A merging of musical giants, Beethoven X Coldplay pairs two composer/artists that deal with universal and humanist themes in their music, and asks the musical question - would Beethoven have found meaning in the music of Coldplay? That notion, perhaps odd-sounding at first, becomes much more compelling when considering the events surrounding Beethoven’s creation of the Eroica Symphony- an artist desperate to solidify his position as the reigning musical genius in Vienna, but yet still misunderstood and criticized, and a young man in his thirties faced with the reality that he would indeed soon be completely deaf. How, then, would Beethoven have reacted to the Coldplay lyrics ‘Nobody said it was easy?’ or ‘When you lose something you can’t replace…. could it be worse?’

Beethoven X Coldplay transforms the Eroica into an oratorio, weaving the melodies and lyrics of Coldplay into the original Beethoven, pairing them together based on content and context. It is the alternate Eroica Beethoven may have created had he known the music of Coldplay at the time. Three world-class vocalists join the full orchestra, and conductor/composer Steve Hackman alternates between conducting the orchestra and playing the piano. Many of Coldplay’s most well-known songs are interpolated, including ‘Yellow’, ‘Viva La Vida’, ‘Clocks’ and ‘The Scientist’.