Music Director Franz Welser-Möst will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 at Severance Hall on Sunday, October 12, at 3:00 p.m.

The program begins with Jacques Ibert’s Escales (“Ports of Call”). Next on the program are four of Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances from Opus 46. After intermission, the program concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67.

The four-note opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has been called the most famous beginning in all music. While the composer may not have referred to this motif as “fate knocking at the door,” as he was reported to have done, the entire first movement is derived from it. The motif has been heard in everything from always-welcome performances of “Beethoven’s Fifth,” to television commercials, and (due to the fact that its rhythm corresponded to the “dot-dot-dot-dash” letter “v” in Morse Code) it was used by the Allies as the “V for Victory” symbol during World War II. The Fifth Symphony was first performed as part of an historic concert in Vienna, one of the longest ever given, led by Beethoven on December 22, 1808, and consisting entirely of “world premieres” of works by Beethoven, including two other immortal masterworks, his “Pastoral” Symphony (No. 6) and Piano Concerto No. 4. For millions of people around the world, “Beethoven’s Fifth” – one of the most popular and best-known works in the history of music – has come to epitomize the composer himself.

The concert is sponsored by Parker Hannifin Corporation.

The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2008-09 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS. UBS is a leading global wealth manager, a leading global investment banking and securities firm and one of the largest global asset managers. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking. UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its full season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall, UBS is the exclusive season sponsor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and is a supporter of the London Symphony Orchestra. The firm also sponsors a number of leading orchestras across the United States, including those in Los Angeles, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Seattle and Utah.

Biographical information on Franz Welser-Möst follows.

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TICKET PRICES: Orchestra: $60, $41; Dress Circle: $82, $47; Balcony: $60, $47, $31.

TICKET SERVICES: The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for most concerts in the 2008-09 season are now on sale.