Upbeat Beethoven is on offer at Saffron Hall in an afternoon concert on Sunday, January 19.

Upbeat Beethoven is on offer at Saffron Hall in an afternoon concert on Sunday, January 19.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra, combine with the Doric String Quartet and the Portugese conductor Joana Carneiro to blow the Eroica Symphony into the 21st century and make the Grosse Fuge sound modern after 200 years.

This is music arranged with a sense of humour. Also on the programme is Absolute Jest by John Adams.

This concerto for string quartet and orchestra by the American composer was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony for the orchestra's centennial and premiered in 2012.

The piece is composed in a single movement and lasts about 25 minutes. The concerto incorporates the music of Ludwig van Beethoven (specifically his late string quartets, among other pieces) into Adams's original material.

Concert, 3pm. Tickets, £18-£45 from 0845 548 7650 or www.saffronhall.com or Saffron Walden Tourist Information in the Market Square 01799 524002.