Ode to joy and to the genius behind it

In the year of the pandemic, a grand anniversary has delivered much needed musical solace in an event that will reach its climax next month

What on earth do you give someone for their 250th birthday?

Ludwig van Beethoven's gift to the world was his magnificent music, so what better way to return the compliment when that special day arrives in December than to play the full repertoire of his symphonies and concertos?

Trouble is that there are not enough hours in a day, let alone days in a week, to achieve that task, so the man who has given himself the mission of completing it, the conductor Li Biao, decided to get in early with a string of concerts.