Beethoven’s 5th

Music Director Eckart Preu and the Long Beach Symphony launch the 2022-2023 season with a trio of beloved classical masterworks. Opening the concert is Sergei Prokofiev’s ebullient Classical Symphony, among the composer’s most popular works. Next, Concertmaster Roger Wilkie steps into the spotlight in Mendelssohn’s passionate Violin Concerto. The program concludes with the world’s most famous symphony, which may make you jump from your seat as it opens with perhaps the most iconic phrase in the classical repertoire: the majestic “bum bum bum BUM” of Ludwig van Beethoven’s richly triumphant Symphony No.5.

Get an early start on enjoying this concert by reading the Program Notes:

Symphony No. 1 “Classical” (Prokifiev)

Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)

Eckart Preu

Eckart Preu, Conductor

Maestro Eckart Preu (Eck-art Proy) began his tenure as Music Director of Long Beach Symphony in 2017 and has already made a strong impression on the city of Long Beach, surrounding regions, and with critics for his programming and dynamic stage presence. Critics, the orchestra, and audiences alike have celebrated his ability to …

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Roger Wilkie

Roger Wilkie, Violin

A Southern California native, violinist Roger Wilkie has been the beloved concertmaster of the Long Beach Symphony for over 27 years. He has appeared as a soloist throughout his career with the Symphony, performing the concertos of Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, and more recently …

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