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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

What would it be like to hear Beethoven’s unfinished Symphony No. 10? Spokane Symphony, with the help of AI, brings score to life in Masterworks 4

Dirk Kaftan, general music director of the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, perform on stage Oct. 9, 2021, during the rehearsal for the world premiere of Beethoven’s 10th symphony, completed by artificial intelligence. The Spokane Symphony will be giving a similar performance of the AI-completed work on Saturday and Sunday at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.  (Getty Images)
By Jordan Tolley-Turner The Spokesman-Review

As artificial intelligence continues to improve and creep into day-to-day life, its place among the arts becomes a question offered more and more frequently.

From tech companies to modern philosophers to musicians themselves, this relatively new component of human advancement brings controversy to many and for a multitude of reasons: Does AI understand when it is “making” art? Is it a potential threat to the creative process? Is art defined by a necessity for human expression?

These questions could be (and have been) debated indefinitely, but perhaps the best way to answer them is by practicality and experience.

This weekend, the Spokane Symphony and conductor James Lowe will be putting AI-produced art to the test as they play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 10 in full.

If you’re reading this with any Beethoven background information at all, there’s a good chance you are questioning the authenticity of such a statement – because the entirety of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 10 does not exist.

After his death in 1827, multiple sketches that appeared to be for a slightly in-progress, yet very unfinished, symphony were discovered. In 1988, English musicologist/composer Barry Cooper used these sketches to create a partial score of what he believes to be as accurate to what Beethoven would have created if death hadn’t gotten in the way.

Although some question the true validity of the partial piece, it had seemed like Cooper’s variation would generally be the end of the conversation. After all, it’s not like there was anything else to go off or create, that is, until 2019.

“Beethoven X: The A.I. Project” combined multiple conductors and the use of artificial intelligence to create the remainder of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 10, or at least a concept of it, based on his tendencies and specific stylistic choices he has become legendary for.

As the conductor, it only seemed right to ask Lowe what is on the minds of many: How good of a job did AI really do?

Lowe laughed when asked the question, and he isn’t letting anyone know what he thinks just yet.

“I want people to have their own reactions, so I’m not going to give my own opinion, although I do have an opinion,” Lowe said.

Of course, this goes back to the many questions surrounding the use of AI within the arts: What is the line between avant-garde and machine?

“That’s a really good question, and I think that line gets more blurry as AI improves,” Lowe said.

When it comes down to it, Lowe said he believes that true musical art comes down to the beautiful ability for a human being to feel a certain way and not only consciously express one’s own emotions through song, but for another to gather and feel what the original writer was looking to illustrate. Although, that’s not to say AI isn’t interesting and potentially useful in artistic scenarios such as these.

These beliefs are partially why Lowe wanted the symphony to also play two other pieces by Beethoven, to show what the revolutionary composer was able to do purely through talent, skill and a sense of expressive virtuosity that rivals that of the world’s greatest artists.

One of those pieces is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, a game-changing composition that remains iconic. From its sheer size and ambition to the explosive crescendos and dynamic range, it is known as an absolute feat of mankind’s artistic abilities.

“It is one of the most important and revolutionary pieces of music ever written,” Lowe said. “I wanted to put a real masterpiece next to those completions so you can see this is what real Beethoven sounds like at the height of his powers.”