BSO Carousel 1-Hidden references

Slide 1

Do you know Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Well Enough to spot the hidden motives?

Slide 2

When I was asked to write a brand-new opener to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, I envisioned a piece that sews in the Symphony’s main motives subtly which lays the foundation for them to later blossom during the entirety of the work.

Slide 3

So can you spot the hidden references in my new orchestra prelude “When It Blooms”?

Slide 4

Motif 1 - what is the timpani referencing to in Beethoven’s 9th?

Slide 5

It’s refering to the rhythmic motif in the 2nd movement, especially the solo timpani moment!

This might be the earliest musical example of a composer writing a solo timpani moment? it may seem normal to us now, but it was truly innovative and out of the box for Beethoven’s time!

Slide 5

Motif 2 - what is this brass chorale referencing?

Slide 6

It’s quoting the beginning of the 3rd movement! the lyrical counterpoints offers a moment of introspection and serenity before the glorious last movement with the choir

Slide 7

Motif 3 - what famous theme is hidden in this string passage?

Slide 8

It’s the famous ode to joy melody! it is fragmented and blended up (literally like a musical blender!) with another famous melody, a traditional Japanese song called “Sakura Sakura”. See my next reel for why the Sakura tune is important to the idea of this opener, aside from Beethoven’s 9th references!

Slide 9

Come to hear my new orchestra piece, alongside with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony performed by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra with conductor Ryo Hasagawa

May 16 7pm | IU Musical Arts Center

Info + Ticket link in bio

Improved:

Slide 1 — Hook Can you spot the hidden Beethoven clues I buried in my new orchestral piece? 🎼 Most people miss all 3.

Slide 2 — Setup (make it about them) The Bloomington Symphony asked me to write a brand-new opener to Beethoven's 9th.

So I did something sneaky — I hid the Symphony's most iconic motifs inside my piece like musical Easter eggs 🥚

They're subtle. They're intentional. And they all bloom later in the night.

Can you catch them?

Slide 3 — The Challenge Here are the 3 hidden references in "When It Blooms" 👇

(Swipe to test yourself — answer revealed on the next slide)

Slide 4 — Motif 1: Question 🥁 What is this timpani pattern referencing?

Tap to guess before you swipe.

Slide 5 — Motif 1: Answer It's the solo timpani from the 2nd movement! ✅

Here's the wild part — this may be one of the earliest solo timpani moments ever written. What feels totally normal to us now was genuinely radical for Beethoven's time. He handed the spotlight to the percussion section. Nobody did that.

Slide 6 — Motif 2: Question 🎺 What is this brass chorale referencing?

Swipe only if you've made your guess…

Slide 7 — Motif 2: Answer It's quoting the opening of the 3rd movement. ✅

That quiet, lyrical counterpoint — it's a breath before the storm. A moment of pure stillness right before the choir explodes in the finale. I wanted that same feeling of calm before glory.

Slide 8 — Motif 3: Question 🎻 There are TWO famous melodies hidden in this string passage.

One is the most recognizable theme in classical music history. The other is a centuries-old Japanese folk song.

Can you name both?

Slide 9 — Motif 3: Answer Ode to Joy + Sakura, Sakura — blended together. ✅ 🌸

Fragmented, intertwined, disguised in the texture. Think of it as a musical smoothie where you can almost taste each ingredient but can't quite separate them.

Why Sakura? That's a whole other story — and it's the subject of my next reel.

Slide 10 — CTA You can hear all of this live — the Easter eggs, the blooming, the moment it all clicks.

🎟 When It Blooms · World Premiere alongside Beethoven's 9th Symphony May 16 · 7pm · IU Musical Arts Center Bloomington Symphony Orchestra · conductor Ryo Hasegawa

Tickets + info → link in bio 👆