Running for Beethoven
The “Running for Beethoven” race combined culture and public health in a unique way. In the scenic area around Kulturhuset in Ytterjärna, Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Fate Symphony is broadcast live along the entire course, and the goal is to reach the finish line before the symphony ends. To meet people’s different physical abilities, the race, which received support from Signatur in 2023 and 2024, has three different tracks, and for the culturally oriented audience, it was possible to experience the event from the concert hall.
Culture and health bridging borders
The organisers wished to counter a perceived trend in society where people increasingly gather in groups that are isolated from each other. “Running for Beethoven” aims to bring joy to all participants. Culture has a unique ability to bridge differences and bring people together across borders. The project has made it possible for all members of a family, from children to the elderly, to participate together.
Through “Running for Beethoven”, people has got the chance to meet in a joyful event with both culture and health in focus, where participants challenge both themselves and Ludwig van Beethoven. On stage in Ytterjärna Kulturhus, a symphony orchestra performed Beethoven’s famous Fate Symphony and along the running course speakers broadcasted the live music. The aim was to reach the finish line before the symphony ends.
Start in Ytterjärna Kulturhus
The original challenge was 5 kilometres, but there were alternative challenges for those who wished to walk or to run fast. A culturally oriented audience could simultaneously take part in the event from the concert hall, where live images from the race-course were projected. The starting signal sounded inside the concert hall and all runners passed the orchestra and the concert hall audience as they take off. Participants in the project’s physical challenge haad their race enriched with a cultural experience and those who attended for the music experience were swept along in the physical sensation of the race.
About Fairplay Chamber Music
Fairplay Chamber Music (formerly Järna Festival Academy) is a cultural forum at the highest international level located in the area around Kulturhuset in Ytterjärna. During two summer weeks each year, musicians, artists, researchers, students, children and young people gather to collaborate on artistic content based in contemporary society. The initiative was founded in 2017 with the aim of becoming one of the Nordic region’s leading chamber music festivals and summer academies, and since then its programme has developed and diversified.
Civic engagement and creativity
Fairplay Chamber Music is imbued with a strong commitment to society. In addition to producing classical music at the highest international level, the festival aims to contribute positively to society in a broader perspective. The artistic content should stimulate development and creativity where it is most needed. In total, around 30-40 events have been organised annually. These include internal thematic material but also external productions, student concerts and a concert series in the autumn/spring. The founders and leaders of Fairplay Chamber Music are cellist Jakob Koranyi and pianist Peter Friis Johansson.
Read more about Fairplay Chamber Music on their website: https://fairplaychambermusic.com/en/home/
