Guzheng) or African balafons.
Hans Zimmer's sample library developer Felix Ohlert took on production management and created a sample databank.

The entire album of the “World BEAThoven Project” that is being funded by the Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH and the sample databank are available for free under a creative-commons-licence: www.taxi-mundjal.com/beathoven.html.