Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven

Last Updated on June 8, 2026

Reimagining Theatre: Tama Matheson’s ‘Music-Play’ Blends Drama and Classical Music into a New Genre

4.0 out of 5.0 stars

What better setting on a warm August evening than the evocative open-air theatre in Holland Park, all set up for the summer opera festival with apron stage, raked seating, tarpaulin over stage and auditorium and plenty of opportunities to pick up a glass of something to sip through the show. It’s the perfect platform for actors and musicians, and a great night out. Last night’s performance of Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven, written and directed by Tama Matheson, was a bold new theatrical genre he calls the “Music-Play”, a hybrid form that fuses spoken word with classical music to create a seamless and emotionally charged dramatic experience.

Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven tells the story of Beethoven’s life through music and words, providing the audience with a distinct insight into both the music itself and the dialogue. For Matheson

“It’s about giving the music its own voice within the story. The music doesn’t just decorate the drama — it is the drama.”

This integration produces a cinematic quality that Matheson refers to as “filmic intensity”, a quality that, he notes, consistently leaves audiences “spellbound.”

Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven treats music not as mere accompaniment or atmosphere, but as a co-equal narrative element. In Matheson’s productions, the music does more than underscore the action; it helps tell the story. Musical passages are used to propel the plot, reflect emotional transitions, and deepen character exploration — often assuming the narrative role altogether during moments of heightened drama.

The integration of art forms captures not only the biographical details of a life but also the inner emotional landscape expressed through the composer and his contemporaries’ works. The result is a richer, more immersive storytelling experience that unites fact and feeling, narrative and sound. Here, with arrangements by musical director Jayson Gillham of works predominantly by Beethoven, we enjoyed an excellent and powerful ‘Music-Play’ where the sum was greater than the individual components.

One of last year’s proms highlights was a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony from memory by the Aurora Orchestra. The first half of the show was a music theatre production that took the audience through some of the moments within the work to look out for, with the commentary sourced in part from Beethoven’s conversation books. There were obvious parallels with several aspects of the Aurora’s interpretation replicated in last night’s Music-Play, a distinctive and compelling contribution to contemporary theatre that challenges conventions and redefines how audiences connect with both music and drama.

Timely musical excerpts punctuated the dialogue throughout Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven, providing an amplification of the words. The historical context of the music became clear – we left with a better understanding of how Beethoven’s music evolved through his lifetime, influenced by his love life, his role in society, his political and philosophical beliefs, and, of course, his deafness. The drama surrounding Beethoven’s impassioned quest to advance Sonata Form beyond strict classical guidelines, with musical examples intertwined with the dialogue, was particularly salient, offering a rational explanation for something that is cited in musical training without reason.

Of course, none of this would work without a talented team of actors and musicians to bring the concept to life. With three actors, a pianist, a string quartet and a small chamber choir, everyone played multiple roles in Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven. The astonishingly talented players of the Quartet Concrète, all ex-Guildhall musicians with Jayson Gillham on Piano, somehow managed to deliver convincing interpretations of everything from chamber music to Beethoven’s symphonies. Choral moments at the start and end of the second half were somewhat less successful. With Tama himself playing Beethoven from childhood to his death, we gained a rich insight into the influences and context of his life. Robert Maskell and Suzy Kohane took on every other role from Wegeler and Reis (co-authors of “Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven”) to his mother, father, various patrons and more. Humour punctuated the poignant tale, and the evening was a gripping and evocative insight into Beethoven’s life.

There’s just one more performance of Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven on 8th August 2025. A show that’s worth seeing, you’ll leave with a fresh insight into Beethoven and, with a few good earworms.                      

                 

Beethoven – I Shall Hear In Heaven
Opera Holland Park Theatre,
Ilchester Place,
Holland Park
London W8 6LU

6^th and 8^th August 

Box Office:               https://operahollandpark.com/productions/beethoven-i-shall-hear-in-heaven/

Missed this? For more music in London check our opera previews for 2025