This weekend, September 24 and 25, the Victoria Symphony kicks off its Signature Series with the first in a series of explorations of the “superstition that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony cursed all composers who followed.” Here’s what Maestra Tania Miller has to say about the series theme:

“In 1824 Ludwig van Beethoven bared his soul in a work so stunning in originality, scale and emotional power that virtually every great composer who followed has lived under its shadow. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony left so great an impact on the classical music world that a superstition arose in its wake resulting from the untimely deaths of several composers who passed way while trying to write their 10th symphonies. We are exploring this superstition throughout the Signature Series and performing works by composers affected by the “curse” including Mahler, Brahms, Schubert and more.”

On this concert, though, the exploration of the Shadow of the Ninth starts at the beginning, with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, written by the composer in 1799. The concerts are led by VS resident conductor Giuseppe Pietraroia, and they also feature VS concertmaster Terry Tam as soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.