Beethoven Festival

October 22, 8:00 pm

Michigan Theater

Beethoven: Fidelio Overture, Op. 72c
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73

This year’s A²SO Beethoven Festival welcomes back one of our favorite guest soloists, pianist Anton Nel. Praised for his expert interpretations of Beethoven’s piano concertos, Nel will be performing what many consider the greatest of the set, the “Emperor.” Hear the mature and seasoned Beethoven with Nel at the bench and Maestro Arie Lipsky on the podium.

Beethoven was such a perfectionist that it took him four different attempts to reach a satisfactory overture for his only opera, Fidelio. His first three versions are still performed in concert today, but tonight at the A²SO’s Beethoven Festival, you will hear the composer’s final word, the Fidelio Overture. Beethoven’s sunny Symphony No. 1 in C major represents the young Ludwig as a master symphonist at the genesis of his career. From the shy hesitancy of its first few measures to the playfulness of the Minuet and to the end of the exhilarating Finale, Beethoven’s First Symphony is an essential introduction to his nine symphonies.

Anton Nel, winner of the first prize in the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall, enjoys a remarkable and multifaceted career that has taken him throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. We welcome Anton back for his seventh appearance with the A²SO.