It was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, so mistakes were made along the way. Fortunately, Ludwig van Beethoven’s grand Symphony No. 3 — Eroica — has endured far longer than the French emperor’s tragic reign, and it continues today to resonate with symphony music fans as a landmark composition bridging the Classical and Romantic eras. In an unusual twist to the masterpiece, the 11-piece ensemble microphilharmonic this week unveils its take on the classic work with Beethoven: Eroica with Michael Anderson and microphilharmonic. Anderson, a clarinetist with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the microphilharmonic, has arranged the four-movement work, generally performed by a large orchestra of perhaps 75 musicians, for the smaller ensemble. There is, as Anderson notes in pre-concert notes, a long history of orchestral works being converted for smaller ensembles on small stages, and we hope this is the first of many endeavors for Anderson and microphilharmonic.
Beethoven: Eroica with Michael Anderson and microphilharmonic is 4 pm Sunday, Oct. 10, and 7:30 pm Monday, Oct. 11, at The Shedd, 868 High Street. Tickets range from $24 to $38 and can be purchased at TheShedd.org. — Dan Buckwalter