Beethoven 200
On 21 March 1825, the founders of what was then called the Philharmonic Society of London gave the UK premiere of a new work they had commissioned: a work that would go on to resound worldwide, and represent the best of humanity.
The work was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and it’s thanks to a community of music-lovers here in the UK that Beethoven found the means to write it. His thanks to them is recorded in his own hand on the manuscript score in the British Library.
200 years on, we are proud to celebrate that extraordinary gesture, as a reminder of the huge positive impact that music can have in the world, and the opportunity we can collectively play in making that happen.
You can read the remarkable story of Beethoven’s association with the RPS here on our website.
On this landmark anniversary, we are newly launching an appeal to help us commission and support a new generation of composers to make their mark on the world. To read more about our appeal, please click here.
We are delighted that RPS Gold Medallist Antonio Pappano and our friends at the London Symphony Orchestra will give a bicentenary performance of Beethoven’s Ninth at the Barbican on its anniversary weekend, on Sunday 23 March 2025.
We also look forward to announcing further celebratory events casting light on the symphony’s origin story here in the UK. Stay tuned for further details.