Alain Altinoglu
Francesco Piemontesi Johannes Brahms
Ludwig van Beethoven

When Beethoven meets Brahms on the same concert evening, we encounter two composers who each, in their own way, had to fight their way to triumph. Beethoven was waging a losing battle against his own deafness, while Brahms was burdened by Beethoven's musical legacy and his own self-doubt.

This concert marks the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death.

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2

It was Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) himself who was the soloist at the premiere of his second piano concerto in 1881. The work demands both technical brilliance and musical sensitivity. Unlike his first, Piano Concerto No. 2 was immediately recognised as a masterpiece.

The piano concerto represents a mature Brahms, who perhaps at last felt a sense of confidence and assurance. It is a work with symphonic qualities, encompassing the full spectrum of emotions and characters. Piano Concerto No. 2 is virtuosic, energetic, heartfelt, warm, heroic and monumental. It is complete.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 "Symphony of Fate"

The iconic opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is often described as fate knocking on the door. Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770–1827) own fate was that he would lose his hearing. His hearing was already severely impaired when he composed Symphony No. 5.

During the Second World War, the symphony was used as a symbol of victory, both because the letter V was used as a symbol of the will to fight, and because its Morse code has the same rhythm as the symphony's opening motif. This gave the symphony's message even greater weight. Human fate is not always fair, but one can choose how to face adversity. The symphony begins darkly and tragically, in C minor, but ends triumphantly in C major.