Beethoven had a conflictual relationship with authority. Don’t we all!
His much celebrated Third Symphony is a fertile ground for interpreting his bellicose attitude towards sovereigns and power-wielders individuals. Interestingly enough though, Beethoven is quick to bury the hero after a rumbustious first movement which lasts almost as much as an entire classical symphony. He has no problem in celebrating the exploits of a mundane anonymous character. But the funeral march which follows doesn’t spill grief over the loss of an individual; it rather buries solemnly an idea of authority which Beethoven wanted to brush off from the palette of values.
His fifth Piano Concerto has nothing to do with Emperors, at least as far as scholars can say, but it surely seems to be singing of heroic gestures of some presumably masculine subject. Even the achingly beautiful love scene which is the short second movement is brought to conclusion by a swift call back to the world of action from which a true hero cannot really escape.
Putting together ultra-famous works by Beethoven we will explore in this show how a young man from Bonn tried to usher in his own way of looking at creativity by replacing the standard development of sonata forms with variations, a type of work that will stay dear to him until the end of his life.
Programme to include music from:
Symphony no. 3 in E-flat major Op. 55 “Eroica”
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major “Emperor”
Variations for piano op. 35 in E-flat major “Eroica Variations”
Gabriele Carcano, piano
Raffaello Morales, conductor and narrator
Fidelio Orchestra
Tickets will be allocated by LSO St Luke’s. A physical ticket will be sent to the purchaser with a seat before the performance. All seats have full view.
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