2020 should have been a monumental year. Concert Diaries where full of grand Beethoven-celebrations. He really was the first monumental composer in so many ways, standing over the shoulder of artists that followed, and continues to do so today.
Lockdown put an halt on monumental celebrations. Small-scale is the only legally allowed way forward apparently for now. Artists are told it is upon their shoulders to prove they are creative in finding how to implement this in a financially viable way. Symphonic concerts and choral works are culled. Live performances in concert hall are banned.
Here is Brahms finding an alternative from the grand symphonic canvas, yet still so steeped in Beethoven’s spirit, distilled into the miniature form.