Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved
The new violin concerto from Nancy Ives featuring soloist Denise Dillenbeck
A Beethoven companion piece highlighting women’s voices
One of history’s greatest mysteries comes to life in this powerful, female-forward collaboration.
The year 2027 marks 200 years since Beethoven’s death. To this day, no one knows for sure the name of Beethoven’s love, the recipient of his famous “Immortal Beloved” letter. He carried the secret of his eternal muse to the grave...
Who are the phenomenal women that surface as possibilities, each with such talents and fortitude of spirit as to potentially inspire Beethoven’s undying affection? This new multi-movement concerto offers a portrait of each through gorgeous music while referencing the mystery’s tantalizing connection to Beethoven’s only opera.
With context that showcases what these women went through, and who society allowed them to be, the piece is an egalitarian tool carrying their voices into the present with timeless relevance.
Premieres scheduled for January 2025 and throughout the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons!
Length: 25 mins (includes a brief preamble)
Instrumentation: 2222 - 2200 - timp - pf - solo vn - strings
Commissioning Organizations
With the support of a generous donor, the individual commission fee to join the consortium and secure one of the premiere performances is only $2,500.
Co-commissioners receive performance exclusivity through August 2027.
About Denise Dillenbeck
A radiant violinist who delivers extraordinary performances imbued with imagination and insight, Denise Dillenbeck is “simply first-rate.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
Celebrated for her work as a soloist, Dillenbeck offers “gripping and technically accomplished [interpretations]… at once soulful and well-reasoned,” (The Oregonian) of both classic repertoire and breathtaking new masterworks. Dillenbeck’s recent and upcoming solo engagements include a tour of China with the American Festival Orchestra in addition to appearances with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Washington-Idaho Symphony, Boise Baroque Orchestra, Sinfonietta Nova, and Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra among others. As concertmaster, Dillenbeck leads the Yakima Symphony, York Symphony, Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra, and the Northwest Sinfonietta with “unflagging focus… dynamic nuances and virtuosic aplomb.” (The Oregonian)
“stunning, assiduously crafted, and mostly melodic music... I was blown away because of the high quality, authenticity & eye-opening nature”
— Oregon ArtsWatch on Ives’ music
